The story of a street dog

Santa Cruz, Galapagos

On a Friday morning, a man came into the Galapagos clinic while the team were finishing up a surgery. He mentioned that he had a dog with a swelling on his flank and asked the Doctors some advice on what to do. The Doctors asked the man to bring his dog into the clinic so that they could take a look at him.

The man returned that afternoon with a dog. Upon questioning the man, the he told the team that the dog wasn’t actually his, but was a street dog. The kind man said that he had seen the dog walking around with the swelling on his flank and thought it best that he was checked out by someone knowledgeable.

After a general check-up, the Doctors determined that the dog seemed to be in quite good physical condition, except for the swelling. Dr. Daphne needed to take a sample of the lump to see what was causing the swelling. As Dr. Marijke and Sacha held the pup, Dr. Daphne took a sample of fluid from the swelling. After draining the swelling, the pup was already looking much better. He was given antibiotics to ward off any infection and a deparasite treatment. The Doctors suspected that the swelling might have been from a worm cyst, and asked the man to return with the dog for a check-up in a week.

The man returned to the clinic the next week to let the team know that the dog was doing much better. The dog had been returned to the now found owner and was in good shape. He would be old enough for a castration surgery within the next weeks, so the team and the man made an appointment for the surgery, and a follow-up check-up.