Could you spare a thought and $50 for the neglected and discarded pets people forget? Help Lort Smith care for abandoned, mistreated and surrendered animals by sponsoring a shelter animal today.

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Every year thousands of dogs and cats are brought through the emergency doors of Lort Smith as abandoned or surrendered animals and strays in need of urgent medical attention and shelter.

Cardboard boxes full of underweight kittens, lost dogs that have been hit by cars, stray cats with chronic cat flu or cats and dogs that have outgrown their welcome and are no-longer wanted, are just some of the cases we see here daily.

So far this year our staff at Lort Smith have taken in or treated over 10,000 animals in need of care. That’s over 75 animals a day. Animals brought in by people who can no-longer look after them, or afford their medical treatment as well animals that simply have nowhere else to go.

We shelter these animals, feed them and where necessary provide the critical veterinary care and rehabilitation they need to recover to full health. After all, caring for animals in need and finding these unwanted pets new loving homes is what Lort Smith has done for over 75 years.

Giaan and Lester’s story
Lester was brought into Lort Smith emergency department as a three month old puppy that had been accidentally run over and needed to have his leg amputated. Unfortunately a three legged dog didn’t fit with this family’s idea of the perfect pooch so they surrendered it to our shelter. Lester was brought back to good health by Lort Smith veterinarians and fostered during recovery and rehabilitation until he was ready for rehoming.

Then along came Giaan Rooney, Olympic gold medal swimmer and future mother of Lester. “When I first saw Lester I could not believe someone had given this beautiful dog away because he didn’t suit their lifestyle anymore or because he wasn’t seen as being perfect. He has given me so much love and joy, I could not imagine my life without him or think what would have happened to him if Lort Smith had not come to his rescue”

But not all shelter stories end as happily as this one.

Sadly in Australia over 200,000 cats and dogs are put down every year because they don’t have homes to go to.

As the Victoria arm of the Animal Welfare League of Australia and the largest charitable veterinary hospital in Australia, Lort Smith is committed to caring for animals in need and passionately supports the care and rehoming of shelter animals. We provide this vital service so that animals that would otherwise be put to sleep get a second chance at life.

But this service comes at a great cost.

Our shelter and animal welfare service costs close to one million dollars a year to operate. Each animal we shelter and rehome costs between $500 and $1000 depending on its state of health when it comes to us.

We provide this service without any government funding and continue to rely on the generosity and support of people in the community to help us care for these forgotten pets.

For as little as $.32 cents a day or $10 a month you can help Lort Smith’s shelter and rehoming program by sponsoring an animal in need.

Believe us, every little bit helps;

• $20 will feed a malnourished cat or dog for two weeks
• $30 covers the cost of flea treatment for a litter of abandoned kittens
• $50 could vaccinate a stray dog against heartworm
• $150 would treat a shelter cat for cat flu
• $250 will pay for a patella operation to fix a dogs slipped knee cap that if left untreated would cause serious arthritis later in life
• $1000 could fund our kitten foster program for a month

Please help Lort Smith shelter and rehome animals that have no where else to turn by making a donation today.

For as little as $10 a month or 32 cents a day you can sponsor a shelter animal and make an enormous contribution to the welfare of hundreds if not thousands of animals in Victoria each year.

We trust and rely on your continued support. To make a donation simply click here.

Yours sincerely

Ric Holland
Chief Executive Officer
                      
PS: Thousands of animals are euthanized in Australia every year because they do not have homes to go to. Please support Lort Smith’s animal shelter by making a donation today. All donations over $2 are now fully tax deductible.

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