COVID-19 may have shut down the world. But our emergency response never stopped.
If you’ve ever had any doubt, let me say this: Our supporters are right here with us saving lives!
Without our supporters, what hope could we have to survive a worldwide pandemic that shut down the most modern countries on earth? Without their dedication, how could we be ready to continue treating nearly 50 animals a day despite a severe lockdown?
And without the endless compassion – how could we treat four emergencies in three days?
The COVID-19 pandemic made our work much more difficult and expensive.
The fact that our supporters were with us on the front lines during the pandemic means everything to our dedicated veterinary surgeons and all our staff. By standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us in difficult times – and all year long – our supporters made the Fondouk an oasis of caring.
More than most, they understand that our mission to provide free veterinary care, education, and training must not stop – pandemic or no pandemic. Working animals will continue to get sick or injured, and the lines at our doors each morning will never end.
But one recent stretch stands out among all others. Despite the additional costs of safety equipment and difficulty of social distancing regulations, we stood ready to respond to any and all who need us. We expected to see many routine cases, and we knew our services would be in great demand.
We’ve even became a food distribution station due to the pandemic, providing flour and oil to people in urgent need. But we didn’t know what the next days would bring.
On the first day of lockdown, a colic mule came to our doors. He had developed painful sores and large infected wounds. It was a brutal journey just to reach us. I don’t want to think about what might have been without our help.
Then, we received a report of a lame stallion. Over the phone, we helped the owner get the animal on his feet to get him to us. Thank goodness we found no fracture! Here, under these brutal conditions, this can be a death sentence. He was treated and prescribed inflammatory medication.
Next, a tetanus donkey with muscle rigidity arrived at our doors. Without the hospital, such cases are extremely difficult to treat. I am just thankful we had what we needed in place. The donkey was admitted to the hospital and treated with antibiotics. Without us, he would not have survived.
Then the fourth emergency in three days hit. It was a mule with a leg cut so deep, we could feel the femur bone. Severely traumatized, the mule could no longer properly use his leg. Though we all feared euthanasia, there was no fracture! Sutures and tender care saved him.
I am grateful to have a chance to make a difference in their lives.
The impact our supporters make is the reason we’re saving lives.
Click here to donate now!