Goa gets a glowing reference from Garrett the volunteer

Hello hello,

We're so lucky in Goa to have a large band of animal-loving volunteers helping out with all the many tasks involved in running the centre and the clinic. One such was Garrett Smith from the US, a lovely guy who apparently liked us as much as we liked him! He wrote a glowing reference for all you others out there toying with the idea of volunteering. Now please just take Garrett's word for it and get on over here!

"My name is Garrett Smith. I am a 21 year old student from the United States. I volunteered at the IAR center in Goa for six weeks, shadowing the vets and helping look after the animals in the shelter. I am a vet student, and spent a lot of my time watching the surgeries and assisting the vets around the shelter, watching how they care for the injured animals. My experience with the organization has been nothing but excellent. Everyone cares so much about every animal that comes into the shelter. One dog had been caught in a wire and had it wrapped around its body, and one cow had a tin can stuck to its foot and required surgery. Every animal is given the love and care that it deserves. Not just from the vets, but from the kennel staff, the office staff, and the countless volunteers who come to help out.

Everyone is so friendly. I had trouble getting around the first couple of weeks, but the staff was more than willing to help me out. They also had great information about what to see and do in Goa. There are many hidden gems in this state alone that I never would have had the opportunity to visit if it were it not for them. I also traveled around for three weeks after my stay in Goa, and the staff had so much information about where to go, and what to see.

I was scared at first, I had never been in a foreign country alone for that long, and I really did not know what to expect from the organization. I had been talking to Tanja for about four months, planning my trip and making sure everything was in place before I got there. After six weeks, I can safely say that I got much more out of the experience than I expected. I am amazed at just how great this organization is. The people there look after the dogs, cats, cows, monkeys and any other wildlife that has no hope, and that is really something special. As an animal lover, and someone who wants to help stop the suffering of animals in any way possible, I have truly been touched by the dedication of International Animal Rescue in saving injured and abandoned animals."

Thank you Garrett for giving up your time to come and help out. Please be sure to come and see us again soon!

Bye for now,
Olive x

Betty the cow gets a clean bill of health

Hello everyone!

Do you remember Betty? The cute white cow that somehow managed to step on a metal tin and get the ring stuck on her foot causing a bad wound. Well, check this out. Betty has practically recovered thanks to the care and treatment provided by the team at Animal Tracks. She's walking around fine and without pain and now and soon her ordeal will be a thing of the past. I hope she tells all her friends about us when she is reunited with them.

Betty had to stay at Animal Tracks for quite some time because she could not be released until the wound on her foot had healed.

It would have been too dangerous because of the ever present risk of infection if flies lay eggs in an open wound. I think she's had a good time with us though. She's met new friends in the cattle pen and all the centre dogs have stopped by every now and again to say hello and cheer her up.

Let's all wish Betty the best of luck for the future and keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't get injured again.

Love from me,

Olive!

The cow with no name that was quickly cured

Dear friends,

I hear from trusted sources that the summer has been wonderful in Europe this year. Can't say that I can imagine what it's like over there but what I can say is that here it's wet, wet, wet!

Animal Tracks has turned into mud and although it is wonderfully refreshing with some water and a cool breeze the monsoon does bring with it a few problems too. The vehicle cannot access remote and rural areas as easily as during the dry season and it becomes more hazardous to move about for the staff working in the field. They are used to it though and are doing a great job.

Like with this cow that they brought in and saved recently. It is great to be able to say that she did not stick around for long enough for us to get properly acquainted so I don't even know her name.

The office received a call about a cow in Mapusa town that was lying down unable to get up and move about. The caller guessed that she might be pregnant and about to go into labour. Fortunately an IAR driver was already in the area and he went to investigate the matter. Upon seeing the cow he immediately informed the office that she must be brought in for treatment. He went back and collected a vet and one of the boys and without too much trouble they managed to bring the cow back to the centre in no time. She didn't need sedating because she was already weak and unable to move.

It turned out that she was not pregnant but suffering from an internal infection which was not too serious and could be treated with a course of antibiotics. Already the next day the cow was showing an improvement in health and within a few days upon ending her course of medication she was fit to be released and is now back home where she belongs.

Lots of love,

Olive x

Happy release for Manson the bull

Hello!

There's never a dull moments at Animal Tracks, I tell you. The staff are busy all day every day treating all the animals that are admitted here and it's so great to be here to follow all the work that goes on.

Like the other day when Manson the bull was brought in for treatment. He was reported to have a maggot wound on his face. The call came from a local resident in the village of Guirim and immediately the ambulance was loaded with all the necessary equipment and five members of staff took off to try to catch him.

It turned out that the maggot wound was in fact a cut caused by a rope which had been tied too tight around Manson's muzzle. It was red raw and obviously very painful. Never the less, he wasn't going to make it an easy job for the boys. He kept running away and in the end he had to be darted with a sedative so he could be caught and transported to the centre.

When Manson arrived he immediately went under treatment to have the rope removed. Dr. Nikhil with the help of the other boys successfully cut the rope off and cleaned the wound. Luckily there were no maggots in the wound and no infection so as long as it is kept clean Manson should be good to go home soon.

I hate to think how long Manson has been wandering around in agony. It was very careless of the owners to tie the rope like that. I hope it won't happen to any of their other animals. Thumbs up to the staff for managing to catch him. Things can only get better for him now.

Love,

Olive x

The tale of Harriet's tail

Dear friends,

I've seen some strange injuries and illnesses in my years as a centre dog at Animal Tracks but I have to say that this one is a first.

Harriet the dog was brought to the centre by a lady who told the staff that the dog had been abandoned by her owners when they returned to their home country.

Harriet had been left to her own devices and one day this lady discovered that Harriet was running around with a big lump hanging from her tail. It looked like a big bag had been attached to her backside and turned out to be a tumour!

She subsequently brought Harriet to the centre and requested for the tumour to be treated and the dog set free in a different location or put up for adoption as she didn't want to take responsibility for her. It was explained to her that it is impossible to release dogs in random locations because of the danger that it might be attacked by other dogs in the territory. And putting Harriet up for adoption presents other problems because there is never a guarantee that a home can be found.

In the end the lady agreed to let Harriet return to her neighbourhood and she promised she would keep an eye on her and make sure she was fed. So, the vets went to work and successfully surgically removed the tumour. It was a tough job because the tumour it was in a tricky place, but thanks to the skills of our staff the operation went well and Harriet is now under observation until the surgical wound has healed and she can go home.

I hope the lady who brought her will keep her promise and take care of Harriet. She's such a sweet dog and she'll do well once released as long as she has the security of knowing that she’s not completely alone in the world.

Bye for now,

Olive

Betty the cow is nearly more than footsore

Hello all!

There are so many dangers to animals living on the streets in Goa. You must be really clever and street smart to steer clear of all the perils. At Animal Tracks we frequently receive calls about animals that have been unlucky and gotten injured because of unforeseen dangers.

Betty the cow was terribly unlucky recently when she stepped on a metal tin and got it stuck around her foot. The tin cut right into her leg and left a nasty wound that could have maimed her for the rest of her life.

Luckily our staff were informed and the informer was kind enough to tie Betty up so she wouldn't run away when the ambulance arrived. She was bleeding heavily from the wound and it was no easy task to remove the object from her foot.

Poor Betty, she must have been in agony. I was watching the procedure of removing the tin and it must have been very painful. She was sedated during the procedure and afterwards she was placed under treatment. She will be with us until the wound has healed up and it's safe to let her back home.

I wish people would stop, think and dispose of their rubbish carefully. Some people have an attitude that it is ok to dump anything anywhere. Apart from being bad for the environment it is also very dangerous for all the animals living on the streets. They step on things, get hurt and eat things that make them sick. It is so sad because we may not always reach those animals in time. If we hadn't been informed about Betty her wound would have become maggot infested, leaving the infection to spread and slowly killing her. All because of a metal tin that should have been disposed of with a bit more thought.

I hope Betty recovers soon so she can go home but in the meantime I'll make sure I pop round to see her every day to give her a bit of encouragement.

Bye for now!

Olive x

Skipper the dog is let off the hook!

Dear friends,

The monsoon has finally arrived in Goa and although it brings very wet and windy days we are happy to get the chance to cool off! Besides, it's great fun to go out and jump in the puddles.

The dog I am going to tell you about today has not had much fun lately. We named him Skipper and he was brought to the centre with a fishing hook stuck in his mouth. The call came from a man in Anjuna who informed us that Skipper was running around outside a Pizza takeaway place.

He was not able to shed any light on how the hook got stuck there in the first place. Luckily we had an ambulance in the nearby town of Calangute and the driver immediately set off for Anjuna. Fortunately Skipper didn't give the boys too much trouble and allowed himself to be caught and brought to Animal Tracks where vet Aparajita quickly sedated him and removed the hook.

After the removal Skipper was placed under observation and treatment to prevent the wound from getting infected. Since he was brought quickly after the incident the wound had not gone septic so the recovery time was not long.

I'm happy to be able to tell you that he has in fact already been released and is back in Anjuna minus fishing hook. Let's hope he's a bit more careful in the future about what he sinks his teeth into.

Love from me,

Olive!