All Creatures Great and Small at Donegal Animals in Need

The Letterkenny Pound continues to fill up with unwanted dogs and Animals In Need (AIN) perseveres in rescuing them.

Another five dogs were taken from the Pound this week, amongst them two unsocialised, terrified collie pups.

The pups, Lily and Bessie, are siblings of around five months old who are terrified of everything. They are also in bad condition physically; underweight, malnourished and suffering from mange.

The two sisters will need a lot of patience but their AIN fosterer is slowly gaining their trust.

They show no aggression, they just hide and panic if they are approached but they are making progress slowly and they have healthy appetites.

Lily and Bessie are also in need of a good bath but that would be too traumatic for them at present.

Two adult collies, Joe and Paddy, were also extremely malnourished when they were rescued a few weeks ago, to the extent that they almost died.

However, they are on a special diet with vitamin supplements and the change in them is visible.

Semi feral cat being treated for cat flu 

Their coats were a dull grey colour when they arrived due to malnutrition, but their fur is now changing to the glossy black colour it should be. 

Paddy and Joe are very friendly boys despite all they have suffered, and when they are fully fit, they will be going to fantastic homes.

The cat rescuers continue to attend call outs on a daily basis, three of the newest arrivals being Gigi, Gem and Grace, who are semi-feral kittens currently struggling to recover from cat flu.

An injured cat was found late on Saturday night on the main street in Belleek but sadly the cat passed away shortly after arriving at the emergency vets.

The cat had broken two of his legs and had suffered internal injuries, but at least he was not left out in the cold on the street and he was pain free at the end.

An injured kitten has also been spotted in Stranorlar with a serious leg injury.

A local woman has put out a trap to hopefully catch the kitten so that it can have veterinary treatment.

AIN volunteers were called out to one of their more unusual rescues recently, when a black pig was spotted running around loose near the Health Centre in Donegal Town.

Following a call to assist from the Gardaí, AIN volunteers went out to attempt to catch the pig, initially by trying to keep him away from the nearby busy main road by enticing him to a safer area with food.

AIN set up a large, humane trap to try to catch him, but when they returned to check on it, the pig was standing outside it and all they had caught was a fed-up looking cat.

Due to the proximity to traffic, it became a multi-agency job to catch the pig, with the Gardaí, the ISPCA, Bluestack Vets, Old Church Vets and Killian McLaughlin of Wild Ireland, all joining AIN in the endeavour.

Pat was very malnourished when rescued

After trying several different ways to secure the pig, finally Killian succeeded by using a dart gun to sedate him, under guidance from Nick, a vet from Old Church Vets, and Kevin McGinley, an Inspector from the ISPCA.

Thankfully, the pig was none the worse for his adventure and was transported safely into the care of the ISPCA.

AIN also had a call out to help an injured seagull on Friday last. The bird had been found in the road in Killybegs, sitting next to his dead mate. 

Sadly, the gull had badly broken both of his legs and was paralysed, and with no chance of his recovery, the bird had to be put to sleep to end his suffering.

And so ends another busy week at AIN. When the volunteers pick up the phone, they never know what they will be called on to do next, but that is all part of the life of an animal rescuer.

To help AIN’s animals, please donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your phone by texting the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300. Every last cent goes directly to the rescued animals for their food, bedding, vet bills, worming treatment and vaccinations.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering etc, please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420. Animals In Need Donegal is also on Facebook and has a website at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com.