VICTORIA - A Rescued Husky from the Streets of Funchal, Portugal
This beautiful female Siberian Husky was abandoned in our neighborhood. She had been following us from a distance every time we took our Boxer dog Aishah out for her walk. After nearly three weeks the Husky could walk no further and started collapsing. When my wife and I examined her, it was clear that she was dying from starvation and that she had been run over by a car. She had bruises, but fortunately no broken bones. Her back paws were worn down to the bare flesh.
Madeira (Portugal) has a very poor reputation for animal rights. Although the Portuguese legislation is improving because of recent pressure by the EEC, the population is still very backward. Sixty percent are functionally illiterate. This makes it almost impossible to communicate to the people the spirit and the letter of any new law. The European Electronic Tag Directive is being easily circumvented by owners who brutally remove the tags so they can abandon their dogs with impunity. Some humans can sadly be very cruel to their animals: buying them, then later disposing of them as though they were just objects. Cruelty to dogs is at its worst during holiday periods. With their holiday already booked, the dog owner then realizes that they don't have anyone to look after their dog while they are away, so they abandon it. This is a common occurrence on Madeira.
The local government does nothing to change this brutal scenario. There have been a few initiatives by some brave, caring individuals. However, a lot more must be done to significantly change the trend in animal abandonment. These include public awareness campaigns, adoption clubs, dog-sitting associations, provision of basic veterinarian care for the abandoned dogs and so on.
PLEASE REMEMBER: A DOG IS PART OF YOUR FAMILY FOR ITS ENTIRE LIFE!
This dog suffers from a juvenile hip-dysplasia which needs to be operated on. This is a very rare condition amongst Huskies, being more prevalent amongst larger breeds. Dysplasia is an hereditary predisposition to hip malformation. In fact it is a complex (called polygenic or multigenic) disease caused by many contributory factors. The condition is a lack of stability of the femur head within its socket, the acetabulum, part of the hip joint. This can occur for a number of reasons: the socket could be deformed, the muscles may not be providing the proper support, or it could be a combination of these and other factors. In time the hip becomes deformed with arthritis, or degenerative joint disease as it is now called.
Genetically affected animals may be born perfectly healthy and may have a long life without this condition ever manifesting itself. When it does occur, it can vary in severity depending upon the animal. Because of the malformation of the hip, the joint undergoes very rapid degeneration which may lead to dog's hindleg becoming disabled.
If she doesn't have an operation, the prognosis for Victoria is for her limp and her pain to become progressively worse and for the muscles to atrophy. When the pain becomes too much for her, the only humane option will be to put her to sleep.
But There is a Solution: To Have a Total-Arthroplasty!
This is a very costly operation, about 2,000 euros. The operation consists of removing the neck and head of the femur and implanting a joint prosthesis.
This case of Victoria must have a happy ending, because having seen her suffering, we couldn't not have compassion on her. We are determined to have this dog operated on. She has already suffered enough in her young life.
She needs our HELP! Please, join us!!!
Both my wife (Graça M P Costa) and I are Marine Scientists temporarily living in Madeira. We are trying to do our very best to help these abandoned animals, but we need help and compassion from others.
If you find are able to help with ANY amount of money, please make your donation and become Victoria's Virtual Foster Owner. Any sum is welcome, from one unit of currency to whatever you feel is appropriate.
If you make a donation, please send an e-mail (at melo.moreira@yahoo.co.uk) reminding me of your gesture, with your name and address. My wife and I are planning to make a video documenting this case to send to all the donors with a postcard from Madeira. We can be contacted by phone: +351-919590035
If you can donate by clicking the appropriate link below (PAYPAL):
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=emmj%40clix%2ept&item_name=Viictoria%20Pool%20for%20Help&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0¤cy_code=USD&lc=PT&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8
You can alternately make a payment by bank transfer:
IBAN: PT50000702430078943000957
Bank: BANCO ESPIRITO SANTO
NOME: EGBERTO MELO MOREIRA JUNIOR
BRANCH: SUCURSAL SÉ - FUNCHAL
MANY THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS ALL THROUGH
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