Gutter stray on the mend
Rex one of growing number at animal clinic
WITH no life left in his eyes and a body that had given up, Rex was curled up in a ball, in a gutter, waiting for his life to be over.
The dog had been dumped in Khayelitsha when a good Samaritan carried him to Mdzananda Animal Clinic two weeks ago.
Spokesperson Marcelle du Plessis said Rex came in with a broken soul and body and was severely underweight, starved and with malnutrition.
“His eyes are filled with gunk from an infection and his hair is gone due to mange.
‘‘He will be at our clinic for quite some time to receive treatment. Once he starts picking up weight and healing, we will find him a new home where he’ll receive the love he deserves.”
Du Plessis said Rex could have landed in the gutter after going missing from home, or was unwanted and left out on the street.
“The unmanageable backyard breeding happening and the everincreasing number of unsterilised pets means there are not enough homes for these pets in the community.”
She said abandoned dogs were on the increase in the area.
“Our NPO has always been a veterinary clinic, we were not set up to have a shelter/stray unit. Over the past five years, the number of pets being handed over, left at our gate or even thrown over our walls have increased significantly. So much so that we had to transform our hospital runs, where our patients got exercise, into a small stray unit. We can comfortably house 10 dogs and 10 cats.
“At the start of the year, this escalated to at least 30. We are still overflowing and just as we find a home for one dog or cat, three more come in.”
Du Plessis said not all were traumatised animals. “Often people prefer to buy a pet instead of adopting one because, and I quote, ‘I don’t know what I will get from a shelter animal’.
“The reality is that you don’t know what you will get from a bought animal, either. And by buying pets the cycle of breeding continues.”
Du Plessis said Rex was still very weak and simply lay on his little bed.
“We have received some very kind monetary donations from members of the public towards Rex’s care and we will keep people updated on his progress via social media as soon as he starts showing signs of improvement.
“People are welcome to visit him – he could do with extra care and love.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation to Rex or any other of the animals at Mdzananda can e-mail info@ mdzananda.co.za or call 0822510554 or 021 367 6001. Bank details are: Mdzananda Animal Clinic, Standard Bank; account number 075595710; branch Rondebosch; branch code 025009; reference: Pets +Your Name.