Hyena: Off the Streets

Hyena, retired street dog [23-July-2012]

“My name is Hyena. The full tale of my life is anyone’s guess. Residents of Panajachel have seen me around Calle Los Arboles for years. Some of my Ayuda friends were told that I have an “owner” but I don’t think so. I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t on my own. A week or so ago, I was viciously attacked by one of my fellow canine wanderers. Ouch, he really gave me a beating! With two broken canines and only a couple of back teeth left, I’ve become rather defenseless in my old age. I felt so tired, hurt and depressed that I finally allowed a nice young man to pick me up in a blanket and quickly transport me to Ayuda headquarters. I had no idea what was coming next!”

Poor old Hyena. No matter how often he was wormed and flea treated on the street, he just never could get completely clear of his problems. It was difficult to keep him on a regular routine for the first years as he was quite the roamer. Sometimes we’d go a month or more with no Hyena sitings.

Now he had much bigger issues. Once Dr. Isael had him sedated, we were able to see all of the damage, drain and treat his wounds and to fully assess his overall condition.

The dog fight left him with a large abscess on his left shoulder, multiple bite wounds around his neck, face and front legs and a small gash on his right hip. By the looks of his teeth and other physical features, we decided that he’s around 10 years old.

Treatments, good food and TLC have Hyena on the mend! His fur is already beginning to grow back in places. He’s put on a bit over one lb and wagged his tail for the first time yesterday!

Hyena will not be returning to his old haunts. He’s been promised permanent sanctuary for the rest of his days.