On Sunday morning, July 19, an animal rescue worker was called to help a puppy that was run over. Alicia Hoemsen, from Elkhorn, who works with Strays That Can’t Pay (STCP), was contacted to go to Sioux Valley after a family found their injured pup. In the heat, the young dog had been resting in the shade of a car.
In order to save the pup, Hoemsen could see veterinary care would be necessary. She transported the dog to Grand Valley Animal Clinic. Initially the family was willing to sign a fi nancial contract to pay back the rescue for veterinary care.
As it turned out, the diagnosis on Monday morning revealed the puppy had two severely broken back legs along with nerve damage. Surgery would be required to save the pup - probably plates and pins. “It looked really grim,” stated Hoemsen. “We got an estimate of $5,000 to $8,000.”
However, the veterinarian determined that the pelvis was okay. The pup’s bowels and bladder were working and the picture brightened. Hoemsen was pressed to make a decision by noon on Monday, as to the fate of the puppy. She explains that help arose for this injured animal. “We got one private benefactor who was willing to donate half of the cost of the operation. Then we had a group in Toronto offer to take him.” The trip would have been too hard on the puppy, so it was decided to have the dog operated on by an orthopedic veterinary surgeon in Winnipeg. However, that decision rested on having a correct diagnosis and a good prognosis regarding pain and recovery for the dog.
At this point, she shares, “Things are looking good.”
The dog’s owner talked with Helen Pompana, a STCP worker who lives in the Sioux Valley First Nation community, regarding the cost of the veterinary care.
Facing a cost of at least $5,000 and with all the help the local rescue could muster for the little dog, the family decided to sign a document to surrender him to STCP.
“We’ll step in,’ I said to her. ‘He may not stay with us, but we will take care of him.’ So she wrote that little heart-breaking note,” says Hoemsen.
At this point the rescue worker says STCP, and possibly another group in Saskatchewan, will be covering the balance of the cost.
A person from Winnipeg has volunteered to provide a cart for the dog, which will carry the weight of the animal allowing the front legs to be mobile. This will help him to go outside, to relieve himself; and he will require additional physiotherapy to keep his knees (hind legs) bending following surgery.
The puppy will be in Winnipeg for about a week. Carla Loewen (small animal veterinarian with Virden Animal Hospital) has personally offered to take him immediately after that. Hoemsen has hopes that a person in Saskatchewan will also participate in the puppy’s care.
Donations have come in, and Hoemsen says the local rescue is within $1,000 of covering the low estimate for the dog’s care.
She is encouraged, but admits Strays That Can’t Pay regularly faces ongoing monthly veterinary bills.
