George arrived in UK from Hungary with a few others on the 18th September. It was a long journey but they all made it. All the dogs were on their merry way to different homes – some fosters, some forever. Amongst them was a Hungarian Puli cross called Radar.
Radar was found on the streets in Hungary. The rescuers took him to Pacsi Kutyamenhely Foundation, a shelter in Hajdúboszormeny. He stayed there for seven months before Hungary Hearts Dog Rescue finally found him a forever home. He was at the same shelter that saved George, then Bobo from a Killing Station.
Unlike George, Radar waited a long time before he found someone who was willing to give him a second chance at life.
On the 21st September, three days after he had arrived Radar went to meet his new family. He was fine, happy and settled in well, He was playing with the other dog and two cats.
A day later, he started being ill. He became very quiet. He didn’t eat, didn’t drink, just laid there and his nose started bleeding on and off.
His new owner took him to the vet the next morning. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him so he was put in isolation in case he had something contagious. They gave him Vitamin K1 to help the with the blood clotting. They screened for rat poison. They checked his liver and kidney function which were all fine. They had advanced labs for his blood tests.
Then they diagnosed that Radar had a blood parasite that he had picked up from a tick. It was very advanced which explained his blood was not clotting and he was running a very high temperature.
They had to give him blood transfusions. The next day there wasn’t enough of his blood type to go around. But they managed to find a large dog who had his type of blood.
Over the week, Radar was up one day and down the next. His blood platelet count was very low and then he regained it. His immune system was almost non-existent. The vets continuously monitored him and took more blood tests to check his red blood cell count. He was still bleeding from his nose although slowing down. Then he started to eat. Everyone on Hungary Hearts Dog rescue pulled together in prayer. The vets discussed possible euthanasia but the hardest thing is to put a dog down. No one wants to put their beloved dog to sleep but sometimes it is necessary if they’re in so much pain. If you would like to learn a little more about pet euthanasia, many pet websites, including Vetter Pet Care (https://www.vetterpetcare.com/in-home-pet-euthanasia), can provide a little more detail in how it would work. Radar looked as if he was willing to fight so he was given another chance to pull through.
On Monday morning, Radar’s blood platelet count was up to 57 and his red blood cell count was at 18. He was producing these himself. His nosebleed had stopped. He was a bit snappy but wasn’t eating. The vets felt quite positive but wanted to monitor him for another couple of days to check his progress and see if there were other problems.
That Monday afternoon, Radar gave up fighting and passed away. Just as we were being hopeful …
Dear Radar, it wasn’t an easy life for you from the start. Someone tried to give you another chance – but you didn’t stay around long enough to experience what could have been. But I am glad to know you did not pass away alone and unnoticed in a street somewhere in Hungary. Instead you received the best care possible. You left so many people here broken-hearted. We love you and we’ll see you again someday at Rainbow Bridge. God bless. xxx 
When we heard the news about Radar, I gave George a lick – to tell him I am glad he’s with us. That we will take care of him.
May’s comment: Of course I was concerned if George could have been infected as they were both in the same shelter but was told this was a condition that was already in Radar for a while. The incubation was 3-7 days for most dogs before they get ill. It really was just bad luck, really bad luck that all this time Radar was waiting for a forever home and just when his life was about to change, he had this tick bite. Really, life isn’t always fair.
This is the first time I’ve heard of Babesia. It’s a known illness with very little cure. It caused by ticks called Dermacentor Reticulatus.But apparently if the symptoms were detected early enough, Imizol could help the effects. Read more About Babesia.
While all this was happening, even though Radar had gone to his forever home. the charity Hungary Hearts Dog Rescue held themselves responsible for Radar, and they are now straddled with a huge vet bill. Everyone at Hungary Hearts Dog Rescue’s page have stepped in to help – Radar Needs Help and we are trying to help raise enough money to help the charity cover the costs for the vet.
Hungary Hearts Dog Rescue has done amazing work to try to save all those healthy dogs from being killed simply because they exist on the streets in Hungary. I’ve followed many of the strays that were saved from the streets, backyards and mostly Killing Stations. They have given each of the rescues the attention and the care to make them feasible for adoption by people in the UK.
Yes, there are many dogs in shelters in the UK, and people ask why Hungary. Only because I know about them. I also know about dog shelters in Thailand, Romania, Spain, Greece, Los Angeles and wherever else. But we can only do whatever we can to help save one life at a time whether it be here or there or Timbuktu. I have chosen to help wherever I can. Because of Hungary Hearts Rescue George is now in my life and I am grateful to them for this. And may they and all other such charities continue to save lives of dogs who are there simply because humans have been irresponsible. It is not their fault.
