If you were in the middle of your vacation with your loved one and you see a dog in desperate need of help, would you be bothered to stop all the fun you’re having to take time to help and save the dog?
Well that’s exactly what newlyweds Nicole Marchment and Darren Budini did during their honeymoon! This amazing couple cancelled their honeymoon itinerary to rescue an injured dog they found while they were Thailand.
The couple was honeymooning on the island of Koh Chang in Thailand. There was a poor local woman there named Duen who had been feeding the homeless animals after her work hours. So when the couple got the chance, they provided Duen with dog food and accompanied her so they can meet the animals.
And it was that time that they found the injured pup now named Ozzie. Ozzie was limping towards them. Duen informed the couple that poor little Ozzie had been hit by a scooter over a week ago.
The black pup was homeless, so he had no one to take him to the vet for his injuries to be checked. Aside from his injuries, he had other health issues, he had mange, he had high temperature, and he appeared to have stomach distension. Ozzie was so scared that he would urinate and vomit in fear.
The couple took the dog to their accommodation, gave him a bath, cleared out some of his ticks, and splintered his leg while they were inquiring about vets in the area. The creative couple had to eat 4 Magnums and used the sticks to make improvised medical splints.
They then took Ozzie to the only vet in the island. Unfortunately, she was lacking the medical equipment that could help Ozzie. She had no x-ray machine, no machine for blood tests, and no equipment to perform any surgery. After checking Ozzie, she suspected that the pup had nerve damage, and there wasn’t anything she could do.
The couple took Ozzie back to their room, where he stayed with them for 3 days. During that time, even if he could only use three legs, Ozzie learned to swim. He didn’t like it at first but swimming helped lower his temperature. Ozzie proved that he was a fighter!
While Ozzie was staying with the couple, he was able to feel what a real bed was like. For the first time, he had toys to play with, and he got a collar! The couple did a lot of researching, they sought for help on Facebook, and they found out that to save Ozzie’s life, they had to travel 6 hours to Pattaya and find a surgeon. This meant that they have to cancel their honeymoon plans to save Ozzie.
So Ozzie and the couple traveled to Pattaya and there they were able to find a surgeon. He went under the knife where the vet inserted a metal rod into his broken leg. The metal rod will hold the bone and prevent further damage. But they also discovered that the bone was infected. The couple realized that Ozzie has special needs and finding him a home in Thailand would be very difficult. He would have a better chance if he was brought out of the country.
The couple’s home country had very strict laws about animals getting into the country. Luckily, the couple was able to find Geoff Masanet, a US citizen who helped Ozzie get a flight from Thailand to the United States. Geoff had to change his itinerary, use a significant number of his frequent flyer points, and make countless of calls to make that possible.
With Geoff’s help, Ozzie was able to reach US soil. From a tropical country to a snowy place–Ozzie was able to adjust with that quickly!
But his fight is not over yet. During his stay at the clinic in Thailand, he had developed a severe case of mange, and he was still fighting the MRSP (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius) bacteria in his bone. Geoff tried to combat the mange with medicated shampoos, and he was put on a sulfa-based antibiotic for the MRSP.
Debbie Chase and her family in Wisconsin USA are going to foster Ozzie for 6 months. Hopefully, he will then be able to fly to Australia to join as a permanent member of Nicole and Darren’s family after the mandatory 180-day quarantine period in the USA.
The couple is now knocking on your hearts and asking for your help in settling Ozzie’s bills. They made sacrifices with their home payments just to help out Ozzie. They set up a GoFundMe page for Ozzie and they were already able to raise almost $13000. But with Ozzie’s ongoing medical issues, they are still in need of your help.
You can send your donations and read more about Ozzie’s story, as well as updates regarding his health at the GoFundMe page that the couple created.
You can also read more about this story at BarkPost.
