From Polly Mathewson.
‘Dear Friends of our beautiful timid podenco brothers CAMILO & ELOY, an update that’s a bit mixed – sad and happy and practical… Firstly the sad in that unfortunately we have unexpected health news for our boys as we have discovered they both have the degenerative spinal condition spondylosis deformans, and Eloy has it very badly. But we are all going to help them so they will be as well as they can be! The happy news is that they have had their first official class with behaviourist-trainer Pilar. What posh pods they are with a personal trainer! And so to the practical, and this is a very heartfelt request because to cover their tests, x-rays and sedation together with new monthly medication and supplements they are now going to need, and of course their kenneling, their costs are rising to over £500/560 euros per month. That’s a lot! But together we can do it.
There is more about how to go to our little online fundraising shop in the photos attached and also a wonderful “Blitz Auktion” from some very special German friends. And we will soon do new fundraisers too. So please scroll through the album here with captions for a good speedy overview of our boys’ situation this week, and to see the link to our online shop. Thank you so much for your support, from C&E.
If you would like more detail on Camilo and Eloy’s news then please read on below…. It’s very special that so many of you have accompanied and supported our lovely two for so many months now and we are all a part of their extended temporary family. The boys have a proper team now, and a very international one at that! But of course it is a close and loving adoptive family that they most need. Please get in touch with me Polly Mathewson if you are that wonderful family. But meanwhile it feels a privilege to love and protect these innocent souls as we all do. Hold on dear Cami and Eloy we are going to make you well and get you really happy.
(1) SPONDYLOSIS. Cami and Eloy’s loyal, local temporary Mums Stacey and Christiane who kindly spend time most days with the boys have been observing Eloy a while thinking he walks very stiffly. Then when our friends vet-behaviourist Rosana and Pilar trainer visited (a behavioural assessment visit we all funded together) they suggested pain-killers for Eloy to see how he responded. However this week Eloy seemed to limp more and appeared very low emotionally at times, he also seems quite incontinent. So he saw Christelle the lovely and kind on-site vet at the boys’ Costapet kennels for blood tests and urine tests (both showing his kidneys as ok) and then a spinal x-ray. Sadly this showed he has 80% fusing of his vertebrae, so the damage is very severe.
Because spondylosis is often hereditary (and worsened by the kind of living conditions the boys have suffered), we decided to check Camilo too. Luckily Cami’s spine is not so bad with about 3 sections of spine where 2 or 3 vertebrae are fused, which could explain Camilo’s happier disposition and more fluid movement. It is likely Eloy is in some pain and this will have come on more now he has the chance to move about, as he hasn’t had in years. He now needs to strengthen his muscles. Rosana and Pilar may be involved to help with physiotherapy, but the first thing now is to start on medication. This means a daily strong painkiller, an anti-inflammatory and glucosamine supplement and we hope this will really help him to be pain free. Sadly the condition cannot be cured or halted, just the symptoms managed. We hope Eloy can still have a good quality of life and as long a life span as possible and without any bad complications from his very stiffened back.
Eloy’s meds add up to 130 euros a month approx (all final vet and med costs to be confirmed still as the director of Costapet, Karl, is kindly giving the boys a discount). For the moment Camilo will just need glucosamine (around 24 euros per month). All thanks to vet Rosana who remains generously at the end of the phone since the assessment to discuss with us and Christelle for the boys.
(2) TRAINING. So after a couple of kind free visits for the boys to get to know Pilar, she started Friday 5th with their first paid session (all thanks to everyone as our last fundraiser put some money in C&E’s piggybank for this). You can see Pilar in a couple of the videos here observing Eloy outdoors and gaining trust with little pieces of dry meat in their kennels. The boys also got to take treats off their harnesses lying on the ground ready for the next steps which will be for them to accept these and a lead. Our aim is to get them out into the countryside to enjoy sniffing the grass and see some rabbits at long last. So many years inside 4 sad concrete walls! All thanks too to Pilar and family and friends who donated extra bedding and carpet and towels and a raised sleeping platform for the boys, and for Pilar giving reduced rescue dog rates for her expertise. Christiane is filming here. Unfortunately Stacey is under lockdown further up the coast, but we hope she can return very soon. Both Mums Christiane and Stacey also keep bringing extra goodies to the boys such as their kong, the new chair and so many paid-for-by-themselves tasty extra nibbles.
(3) OWNERSHIP. As you know Camilo & Eloy have had a horrible past before we took them under our wing to help…with a history of different, difficult and sad places where they were abandoned to, and ultimately that they became so invisible. All this has meant their ownership papers weren’t really right. The happy news is this is now resolved. All thanks to Karl at Costapet for his patient help, and to our very good friend, great dog-rescuer Andrea Johnson who has assumed official ownership for us in Spain even while I am their final “buck-stops” responsible temporary Mum. Andrea already has so many dogs she is working to help. But this means the boys are now safely and legally registered with one of the best!
(4) FUNDRAISING. So at the moment we have enough in the boys’ piggy bank from our last fundraiser to pay their February kennel costs (due tomorrow) and at least some of their vet and new med costs, but raising 560 euros + approx EVERY MONTH is a significant amount and us little core group for the boys so appreciate everyone’s help. We have kennels costs, meds costs, training treat costs and once-weekly classes. We need to keep funds dripping in through the month so we aren’t suddenly stuck! I will put the invoice for vet work in the next post so we know the full amount of these one-off costs, but we know the monthly ones now from here on and we need to keep them up.
There are lots of ways you can keep on helping if you would like to.
BECOME A PODGODPARENT! The boys have their lovely 4 PodGodMums who contribute each month, Chris, Courtney, Deborah and Marrisa. If you would like to join them and pay any small but regular monthly contribution towards their B&B that would be wonderful. I send out regular updates in between these main posts, so you can feel much more closely involved with our two.
DONATE! Also there are lovely friends who give random donations and these make such a difference. A special thank you to our friend Monika Regn for her amazing 100 euro donation this week to help the boys. If you would like to make a donation for Camilo & Eloy of any amount please use paypal: helpvalenciadogs@gmail.com (send via Family&Friends option) and mark INVISIBLES. Thank you so much. If you need bank transfer details instead please ask me Polly by private message.
ONE OFF FUNDRAISERS! We have done a few together and will do more. But now a big thank you to Heidi Goll and Monika for their upcoming “Flash Auction” to help Cami and Eloy when their costs have suddenly shot up this month. These wonderful two are asking help for our boys from their loyal Verein WindhundHilfe Malaga group. Their rescued galgos and podencos are some of Camilo and Eloy’s neighbours in the kennels and they play together in the run. In the video here with Pilar you get to meet their new rescue Romeo who has taken to our boys. All thanks for this extra help dear amigas. To join in with their auction see the link on the “Blitz Auktion” photo here. It starts on 9 February.
ONLINE SHOP! We have this little online shop in our “In Kennels & In-Visible” dogs group, and we add to it all the time when we have some nice bits of our own, or if kind friends donate their own things we can sell. It’s for all the “Invisibles” under our wing, but in particular now is to help Camilo & Eloy, and pitbull Indira with her travel fund. To go shopping to help with Camilo & Eloy’s costs please ask to join the Facebook group “IN KENNELS & IN-VISIBLE DOGS DESPERATELY NEEDING HOMES”, then go to MORE, then MEDIA, then ALBUMS. Our shop is there! We’d love it if you have little things to donate that are in good condition and light to post. Please get in touch with me Polly Mathewson if so. Always thanks to Angie Robinson and Maggie Moo in this group, we are happy team-mates together.
Meanwhile if you have other ideas for fundraisers or items for a future auction please say!
A long update. But a lot has happened for our boys and thank you again everyone for standing by them until we get them HOME!
The fundraisers to which Polly refers are run on facebook but if any of you would like to organise a fundraiser I can publish it on my blog and share on facebook too. Message me with ideas.
Videos
https://www.facebook.com/100000338731150/videos/pcb.3774817759206145/3774530345901553
https://www.facebook.com/100000338731150/videos/pcb.3774817759206145/3774530899234831
https://www.facebook.com/100000338731150/videos/pcb.3774817759206145/3774531942568060