Turkish Rescue Dog Needs Urgent Care

HELLO ANIMAL LOVERS

Rescue dog Rita has come SO far... At this point she needs life-changing dental care and I'm hoping YOU can help make this happen!

Her rescue story began in February 2019, when I was managing the Facebook group for Tails of Istanbul and received a message from a tourist - a wonderful person named Camilla - who had discovered a mother and puppies living in horrible conditions in one of Istanbul’s crumbling, abandoned buildings.

A small team pulled together to help Camilla coordinate a full rescue operation, which also involved Turkish authorities who picked up the mother, Valentine, to spay her.

From there, to ensure Val did not wind up lost in a shelter, the group of us worked REALLY hard to keep these dogs together, properly taken care of, and out of a very vulnerable situation.

Two of Valentine’s puppies found homes almost immediately in Istanbul. One went to the US, another to Sweden.

Besides the cost of keeping them safe and off the street, somewhere along the line Señorita contracted distemper during the summer. Thanks to medication and multiple visits to the vet, she got better day by day.

Fast forward through recovery, Rita was left with neurological damage (a prominent tic) and malformation of her jaw and mouth. The tic is not painful, but is causing complications with her vet care today.
I'll explain in a minute.

Valentine and little Señorita waited at a pension in Istanbul for very a long time. Finally, Valentine got the chance to travel to Canada in November of 2020 and found a wonderful home there. Rita followed and landed in Toronto in April 2021.

I was thrilled to find an amazing family that was willing to adopt a dog with special needs!

To elaborate, Rita's bout with distemper has caused major dental issues -- starting with the malformation of her jaw. Her teeth are crooked and oddly shaped. Her mouth smells horrible because of the plaque and tartar buildup, and she has excessive drool.

Worse, she has difficulty eating, which could also be due to painful teeth and gums.

Despite the urgent need to treat RIta, it's been incredibly difficult trying to find a vet team willing to put this pup under anesthesia -- again, due to the tic.

WHY IS THIS URGENT?

Any dental disease left untreated can lead to systemic organ issues and disease. The bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream causing other infections in the body.

The sooner Rita can have the special dental cleaning and care required, the better.

We know she would feel so much better with a clean mouth. She'll finally be able to eat properly and gain weight.

On the bright side, we now (finally!) have a dental specialist, Dr. Lorraine Hiscox, at Animal Emergency & Specialty Hospital in Ottawa, who can treat Rita.

The problem is the assistance of an anesthesiologist is required. So what wold normally be a dental cleaning with some extractions has quadrupled the cost for Rita's family...

to almost $4,000!

CAN YOU HELP US WITH RITA’S TREATMENT?

We are URGENTLY needing support to fund this specialized dental treatment and EVERY DOLLAR HELPS!

Funds raised through this campaign will go towards:

• Before & After Treatment care
• Medications
• Anesthesiologist
• Tartar & Plaque removal
• Extractions of infected teeth
• NO Admin fees besides Stripe / PayPal / bank fees on transfers to partners involved.

WILL YOU SUPPORT RITA WITH A DONATION TODAY?

EVERY DOLLAR HELPS!

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