Christmas is a joyous time but not for us

The Festive Season has officially started and so has Mdzananda’s busiest and most difficult time of the year. Pets run over by cars sky rocket. Pet abandonment shoots up. The numbers of injured and sick patients escalate.

Queen is one of them. Just a baby, Queen is under a year old and one of our first Festive Season motor vehicle accident patients. She was run over by a fast driving car, her back foot mauled and the bone exposed. She is now safely in our care.

Whitey is another. He was knocked down by a reckless driver - his hind leg fractured.

Christmas and the end of the year is a difficult time at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic. People seem to drive more recklessly, knocking pets over. This results in severe injuries needing orthopaedic operations. One such operation costs us a minimum of R2000.

During this time many community members go to the Eastern Cape to visit their families leaving their animals behind with friends. Very regularly these friends do not have experience in looking after animals. Their homes are not always equipped for animals - they get out of the yard, end up in dog fights or get hit by vehicles.

We receive many animals that have fallen sick due to insufficient nutrition or non-pet friendly living conditions. During this time we cover all their costs as owners are not around to donate a small amount towards their pet’s treatment. Very often, these pets are not collected when their owners return home. These pets become homeless and enter our stray programme.

It is also very common to find pet owners walking through our doors handing pets over at this time. People have increased expenses over the Festive Season and can no longer afford to look after their pets. Many leave for the Eastern Cape and, not having a solution for their pet, “donate” their pet to us (a term used by pet owners which we can only giggle at). These pets are completely reliant on us to care for them, nurture them and find them new homes.

I know that, over the Festive Season, the last thing you want to hear about is sad situations, but this is our reality and we need you.

Through this letter I would like to ask you to consider making a gift to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic to help our increased costs, patients and strays this Festive Season. Any gift, big or small, is greatly appreciated.

If you are not able to make a financial gift I encourage you to get some friends together and collect essential goodies needed to help the pets this Christmas.

From all of us at Mdzananda, we wish you a blessed festive season

With sincere gratitude

Marcelle du Plessis

Fundraising & Communications Manager