Mayhew International Issue 18
working to alleviate the suffering of animals abroad
Autumn/Winter 2015
Welcome to the new Mayhew International newsletter! In this issue you can read about our recent trip to Tbilisi to help following the recent floods, updates from our projects in Moscow and Nepal, and the latest participant in our International Vet Training programme. Romeo, a Georgian street pup, was neutered as part of our TNR programme with Dog Organisation Georgia
Mayhew International in Georgia The Mayhew International team visited Tbilisi, Georgia at the end of July to help in the aftermath of the floods earlier this year, to provide veterinary training for the Municipal Shelter vets and catch up with the Trap, Neuter, Return project we support there.
Thanks to the many generous donations of equipment and supplies from MDC Exports, WVS and AVID, the team were able to bring lots of useful items along such as a canine stretcher, SMART collars for post-up use, slip leads, surgical supplies, suture materials, antibiotics, flea treatments, a microchip scanner and The Mayhew also donated some dog crates.
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Mayhew International _ Autumn/Winter 2015
Above: Laura and one of the Municipal nurses removing fleas from Kaali
Above: Dr Mo treats the dog with an infected bite wound
Above: Laura tending to one of the dumped kittens
At the request of Tbilisi City Council, the team also visited the town of Rustavi near the Armenian border, where they met Vice Mayor Mr Badri Modebadze and his team that had been tasked with addressing the stray dog issue in this town. Mayhew International was able to offer advice on dog population management and shelter management.
programme we fund. This TNR programme is gathering ground in the community with local Georgians now helping out and so far 100 dogs have been neutered, vaccinated against rabies and other common canine diseases.
and steps had been made to improve the limited clinic facilities. The Mayhew has underlined the importance of having a long-term strategy to humanely manage the street and stray animal population in Tbilisi and we are working with the city authorities to implement this. The Mayor of Tbilisi paid a visit and saw the vet team in action.
The problems they are facing are enormous and on an average day, the dog catching teams pick up 25 puppies as well as adult dogs and cats. The dog shelter has a smaller area for cats and several litters of very young kittens were dumped whilst our team was there. In the searing heat most of the kittens were suffering from anaemia, dehydration, severe flea infestations and eyes closed shut with discharge. Dr Mo and Laura were able to treat them quickly using the emergency supplies we had brought and left instructions with the Municipal Our team were pleased to see vet team for their continued care and improvements at the shelter following how they could make simple the recommendations from our last visit. improvements to the cattery area to The dog kennels had been refurbished provide a better standard of care. On the first day at the shelter, the dog-catching team brought in a dog found on the street with a severely infected bite wound on her hind leg. Dr Mo and Laura (our Vet Nurse) were able to assist and advise the team on the best treatment for her, providing immediate pain relief and comfort. This little dog remained at the shelter during our trip so the team were able to check on her every day and we have since heard that she has been rehomed!
Above: Getting a much needed cuddle
Mayhew International was delighted to catch up with our friends at Dog Organisation Georgia whilst we were there. We visited their shelter, carried out vet checks on the dogs and were able to neuter seven dogs for them under the Trap, Neuter, Return www.themayhew.org
One starving puppy that was brought into the Municipal Shelter with a very severe flea infestation and with tail and ears already cropped was taken on by DOG as it was obvious this pup needed 1-2-1 attention in order to survive. It was touch and go for a while but we are pleased to hear from DOG that Kaali is now doing well.
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Mayhew International in Moscow PETFund, one of the projects Mayhew International sponsors in Moscow, has been going from strength to strength and has provided us with an update on the project.
PETFund rehabilitates street and shelter dogs in Moscow in an apartment (sponsored by Mayhew International) with a foster family, training them as therapy dogs, similar to our own TheraPaws project here in London. Over the summer months, 14 dogs from PET (Pets Expel Troubles) visited over 800 people in total. They were visiting orphans, the elderly, hospice patients and people with disabilities. ®
What is an added bonus is that a number of the dogs have been permanently rehomed as a result of the programme which is a huge boost for these dogs as street and stray dogs generally receive a very poor press in Russia. Below is a round-up on a few of PET’s happy stories: Brooklyn was found in a Moscow suburb, near to a bus station where he had been living for at least a month. After being washed, groomed and vaccinated, Brooklyn was noticed by a Latvian family living in Moscow and they took him home shortly afterwards. Jessy was found wandering the streets of Moscow, abandoned, starving and suffering from parvovirus. PETFund took 4
Mayhew International _ Autumn/Winter 2015
her in and provided proper vet care to get her back on track, put her on a healthy diet and gave her lots of love and affection. She has grown into a beautiful young dog and PET know she would be a perfect family dog so they have put her up for adoption and are waiting to find her a new home. In the meantime she is visiting many people through the PET project.
Above: Blackberry was rescued as a puppy
Above: Brooklyn was living near a bus station
Blackberry (‘Ezhevika’ in Russian), a little puppy, was rescued by PET two months ago after being found living as a stray along with her three siblings. Blackberry wasn’t chosen for the programme since she is a very sensitive dog and can scare easily, but she very quickly found a loving family who wanted to give her a forever home. The European Rehabilitation & Cultural Week (ERCW-2015) for deaf-blind people was held in Russia for the first time earlier this year and PETFund were delighted to be asked to participate. Four PET teams (human and canine) attended the event and were able to meet many deaf-blind people and show them how a dog can assist people with disabilities in their everyday lives. This
Above: Jessy is looking for a home!
was a first for Russia. Some of the attendees had little or no experience with dogs before, but everyone (dogs included!) had a great time getting to know one another. Well done PETFund!
will be dropping in on PETFund too. In other updates, our spay and neuter campaigns with Ekologia Cheloveka and Fond Dingo are progressing well and we have neutered over 500 dogs and cats this year.
Mayhew International is planning a vet training trip to Moscow in October and www.themayhew.org
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Mayhew International Vet Training Programme
Nepal Earthquake Appeal
In July Dr Aswin arrived from India to spend 3 weeks with the Mayhew International vet team for veterinary training.
When the devastating earthquake shook Nepal earlier this year we immediately contacted our friends at Animal Nepal to offer assistance.
Dr Aswin lives in Ooty in the state of Tamil Nadu where he works at the WVS International Training Centre (ITC) for India.
Thankfully all of the animals, staff and volunteers were safe but the building suffered severe structural damage in the quake. One side of the dog isolation unit at the shelter collapsed which meant the potential for the spread of disease was at a critical level and they only had intermittent electricity.
While at The Mayhew he spent time learning and practicing neutering techniques (in particular he was introduced to flank spaying in cats) and anaesthesia. He also spent time in our cattery and kennels to gain experience of animal care and behavioural assessment, as well as going on a TheraPaws trip to experience the benefits of engaging animals with the elderly.
Above: Dr Aswin practices neutering techniques under the watchful eye of Mayhew Chief Vet, Ursula Goetz
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When he returns to India he will be sharing what he has learnt by training students at the WVS Training Centre on surgical techniques and practices, as well as general animal care. As part of our reciprocal programme with the ITC, Mayhew vet Susan DarnellCometti will be traveling to Ooty at the beginning of October to teach on the canine surgery course at the Centre.
We appealed to you for help and your generosity was outstanding, raising almost £4900 in total. The donations were quickly put to good use to purchase a solar electricity system and a new fridge to store vaccines and medicines at Animal Nepal’s treatment centre, which enabled the shelter to get back up and running. The balance of the funds will be used to rebuild their isolation unit.
Above: A dog at Animal Nepal’s shelter
Mayhew International funds surgical supplies, vaccines and transportation costs for the ‘Animal Birth Control’ project at Animal Nepal and they also have many outreach programmes which focus on stray and community dogs, working equines and working elephants. Some of the staff sadly lost their homes during the earthquake, but thankfully all survived and they are now rebuilding their lives and the shelter.
Above: In recovery
Above: Dr Aswin monitors his patient following the procedure 6
Mayhew International _ Autumn/Winter 2015
Above: The solar electricity system Animal Nepal were able to purchase with the funds raised www.themayhew.org
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Are you looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Order now from our Christmas collection of products sold in aid of Mayhew International:
Mayhew International Cotton Bag
‘Santa’s Pet’ Christmas Cards
‘The Gathering’ Christmas Cards
LoveSniffy’s Dog Treats
Order now: see enclosed catalogue, call us on 020 8206 5870 or visit www.themayhew.org/shop