Chris and Helen do a ‘Dogwalkathon’

Dear friends

Gosh, it's been way too long since I've been in touch with you all. No excuse is good enough but I guess it has just been too hot even for me to come out of the shady spot I've picked to lie in. Temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees C and, combined with the humidity level... Well there are just two things a dog can do - sleep and eat.

Anyway, I'm back now and I would like to tell you about two remarkable friends who came to the centre to volunteer earlier this year. Their names are Chris and Helen and they left their old lives in England behind to travel around Asia and volunteer for different charities.

Apart from spending lots of time at the centre looking after the animals, they also spent countless hours driving around Goa promoting our charity and drumming up support. Just before they left they did their famous Dog Walking Marathon. They pledged to walk each and every dog in the main kennels and the overflow kennels in one day. This amounts to around 100 dogs! They set up a donation website and managed to raise nearly £2000 for our centre! What an amazing initiative and effort.

I showed my support by following them as they were walking the dogs in the morning but as the sun crept higher and higher in the sky I had to give up. It was way too hot. How Chris and Helen did a whole day of walking without passing out in the heat is beyond me!

Chris and Helen have promised to come back and help at the centre in the not too distant future and I hope they have some more inspiring activities hidden up their sleeves. It's always good fun when there’s something out of the ordinary happening at Animal Tracks!

Love from me

Rodney has a home!

I'm back!

This time with a happy little story. You probably all know Rodney by now. He was admitted to the centre way back in September 2008 following a bad road accident and was subsequently put up for adoption when his carers decided they didn't want him back!

Well guess what? He has found a loving home with a family from Delhi who have a holiday home here in Goa. Although they do not live there permanently they have a caretaker who looks after the place and who will also look after Rodney when the family are in Delhi.

Volunteer Helen was there when the new family came to pick up Rodney and she made sure that he was taken good care of on the journey. Rodney didn't much like the trip apparently because he was sick in Helen's lap on the way! She laughed about it when she came back though. She said Rodney soon decided he liked his new home and all things point towards him settling in nicely.

I'm really happy for Rodney because I remember him being a really friendly, bouncy dog just desperate for someone to love him. I'm sure he would have ended up as one of our gang here at the centre if he hadn't found a home but I'm pleased he did. I'm going to keep my paws crossed that he has a long and happy life filled with lots of fun, love and juicy bones!

Love from me.

Moses the bull

Hello again!

Most of you already know that many different kinds of animals are treated at Animal Tracks by the vets and staff. Most commonly it is dogs and then cats that are brought in but after them the third most common animals to be admitted are cattle. These could be anything from domestic cows and bulls to wild buffalo.

Picking up cattle for treatment can be a tricky business. First of all these animals are often huge and can be rather fierce if not used to human contact. When a report is received about a sick or injured animal like this the first task is to assess whether it can be treated on site. If not, how easily can the animal be caught and transported? A vet will always accompany the driver to the scene to assess the situation. Another obstacle can be to determine whether the animal has an owner. This is important because if the drivers take it to the centre without the owner's permission International Animal Rescue could get into trouble. It may also be that an owner is willing to assist with the treatment by tethering the animal and keeping it for the duration of the treatment or by making a financial contribution towards the treatment.

This cute little bull is called Moses. He was picked up from Calangute with a nasty wound on his side. The wound had become maggot infested and could have caused severe infection if not treated. Luckily Moses is a good-natured bull and catching and transporting him was not a problem. He is also not too big so loading him into the ambulance was relatively straightforward. The wound has been treated and is looking much better. Moses is enjoying his time in the cattle pen with his new friends. He spends most of his time eating and chilling out in the shade but when someone pays him a visit he'll always find the time and energy to come up to the fence and say hello. He's also ok with all us dogs. We like rummaging around in the cattle pen and I think Moses quite enjoys our company. He's even managed to strike up a friendship with centre dog Nicky who normally goes out of his way to annoy the cattle at the centre just so he can have a bit of fun. Moses will be going back to his home shortly and hopefully he'll manage to stay healthy and happy.

Bye for now!

A prickly subject

Dear friends

Tell me, what is your definition of a bad day? Being caught in bad weather? Having car trouble? For me it's when I can't get my coat shiny enough or when my twitch is a little worse than normal.

My point is that we are all very good at getting ourselves down over small things. Take a look at this poor fella - now he's having a really bad day! He came head to head with a porcupine near the jetty in the village of Chapora and boy did he pay for it. When the encounter became a little too 'up close and personal' the porcupine released its quills and some of them went right through the dog's flesh... ouch! Mission complete the porcupine scuttled off and luckily our driver got to the dog in time as his injuries could have caused serious infection - possibly death - if left untreated.

Now the vets have removed the quills and the dog is recovering well in the kennels. He has also been sterilised so hopefully his urge to test his strength against anything that comes within a yard of him will wane. I hope so for his sake, imagine what he may come up against next time. Could be something far more dangerous than a porcupine!

Bye for now!

The sad truth about distemper

I have mixed feelings about writing this little story for you today. I love telling you about all the fun and exciting goings-on at the centre and I don't really want to dwell on any of the sad occasions we come face to face with occasionally. On the other hand I also feel it's important to talk about the not so fortunate things because they are part of what we do and it would be painting an unrealistic picture if all the stories were rosy and with happy endings.

The team at Animal Tracks all do a fantastic job and put a lot of effort into saving and improving as many animals' lives as possible. Everyone gets the motivation to carry on from all the success stories – and believe me, there are many! Nothing is more uplifting than seeing how the animals thrive as a direct result of the hard work of the International Animal Rescue team. There will however always be animals that cannot be saved. It may be because their illness or injury is too severe, or perhaps the animal simply cannot be caught. Sometimes the centre is so busy and packed with animals that it is impossible to take any more in.

Owing to the nature of the environment in which we live it is difficult to combat disease, particularly the more severe viruses that are transmitted through the air. One of these viruses is called distemper. This virus is rare in Europe but it is very common in India and one of the biggest killers in dogs that have not been vaccinated. Distemper is an airborne disease caused by the panleukopenia virus that can end in death. A dog with distemper will display one or several of the following symptoms: fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, weakness, tremors and lack of coordination. Young puppies between three and six months old are most susceptible to infection and disease and are more likely to die than infected adults. Vaccination against this highly infectious virus (and a number of others including rabies) is given free of charge to all pups adopted from the centre.

I nearly died from distemper when I was just four months old. I was taken into care by two volunteer vets and they made sure I received all the necessary treatment. The photo of me was taken when I was ill. I'm sure you can tell the difference between then and now! Against all the odds I recovered but to this day you’ll notice that I have a twitch in my jaw and that my head gently bobs up and down. This because I sustained mild but permanent brain damage from the virus attacking my nervous system. It doesn’t bother me though, because on the other hand it makes people give me more attention. I was lucky to survive.

Thousands of dogs and puppies die because of it and it affects a lot of cats as well, although in the feline form it is known as cat flu (panleukopenia). When I see the animals at the centre go down with distemper I really feel for them because I know what it feels like to be so ill and I also know that the chances are they won't make it. The brown and white dog in the photo was picked up in Palolem in south Goa suffering from distemper. Despite the treatement given at the centre she didn't survive.

This is why I say that we must find our motivation in the success stories and remember all the animals that leave Animal Tracks healthy and happy instead of getting down because of the animals that are beyond help. I always tell the new arrivals whenever I get the chance not to worry and that they are in safe hands - and if they don't believe me I tell them my story. That soon changes their minds.

Love from me.

A very special patient

Dear friends,

As you are most probably already aware, many different animals are treated here at Animal Tracks in Goa. Most of them are domestic animals such as dogs, cat and cattle. We do however frequently get the pleasure of being hosts to animals of the more exotic kind such as monkeys, birds or even reptiles.

At present we are treating a beautiful Brahmini Kite which was brought in with a serious shoulder injury. He is very young and unable to fly and therefore cannot feed and protect himself. These majestic birds are quite common here in Goa but it's rare that we get to see one up close. All the centre dogs have been warned that anyone who as much as growls at this one to upset him is going to be in serious trouble with the staff, so we all steer well clear. He's kept in a secure area of the centre because he does not only need protection from the dogs but also from people. Birds are very sensitive creatures and when not used to human contact the mere sight of one of the two-legged ones appears as a threat. It's interesting to know that the mental stress of being manhandled – however expertly – can be more fatal to a wild bird than its injuries.

It is currently unknown whether this kite will ever fly again. The vets are treating it and our specialist vet is about to make an assessment as to his chances. If he is not going to be able to return to the wild there is a local bird sanctuary that will take him and provide him with the care and attention he needs to enjoy life. We all keep our fingers crossed for him though because really he needs to be back out there, spreading his wings under the Goan sun.

Lots of love.

Thanks to all our great volunteers!

Hello my two-legged friends!

Wow! The centre is buzzing like never before! We have so many volunteers who are dedicating their time to helping us out and it's so much fun being here at the moment with so many new friends to play with. We have vets, vet students, vet nurses, researchers, PR people and animal lovers from all walks of life and all are contributing towards making Animal Tracks an enjoyable experience for all the animals.

We also have all our faithful and regular dog walkers who still come and see us and they are now also getting involved with dog catching and releasing and so everyone is really productive and busy. They all deserve great thanks for their help and I wish I could make a tribute to them all but I have to select just a small handful to mention by name.

James and Lorna are both vets and they are helping us in the kennels and in the surgery. James volunteered two years ago when he was still studying and is now back to share his expertise. Cazzi is a nurse and is helping to make sure that all the dogs in the kennels are seen to every day.

Lucy and Maria are managing our puppy and kitten section and ensuring that all the little ones get plenty of attention and cuddles whilst they’re waiting for a family to adopt them. Lorraine, Jennie, Jan and Nigel remain faithful supporters now for almost two years and they come regularly to exercise the patients and to help the nervous ones to feel more at ease.

We have just welcomed Unni, Mika and Lovisa from Sweden who have come to do a project as part of their post graduate programme and they will be making a report covering all aspects of the centre. I hope to be able to share that with you when they finish it.

Helen and Chris have been getting into some serious PR-ing and have helped with fundraising during their three month volunteering period at the centre. They are also fostering a local puppy and have found her a good home when she is ready to go.

I could go on and on. We have so many people who drop in for a day or for a week just to spend time with us animals and it warms my heart to see how many people care for us. Many people also raise funds for the centre by organising events and all those people deserve lots of thanks for their efforts.

We need more of you on board so if you ever come to Goa please come and see us (remember to ask for me!) I can’t wait to meet you!

Doggy hugs and kisses