Thanks to your support, we've been able to help more emergency cases than ever before. In just the 1st few months of 2023, we've seen as many cats and dogs get help from the AKI-Have a Heart-Namibia Emergency Fund than we saw in the 1st 6 months of 2022. Here are some of their stories (Part 2 will have more stories from the 1st few months of 2023).
Very cute Boytjie (Afrikaans for Little Boy or Baby Boy) had a rectal prolapse and he became an AKI-HaH emergency case. Dr Erna operated on him but even after weeks at the hospital he wasn't back to 100% health. His legs were still a bit swollen (but better) and he still pooped everywhere all the time. We're not sure yet what his future will be, but Dr Erna is trying her best and HaH is trying to find a suitable home for him with caring, patient pet parents.
Sugar from Rehoboth is an old Have a Heart customer. He was neutered in 2022. In March, HaH got a message from Penny, the vet nurse in Rehoboth: Sugar's family asked her if they could get help. Sugar had a bad abscess on his cheek which popped open. Of course we said yes! Sugar got cleaned up, was given painkillers and antibiotics to take home, and was sent on his way. April 13 update: Sugar was back at the vet for a check up and the wound was healing very well.
Chico is definitely the best and most loyal customer of the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund (not necessarily a good thing!) He had 1st been an Emergency Fund client when he had parvo as a puppy in 2022. In January 2023, he needed help for an eye infection. This time, Chico's owner contacted the Rehoboth vet clinic because he was hit by a car. But having no xray machine there was no way to help him in Rehoboth.
HaH organized a lift to the clinic in Windhoek so the leg could be xrayed. The leg was broken and Chico needed surgery! Two days later he was doing well and ready to go home. Chico got a lift back to Rehoboth. He's on cage rest for a few weeks.
Beautiful Bailey was brought to the AANWO vet clinic to be spayed, but when Dr Hileni did the pre-check, it was obvious that Bailey was not fit for surgery. She was really sick. She had pyometra and was dying from a uterus full of pus. Bailey received emergency care, was put on a drip, and stayed at the clinic for a week while she recovered. A week after she arrived, Bailey was finally healthy enough to be spayed. Of course Bailey's emergency vet care was sponsored by the Emergency Fund.
Poor little Tiny was found in a terrible state, all alone, sick, hungry, and scared, she had only been in this world for about 6 weeks, what a cruel welcome! After being ignored by passersby, finally a kind-hearted person stopped to help and brought her to a nearby clinic. Luckily the clinic staff knew of the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund and requested our help. Of course we agreed, this tiny kitty needed to know kindness. At the clinic, she gained weight, started feeling better, she was pooping, peeing, sleeping, eating, and even wanted to play--just like a tiny kitty should. Since she had no home, she went to a foster family who currently cares for about 50 other cats all looking for a home.
Little Nessie is an ex-feral cat from Windhoek. Ronja trapped her and over time noticed that she had some neurological problems. Nessie didn't really grow, she walked a bit "off" and kept tilting her head to the left. Nessie needed to be seen by a vet to evaluate her. The vet found that she was a healthy cat, except for this neurological issue, which would need a scan to find out exactly what was wrong, and that is super expensive in Namibia. Ronja and the vet decided that the best thing for Nessie would be to find a family who is willing to take care of a little disabled kitty.
Smiley came to the Swakop Vet Clinic with his family to be seen for a badly broken leg. He was treated under the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund. Dr Winterbach performed the surgery and Smiley was just the happiest dog when his family came to pick him up. We often say that money for vet care in Namibia goes so much further than for the same care in the US. Here's an example: The total cost for Smiley's leg operation and his neuter, vaccinations and parasite treatment: US$137!
Bella is a tiny thing and had been in labor for 48 hours. Her puppy was too big for her. Bella's owner was desperate and had taken her to the state vet but they wouldn't help. In her desperation she went to Dr Erna, 75 km away from where they live in Gibeon.
Bella's owner felt bad that she couldn't afford to pay for the surgery that Bella needed and in return, she offered to help organize a spay/neuter clinic in Gibeon (which would be a 1st!) and also she would volunteer at the clinic (of course Bella will be spayed too). Thanks to the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund, both Bella and her baby survived.
This is little Maui, an old HaH customer who had previously been spayed. Maui was stuck in a tree for 10 days. The fire brigade and many people tried to help but no one could get her down. Finally she came down on her own. She was very dehydrated and needed to be seen by a vet, but her family couldn't afford that. We agreed she could be treated under the Emergency Fund. Dr Hileni put her on a drip and after a few hours she was so much better, she was ready to go home--hopefully having learned her lesson about trees!
Archi was brought to the Rehoboth Vet Clinic to be spayed (funded by HaH-Namibia). But the pre-check indicated that something was very wrong with Archi. It turned out she had tick bite fever; she was covered with ticks, from her ears to her tail. She became an AKI-HaH Emergency Fund patient and after some meds and monitoring, when it seemed she was on the road to recovery, she was sent home with a bag of dog food and instructions to return for her spay surgery a few weeks later. April 13 update from Geesche: "Archi's tick bite fever is over and forgotten, she is spayed and happy and healthy like never before!"
This is Flappy Karuses from Gobabis. Flappy had a painful injured eye and it needed to be removed. Luckily, Dr Baines and his team from the mobile clinic came to Gobabis for spay days and Flappy's family took the chance to ask for help.
After surgery, Flappy was already feeling better, what a relief it must have been to get that painful eye removed.
Besides the Emergency Fund, your donations are used for Have a Heart's Lifetime Care Program which ensures that spayed/neutered pets get the care they need to live long, healthy lives. As part of this, we support dipping and de-worming days. Tick bite fever is a major health issue for Namibia's dogs. Dipping Days are fun and educational for everyone and help to keep Namibia's dogs healthy and comfy!
Here are some pictures from January's dipping day:
Here are some pictures from the March dipping day:
Thank you for your support. Without you, none of this would be possible!