Veterinary Fees For Shelter Dogs

We don't often ask for help, but now we must.

At PAWS we are famous for saving the unwanted: Lurchers, Bull breeds, Greyhounds, Rottweilers to name but a few.

However, due to restrictions, Our fundraising events have been cancelled since March 2020. Our charity shop was closed for most of the year, but the dogs keep coming.

Thanks to public generosity and the blessing of Legacies, we managed to keep up to date with the veterinary fees until April , averaging 10 to 15k a month. All the dogs we help need medical care. This ranges from basic vaccinations and neutering to amputations. stitches, rehydration via drip, intravenous antibiotics, mange treatment etc.

Our Vet bill currently stands at over€30,000 which is a lot more than we have in the bank.

It is NOT our vets fault, they are very patient and charge us a special rate. It is simply the quantity of dogs passing through our doors.

We are the ones who stress when we have no space or funds. Then we get abuse as to why we didn't save them all and we have to live with that guilt. Don't worry. It haunts us.

We have never reached any target or been able to get PAWS out of the red . Even when we would do well at a fundraiser, a new cruelty case comes in and you rush to save them knowing we are putting ourselves under so much pressure again but we can’t help it.

It’s our life…. It’s who we are. …..Then later, once they are safe, the guilt sets in and we get so stressed it all comes down on top of us.

It’s like we are drowning and every now and then we are thrown a rope to keep our heads up with enough time to grab a few breaths to stay alive then we get dragged right under again. But then the next dog comes and it’s all about them.

So I hope now you can see, how easy it is to let the bills run up. You hide the envelopes with windows for another day and rush to save those we can. That’s what we live for and why we are rescuers and not book keepers.