Cachou is a14 year old who was diagnosed with serious bladder stones, rotten teeth and infected ears. The quote to get him sorted was between 800 and 1000 euros – an incredible amount, some might say, to spend on a 14 year old dog. However he had already twice been taken to out of hours emergency, and nearly 400 euros was spent on him just to try to keep him comfortable. So Les Amis made an actuarial decision – better to spend the money on him up front, and get him pain-free, and comfortable, rather than spending that amount of money, and probably more, in dribs and drabs trying to manage the situation. He also needed a cardiac echographie, to make sure his heart was OK for surgery, which it was. That was part of the cost, too, but well worth it.
This is just an example of the sorts of decisions Les Amis have to make regarding treatments. Some people may say “ridiculous” for such an old dog. But when considering his comfort, lack of pain, longevity and how the costs would inevitably mount up if they only took the option of management, these decisions are ones that the charity takes regularly. The other issue that Les Amis have to consider is the true age of these dogs and cats. Many of us who Lifetime Foster take in animals that look extremely old, and frail, but they are not as old as believed. As an example, one dog, Belle, when she was handed in, was estimated, by the vet, to be around 15 years old. After about three months, the vet reduced that to 12 years old. Now she’s had all her problems solved, she is more likely to be 9 or 10, and she bounces around like a puppy. They come in looking old but once returned to health, they may turn out to be a lot younger than estimated.
However, the cost of treating these senior animals takes up a huge amount of the money donated on an annual basis. Even if you cannot take on one of these oldies, a regular donation, or even a one-off donation, goes a long way to help keeping them healthy, as they live out their twilight years, happy, and contented, on a sofa.
If you are of a ‘certain age’, or, indeed someone who is young, where you feel that taking on a puppy/kitten, or a young dog/cat, is not really going to work for you, and you have space in your heart or, more importantly, on your sofa, to offer one, or more, oldies the chance a good life in their remaining years, then please get in touch https://lesamisdesanimaux.com/animals/ . Remember, there is no adoption fee for a lifetime foster, and all vets fees, other than annual vaccinations, and parasitical medication, are covered by Les Amis des Animaux.
