Support for Have A Heart-Namibia

We've been helping many more dogs and cats through the AKI-Have a Heart Emergency Fund than we can include in our GlobalGiving progress reports to you (my quick count came up with at least 16 so far this year). You can always check AKI Blog posts (see the link to the most recent below) and our social media sites for additonal updates.

Here are a few of the cats and dogs you've helped, during Feb and March, with your support to Animal-Kind International for our Partner Organization, Have a Heart-Namibia:

Fred (see photo) is from Luderitz and an old HaH customer (meaning he was previously neutered by HaH). He was outside when he was attacked by a dog (we know....it would be best if he could be an indoor cat, where he'd be safe). His owners were so upset, they really love Fred. They took him to the only place they could think of in Luderitz (there's no vet close to Luderitz), the Luderitz SPCA, and asked for help.

The Luderitz SPCA doesn't have the funds for emergency vet care, so they asked Have a Heart, and Have a Heart asked AKI, and we said yes, of course use the Emergency Fund for this beloved and already neutered family pet.

It was impossible to tell how serious his injuries were since there's no xray machine in Luderitz so he had to go to Windhoek, an 800 km one way trip! HaH quickly found a ride for him.

In Windhoek, the vet was able to give Fred's family good news: Fred's injuries were not life threatening, just painful. He was allowed to go back home the next day with pain meds to relieve the discomfort.

Fifi and Mimi were stray cats (see photo of when they were taken for spay/neuter) who were rescued and adopted by a kind person, who had Mimi spayed and Fifi neutered and both vaccinated through HaH. Then, one day Fifi came home with a swollen leg and his mom was very worried. She asked HaH if Fifi could be seen at the vet clinic (the Emergency Fund covered the vet costs). Like Fred's, this wasn't a serious injury and would heal with time and rest.

In March, Boy, from Mariental, got into a dog fight that left him with a wound on his neck that quickly became infected. He needed to see a vet. Luckily, the vet he was taken to, Dr Erna, is well-acquainted with the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund and knew that unless Boy was neutered (he hadn't previously been), he wouldn'tn qualify for the Emergency Fund. His family agreed: the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund would cover the front half of Boy (treatment of the neck injury) and HaH would cover the hind part with a neuter : ). Boy was also vaccinated and received parasite preventatives and sent home the following day (see photo with Boy and his family, ready to go home).

Elna is part of a feral group of eight cats, in Windhoek, looked after by their caretaker, Elna. Elna takes care of another group of five cats. All cats in both groups were spayed before December 2021 and all have been in good health ever since. And then, in March, Elena, a very sweet natured black kitty (see photo), started losing weight and her condition was poor. Elna trapped Elena and took her to Windhoek Animal Hospital. Luckily, the vet there knew about the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund and that if an animal is already spayed or neutered, and the owner/caretaker is unable to afford vet care, the animal will likely qualify for the emergency fund. He got permission and then sedated Elena. Quickly he saw that two teeth were rotting, she simply had too much pain to eat. He extracted the teeth, and also tested Elena for FELV-FIV (negative!), gave her a long-acting antibiotic and pain injection, and off Elena went, with Elna, back home.

Double H is named after Have a Heart. This lucky stray guy was taken in by Joshua, a very caring and responsible young man. At the beginning of 2023, Joshua had Double H neutered by Have a Heart, and Double H has since been living with Joshua in Otjomuise, a township of Windhoek (see photo). But one day, Double H came home horribly injured. At first Joshua thought Double H was mistreated by humans or bitten by a dog, but the vet is convinced that Double H got run over by a car while running full speed or maybe his tail got stuck under the tire, and because he was running the tail and a big chunk of his skin were ripped away. Xrays showed that his spine wasn't damaged and even though a horrible sight, Double H was lucky, just a few millimeters difference could have meant severe internal damage! Double H had the remainder of his tail amputated and required a major suturing job. Eventually Double H was released to go back home with Joshua. --all costs covered by the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund!

Of course, besides the Emergency Fund, we're still supporting HaH's Lifetime Care Program, providing booster shots and parasite prevention to all HaH s/n clients....for life! As part of this program, AKI supports Dipping Days. The most recent one, at AANWO Vet Clinic in Rehoboth, was a huge success with 297 dogs dipped!-photo below

If you're reading this, you're one of the "converted," you know that spay/neuter saves lives. But some still need to be convinced, and sadly, little Gibbs was one of the casualities. It all started with a late night kitten rescue at Desert Tavern, a pub/restaurant in Swakopmund. An employee, Fluff, found a poor little kitten, all alone, who needed help, and he knew who to contact to get help. Gibbs was rescued on Friday night, more dead than alive. He was taken to a foster home to get the good care he needed. After a meal, he promptly fell asleep. He spent 11 days at his foster home and seemed to be feeling better. But then we got a sad update: Like it happens so often with small kittens, little Gibbs took a turn for the worse. He went to the vet, but there was nothing that could be done. It was only 11 days, but we're grateful that little Gibbs could experience kindness and care and didn't have to die out there all alone. Poor kittens like Gibbs are a loud reminder that only sterilisation can stop the suffering.--AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU'VE JOINED WITH US TO SUPPORT ANIMAL-KIND INTERNATIONAL'S PARTNER, HAVE A HEART-NAMIBIA!

Links:

• Most recent AKI Blog update about the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund
• HaH-Namibia page on the AKI website