The Good, The Bad, The Happy, The Sad at our Partner Mbwa wa Africa's Shelter
AKI support to Mbwa wa Africa covers about 1/3 of the costs to run the MwA shelter in Arusha, Tanzania. Until you really know what MwA does, what they face every day, the extent they go to to help cats and dogs, "1/3 of the costs" may not have so much meaning. I think after you read this, "1/3 of the costs" will mean a lot to you. And I hope you'll consider donating to AKI for MwA.
THE GOOD
Juri was lucky things didn't turn out worse! Both of his front legs had been broken when a careless motorbike driver drove over the sleeping pup. Although it was already dark, his worried owner carried him to the Mbwa wa Africa shelter, where they stabilized his legs, made a soft bed for him, and gave him pain medication to help him through the night. The next day, at Merlino Vet Clinic, he was properly checked and fixed with casts. Back at the MWA shelter, Juri went through swim therapy and after 4 weeks at MWA, he had healed. Juri's owner had visited him every weekend over those 4 weeks and he was very happy to finally be bringing Juri back home.
THE BAD
Ndoto (Swahili for Dream) once had owners, but they kicked her out when she developed mange. A nice woman continued to feed her, but her condition got worse and worse. Due to the miserable state she was in it was impossible to say how old she was. Probably 7 months, maybe a bit older. When MWA rescued Ndoto she didn't have the strength to run try to get away from her rescuers. She had open, badly infected wounds all over her body (I minimized the pictures below to make them a little easier to look at). The skin and flesh were gone from her face, no one was really sure what the cause of that was. Sandra carefully washed her (picture below), treated her wounds and put her on antibiotics and pain medication. She didn't liked the regular MWA dog food, so lucky Ndoto got chicken meat. She was a friendly but very tired little dog and on the third night, she refused to eat and started slipping away. She died in her sleep. Sweet Ndoto is at peace now.
THE HAPPY
Fidhuli is once again acting as a foster mom, happily helping to raise two very lively kittens! A few days ago, the kitties, Suri and Sele, were found without a mother and their rescuer brought them to the MWA shelter. They are going strong, already drinking by themselves and will soon be ready to be adopted into a loving home! A home with a dog would be perfect for them!
THE SAD
Mandazi wasn't so lucky. He was living on the street where Viva Tanzania, a hostel, is located. Tizia runs the hostel and looks after all the dogs in the area, so people alerted her when poor Mandazi was injured. His jaw had been dislocated and by the time Tizia was notified and able to find Mandazi, he hadn't been able to shut his mouth for 2 days. That meant no food or water for 2 days. He was very weak and Tizia rushed him to the vet for treatment. After surgery on his jaw, Mbwa Wa Africa took Mandazi in so he could recover in a quiet, safe environment, and so they could get him nourishing food to gain his strength. But he had trouble waking up after the surgery. Jens even spent the night next to him and kept him hydrated with a drip, but sadly, the next morning he slipped away.
THE BITTERSWEET
As long as a handicapped dog or cat isn't in pain and suffering, Mbwa wa Africa will do everything in their power to enable them to live a happy and fulfilled life. With so many road victims in Tanzania, the MWA shelter sees many paralyzed dogs. Some of them just need rest and care, followed by rehab, to walk again. Sadly, many more are so badly injured, MWA has to put them out of their misery. But some are residents at the MWA shelter. It's of course hard to find a home for a handicapped dog, so currently, MWA has 4 "dogs on wheels" living at the shelter. Luigi and Ajabu are 2 of them and in the last few weeks both had to have their hind legs amputated. In Luigi's case, he had been hit by a car about 1 1/2 years ago, his legs were paralyzed, and the blood vessels had shut down. He got deep wounds and there was no way they would be able to heal; amputation was the only answer. Both Abaju and Luigi are going great after their surgery. Luigi even started to walk on his front paws with his butt in the air!
Luigi had a wheelchair, but it was too big for him. So we at AKI got in touch with our friend Harlan at Red Flyer, who donated a custom-made cart for Luigi--soon to arrive in Tanzania thanks to Ruth, who will be transporting it and bringing it to the MWA shelter when she visits from the US.
Gordon will be another lucky recipient of a Red Flyer cart. Back in July, Elkan saw a little dog dragging himself across a busy road. The dog almost got run over, but Elkan ran out into the road and saved him just in time. Elkan asked around and learned that the little dog had been hit by a motorbike weeks before. He couldn’t walk anymore and the owner decided to leave him to die alone out on the street! Poor Gordon was struggling badly, was covered in ticks and lice, and couldn't fend for himself. Elkan brought Gordon to Dr. Chuma, who gave him a check up and took Gordon home that first night. The next day, Gordon moved in to the Mbwa Wa Africa shelter.
Gordon's x-ray showed a spinal cord injury and a shifted pelvis. He isn’t in pain, but his chances of ever walking again are next to zero. He is a wonderful dog, always happy and in a good mood and he sure wants to live! Gordon's wheelchair, also to be transported by Ruth, will improve his mobility and quality of life – and he will be Mbwa wa Africa's 4th "dog on wheels"!
There's so much more good, bad, happy, sad, and bittersweet--as a matter of fact, just about every day at Mbwa wa Africa is a mixture of all of those. Which is why they so need your support! Thank you for helping.