THE Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha has appealed to the public for help after their clinic’s homeless dog shelter unit was flooded in the rain that wreaked havoc throughout the city last week.
The clinic’s spokesperson, Marcelle du Plessis, said homeless dogs had to be moved to their small hospital cages during the flood as they had no other space for them.
“It’s only the start of winter and the pets are already struggling. Just last week we found a 10-year-old dog wandering the streets in the rain. His feet were worn down and his joints painful from arthritis. He had no hair on his back and was covered in fleas. We looked for his owners but couldn’t find them. We named him OG. OG received warm food, a soft bed and medication for his pain. But when the shelter flooded, we had to urgently make space for OG and the other dogs in our hospital unit,” Du Plessis said.
The flooding was not the clinic’s only challenge. Their hospital is full to the brim and puppies were arriving at their door in hypothermic states, many knocked over by cars driving badly in rainy weather.
“Our clinic treats up to 1 000 community pets a month. With the cold weather, pets can take longer to recover, so our hospital stays full. We’re just so grateful that we can help so many animals. Without our clinic and one other animal organisation in Khayelitsha, most pet owners would have little to no help for their animals as private veterinary fees are too high for them to afford,” she said.
Upgrading the shelter unit will cost just under R100 000.
“We did not expect that we’d need to do such an upgrade. Winter comes with increased expenses. Our electricity goes up by 50% to keep our patients and facility warm. We also just spent R10 000 on fixing a leak in our operating theatre roof,” said Du Plessis.
The shelter unit needs to be upgraded urgently to prevent future flooding and to ensure that homeless dogs have a warm place to stay until permanent homes can be found for them.
The clinic has appealed to the public to give an emergency monetary gift to help them upgrade their shelter unit and care for the increased number of pet patients in winter.
To donate use: Mdzananda Animal Clinic, Standard Bank, Account number: 075595710, Branch: Rondebosch, Branch Code: 025009, Savings account, Reference: Winter+Your Name. For further information visit www.mdzananda.co.za or contact [email protected].