The recent OneKind appeal to support free veterinary clinics for homeless pets brought a great deal of seasonal cheer to the animals, their companions and those providing their care.
(Pic: Dr Andrew Gardiner examining Snoopy the rabbit)
We are delighted to welcome back Dr Andrew Gardiner from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, who is one of the vets providing this service, to talk about the difference your donation has made.
My visit to our clinic at Dunedin hostel just before Christmas was a happy one. The hostel was busy and I saw a number of new animals, including a very friendly and charming English Bull Terrier puppy. He was snugly done up in a padded coat for the cold weather. That cute and cuddly image, and the lit-up Christmas tree, and the background sound of carols, and the generally happy atmosphere pervading the hostel, made it a very nice end to my working year.
It made me think how lucky we are in Edinburgh to have two hostels who will accept pets with their owners. Let’s hope more hostels change their policy on this important area in 2012.
As part of the OneKind Appeal, we were very kindly given a selection of rope pull toys from Gemma Johnstone of ‘Just Dogs’ shop in Stockbridge. I have been giving these out to our dog clients, as has Amy Jennings at her clinic, and they are proving a great success. There are some more left so Xmas presents continue for some lucky hostel dogs! A new German Shepherd puppy called Munchy loves his and I’m sure directing his chewing energies towards the toy will save his owner some shredded shoes!
These toys are great for helping keep teeth and gums healthy in adult dogs too. Playing with them provides a very effective tooth brushing session, as well as encouraging bonding and socialization. And playing with your dog lowers your own blood pressure too – so everyone wins!
Mitsy, star of the Reporting Scotland news item which was run before Christmas, and which featured the work of the hostels and OneKind’s efforts to help us, pops in to see me every time I visit. I still have trouble telling her two owners apart: two sisters who are very like each other and have almost identical voices! Fortunately Mitsy is instantly recognizable and always asks for the same thing – a biscuit.
The money donated by OneKind’s Christmas Appeal will of course help support the core work of the vet clinics. It may not sound too exciting, but providing vaccinations to puppies and young dogs is so important. It protects them against some horrible killer diseases, parvovirus in particular, and provides us vets with the opportunity to do a thorough health check and general advice session.
But thanks to you, we can go a bit further, too, and provide some items that add to pets’ comfort and enjoyment of life. Both Amy and I have ordered some comfortable pet beds which we will leave at the hostels, as well as leads, food bowls, healthy treats, and other useful items, which can be used if new residents arrive without them. It will help both owners and their pets to settle in more quickly. And if there are things which individual dogs need, with our extra funds, we can get those ordered in too.
So a dog that tends to cough a lot when wearing a regular neck collar (a condition called tracheal collapse) can be provided with an exercise harness; someone else requiring a winter coat, perhaps an older, frailer dog, can get that; a cat that needs to be encouraged to drink more because of a kidney condition can be bought a water drinking fountain. We will buy in these items individually, as needed for particular pets, so that your money is not wasted for items not used. This will happen throughout the year.
The OneKind appeal has raised awareness locally and beyond. There is no doubt of the power of the mass media. So often we see this in a negative way, but it can have a very positive effect too. Just before Christmas, the emergency veterinary care provider Vets NOW agreed to treat any animals coming from the Edinburgh hostels free of charge, in the rare event of an adverse reaction to any treatment received at our clinics. That provides us all with some peace of mind should an unwelcome emergency ever happen.
On behalf of my vet colleague Amy, the hostel staff and all the people and animals helped this year so far, I’d like to say a big thank you to OneKind’s supporters. You don’t see all the animals that are being helped but I hope you gain some comfort from knowing that it is happening and that you are helping throughout 2012.
(Pic: Gee is delighted to recieve her new rope toy)
Find out more about how OneKind is helping homeless pets.
To make a donation please click on the Donate button, text PETS12 to 70070 or call our donations line on 0131 225 6039.
Don’t forget to write a message with your donation to show homeless pets someone’s thinking about them this winter. Thank you.