Cape Town - Christmas has come early for hundreds of animals in need of life- or limb-saving surgeries as the Cape of Good Hope SPCA welcomed a custom-manufactured orthopaedic bone-plating kit for such surgeries.
In August, animal lovers from Cape Town and beyond participated in a remote mass doggie walkathon to help the SPCA raise funds for a bone-plating kit, and brought in R211 492.
The event, called Pawfeet Love, saw participants and their furry friends take to the streets, the parks, the forests and the beaches to walk in honour of the victims of animal cruelty and neglect whose broken bones prevented them from doing the same.
SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham said at least one orthopaedic patient was admitted to the welfare hospital every day, and receiving the bone-plating kit was a wish come true for them.
“Broken bones previously broke our hearts, because we didn’t always have the tools we needed to save animal lives. When fractures occurred too close to the hock (wrist), limbs had to be amputated, and in worst case scenarios – where more than one limb was broken or if fractures occurred in areas where our current X-Fix remedy could not be applied, like the pelvis or the spine – lives were being lost.
“This plating kit will change so many lives, not only for the animals we treat but also for our veterinary team who will now be spared the heart-breaking decisions they have had to make in the past, ” said Abraham.
Cape Argus