A Khayelitsha animal clinic’s homeless dog shelter flooded in last week’s rainstorm. The Mdzananda Animal Clinic reports that their organisation is in desperate need of assistance. Homeless dogs needed 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,” says Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communication Manager. “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,” says du Plessis.
Du Plessis says that they urgently need to upgrade their shelter unit to prevent future flooding and to ensure that their homeless dogs have a warm place to stay until permanent homes can be found for them.
Upgrading the shelter will cost just under R100 000. “We did not expect that we’d need to do such an upgrade. Winter comes with increased expenses too. 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’s roof,” says du Plessis.
The flooding is not the clinic’s only challenge. Their hospital is full to the brim. Puppies are arriving at their door in hypothermic states and pets are being knocked over by cars driving badly in rainy weather.
“Our clinic treats up to 1000 community pets per month. With the cold weather, pets can take longer to recover, so our hospital stays full. We are 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,” says du Plessis.
The clinic is appealing 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. Bank details: 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 info@mdzananda.co.za
On a good note, OG is safe and warm at the home of one of the organisation’s staff. He has picked up weight, the hair on his back has grown and he enjoys wearing his cozy jacket. He is now waiting for a perfect family to adopt him.
