In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed.
Said el-Er, who founded the territory’s only animal rescue organisation in 2006, has been trying to change that. He and other volunteers rescue dogs and cats that have been struck by cars or abused and nurse them back to health – but there are too many.
So in recent weeks they have launched Gaza’s first spay-and-neuter programme. It goes against taboos in the conservative Palestinian territory, where feral dogs and cats are widely seen as pests and many view spaying and neutering as forbidden by Islam.
“Because the society is Muslim, they talk about halal (allowed) and haram (forbidden),” Mr El-Er said. “We know what halal is and what haram is, and it’s haram (for the animals) to be widespread in the streets where they can be run over, shot or poisoned.”
Islam teaches kindness towards animals, but Muslim scholars are divided on whether spaying and neutering causes harm. Across the Arab world, dogs are widely shunned as unclean and potentially dangerous, and cats do not fare much better.
Mr El-Er and other advocates for the humane treatment of animals face an added challenge in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Gaza’s two million residents suffer from nearly 50 per cent unemployment, frequent power outages and heavy travel restrictions.
With many struggling to meet basic needs, animal care is seen as a waste of precious resources or a luxury at best. Mr El-Er’s group, Sulala for Animal Care, relies on private donations, which can be hard to come by.
Mr El-Er says his team can no longer keep up with the number of injured animals that they find or that are brought to the clinic. “The large number of daily injuries is beyond our capacity,” he said. “That’s why we resorted to neutering.”
On a recent day, volunteers neutered a street dog and two cats that had been brought in. There are few veterinary clinics and no animal hospitals in Gaza, so they performed the operations in a section of a pet store that had been cleaned and disinfected.
“We have shortages in capabilities, tools, especially those needed for orthopaedic surgeries,” said Bashar Shehada, a local veterinarian. “There is no suitable place for operations.”
Mr El-Er has spent years trying to organise a spay and neutering campaign but met with resistance from local authorities and vets, who said it was forbidden. He eventually secured a fatwa, or religious ruling, stating that it is more humane to spay and neuter animals than to consign an ever-growing population to misery and abuse.
Once the fatwa was issued, Mr El-Er said local authorities did not object to the campaign as a way of promoting public health and safety. The Hamas-run health and agriculture ministries allowed veterinarians to carry out operations and purchase supplies and medicine, he said.
The Gaza City municipality provided land for a shelter earlier this year. Before that, Mr El-Er kept the rescued animals at his home and on two small tracts of land that he leased.
The new shelter currently houses around 200 dogs, many of them blind, bearing scars from abuse or missing limbs from being hit by cars. At least one was adjusting to walking with a prosthetic limb. A separate section holds cats in similar shape.
The group tries to find homes for the animals, but here too it faces both economic and cultural challenges. Very few Gazans would keep a dog as a pet, and there’s little demand for cats. Some people adopt the animals from abroad, sending money for their food and care.
Over the past decade, international animal welfare groups have carried out numerous missions to evacuate anguished animals from makeshift zoos in Gaza and relocate them to sanctuaries in the West Bank, Jordan and Africa.
But there are no similar campaigns for dogs and cats, and Gaza has been sealed off from all but returning residents since March to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.
Mr El-Er’s phone rang recently and the caller said a dog had been hit by a car. Volunteers from Sulala brought it back to the shelter on the back of a three-wheeled motorbike and began treating it. Mr El-Er says they receive around five such calls every day.
Mom In Tears After The Shelter Dog She Just Adopted Shows How Grateful He Is On The Way Home
Dogs enjoy being adopted! Mother Nature is to blame because nobody wants to live without friends or family. In the aforementioned video, the dog thanks his savior.
The adopted puppy made the decision to show his new mother how much he appreciated her while he was in the passenger seat.
His response was wonderful as he pressed his face against the woman’s arm. The mom started crying after that, and the puppy tried to comfort her.
Watch the video down below.
Please let your loved ones and friends know about this.
Heartbreaking! The dog was attacked by thousands of parasites in the mouth, unable to eat or drink for many days
It’s upsetting to read about a dog being hurt by parasites, especially when it affects their ability to eat and drink. This is a common problem in many dogs, especially if they have not had adequate preventative care.
Hundreds of parasites attacking a dog’s mouth might cause рai and discomfort. These parasites can cause inflammation and infection, making it difficult for the dog to swallow or even open his mouth. In some situations, the parasites might also cause bleeding, which can complicate matters further.
If a dog cannot eat or drink for several days, it may develop an eo problem. Dogs require regular access to food and water in order to stay healthy, and prolonged starvation or dehydration can lead to a variety of health concerns. If the dog is not treated, it will become weak and malnourished, making it more difficult to battle parasites and other ailments.
If you feel your dog has a parasite infection, you should seek veterinary care as soon as possible. A veterinarian can do a thorough examination and offer the necessary therapy to restore your dog’s health.
They may also recommend preventative care treatments, including as frequent deworming and flea and tick prevention, to keep your dog healthy in the future.
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Heartbroken over Sad shivering puppy begging passersby to save his siblings in freezing weather
People came across a puppy all day and no one cared; whenever he saw someone passing by, he stood up, wagged his tail, and waited for help; he lay on the cold snow with faith and waited.
“Help Animal kmv” stepped in to assist, and they found four puppies in a cardboard box.
They took them to the vet and warmed them up; their bodies were infested with blood-sucking mites, and they couldn’t stand the water and stress, so they weren’t bathed. Fortunately, the doctor was still present at night. The doctor gives each puppy individual first aid and tests; the puppies test positive for parvovirus, a dangerous disease.
To reduce itching and scratching, temporary preservatives are used. Puppies are more at ease. Everyone gets eye drops, as well as the doctor’s injection.
“I was very lucky to be there at the right time,” the doctor said, “because if they let them stay a little longer, they will be in danger.”
Who dumped them there? So, where had the mother dog gone?
Nobody knows the answer. They are feeling much better after three days. They could walk around the vet’s office and examine everything.
They mature quickly, beautiful boys, but the issue they had to deal with was their skin. They had mold and needed treatment, according to the doctor, and they had severe fungal skin under their hair. They needed to be medicated on a regular basis and shower with a special shower gel.
They were given the names Lira, Nils, Martin, and Gray.
The disease healed and the hair grew back over time, and thankfully, after a long time under the care of doctors, all of them are healthy and beautiful.
Two of them have found their own happy home, while the other two are cared for and loved by everyone on the team. They have a beautiful future ahead of them.
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Girl Rescues Dying Dog And Then He Let’s Her Know It’s Time To Say ‘Goodbye’
Sophiane Nacer wanted to give this homeless dog the best ‘end of days’ possible, despite the fact that he was too sick to save. She promised that Hippo, an elderly stray with tumors, would only know love after he died.
“Even if it was just for a day,” Sophiane, the 19-year-old founder of Cayleb’s Kindred Senior Dog Rescue, told TODAY, Hippo was going to have the best last day ever.
After a five-day waiting period, Sophiane adopted Hippo and brought him home from the shelter. The skin of the poor dog hurt to touch. Because Hippo was in so much pain, Sophiane wasn’t sure if he could experience much.
When she saw his tail wag, all her doubts vanished. There was still hope for the sick dog. Before he left this world, he FOUGHT to feel love and happiness.
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So Sophiane brought Hippo to Starbucks and bought him a Puppuccino, a Starbucks secret menu item that dogs adore, which is simply a cup filled with delectable whipped cream.
Hippo was still in good spirits the next day, so Sophiane brought him to a dog park to let him run around. He loved every second of it! He had something to say to Sophiane, though.The old dog, who was suffering but hopeful, had something to say to his new best friend… He was all set to leave. He was overjoyed that he had the opportunity to spend time with Sophiane, but he was tired and in pain, and it was time to say his goodbyes.
After the dog park, Sophiane had a vet euthanasia specialist come to her home. The vet had prepared a roasted chicken with sedatives inside for him. He was able to eat his final meal as comfortably as possible with Sophiane by his side before drifting off to a painless permanent sleep.
While this story is sad in many ways, it also has a positive side. A dying dog, who had only known suffering, was given the opportunity to spend the rest of his life, albeit brief, feeling loved and wanted.
May all dogs leave this world knowing how much they are loved! Hippo, rest in peace. You were a fantastic young man!
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