Meet Ozzie.
Three-month old Ozzie limped into the lives of newlyweds Nicole Marchment and Darren Budini while they were honeymooning on Koh Chang, Thailand last October.
The young pup had been hit by a scooter and was in dire need of medical attention.
“We took him back to our accommodation while we made enquiries about vets, bathed him, pulled 26 ticks from his little body and splinted his leg with ice-cream sticks,” Ms Marchment told The Daily Mail.
Unfortunately, the vet services on Koh Chang were limited and unable to provide Ozzie with the medical care he needed.
Ozzie’s first sleep in a proper bed
So, the newlyweds vowed to put their honeymoon on hold and drove Ozzie 6 hours to Pattaya on the Thai mainland in order to have surgery. He had a metal rod inserted into his injured leg and stayed at the Pattaya Animal Hospital for two months to recover. Although Ms Marchment and Mr Budini were back in their native Australia at this point, they were doing everything they could to find the pup a ‘forever home’ in Thailand – sadly, without any luck.
By this point, poor Ozzie had developed a bad case of mange after being cooped up in a small cage in the animal clinic and would later go on to contract MRSA.
It was decided that his best chance at a ‘forever home’ would be outside of Thailand and so a temporary adoption was arranged in the US before Ozzie would be brought back to his rescuers in Australia. Australia’s quarantine rules are incredibly strict and require dogs to have stayed a minimum of 180 days in an approved country before entering.
A kind stranger flew with Ozzie to the US and has been caring for the now seven-month old pup since the temporary adoption fell through. Unfortunately, further complications have beset the pup – he is still being treated for MRSA, and requires urgent surgery on his injured leg where a screw is coming out of the inserted metal rod and threatening to pierce the skin.
After the swathes of surgery and care bills required to rescue Ozzie from Koh Chang, Ms Marchment and Mr Budini have understandably run out of funds and are now crowdfunding in order to see to it that the rest of Ozzie’s medical bills are paid to give him a fighting chance at recovery.
Although they would still love to have Ozzie come and live with them in Australia, the couple will be seeking a home for him in the US if they are unable to raise the money.
Ozzie with his rescuers, Nicole Marchment and Darren Budini
They say on their GoFundMe page, “For us, it was and still is only about saving his life and his quality of life. Right now, we are focused on his immediate care with leg / bone issues, a severe skin infection and possible kidney issues.
“It has been a long journey to achieve this, but we are making the baby steps with only money hindering his chances.”
The newlyweds have spoken of Ozzie’s fighting spirit and happy personality, and how the fact that he managed to overcome so much meant that it was impossible for them to turn their backs on him.
If you’re able to help donate any funds to Ozzie’s recovery and rehoming, please visit his GoFundMe page. The page tells Ozzie’s whole story and is regularly updated on the pup’s progress.
All photos are taken from Ozzie’s GoFundMe page
