As I am writing this article, restaurants and bars have been asked to close for two weeks at least, thus cancelling a lot of our fund raising events. This obviously affects our ability to finance rescues, but unfortunately the number of abandoned animals does not cease. As people face economic pressures, this has a ‘knock on’ effect on some people and their ability to care for their animals. Most will sensibly look for help, while a few will choose the other route; abandonment. We would like to focus on those abandoned dogs that are leish-positive and why they should be given the chance of a loving home too.
Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease found in many countries across Europe. It is transmitted to dogs after they are bitten by an infected sandfly. Although Leishmaniasis cannot be cured, it can be managed with cheap medication and most dogs will live a full and happy life with this disease. The disease often goes into remission when a dog is placed in a stable home environment and, with reduced stress and good nutrition, many rescued dogs will be asymptomatic for the rest of their lives. Leishmaniasis cannot be transferred directly from one dog to another or to humans.
Dogs with Leishmaniasis in Spain is not uncommon, as there are many stray and abandoned dogs with the disease. These dogs are not to blame and in some cases it is due to the recklessness of owners who fail to provide the correct protection for their dogs and allow them to breed and wander which only exacerbates the situation. These dogs have the right to a loving permanent home like any other dog. I myself adopted a leish-positive dog and after a year on very cheap tablets and subsequent regular blood tests, she has now tested negative and is expected to live a full and normal life. I have never regretted this decision and monitoring her condition has proved to be very easy. Spread the word and let’s educate people about Leishmania so everyone is happy and confident to give a chance to a leish-positive dog. Every dog deserves a home.
We would like to thank all our friends and volunteers who continue to support us through these difficult times. Please like our Facebook page; by doing this you can keep up to date on our FMA family and keep track on any future events. We always have many animals looking for forever homes, so please take time to look at our adoption album which also can be found on our page.
Finally we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas with the hope that 2021 will bring a much better year.