Special Appeals
Make your Dog a Star I London Marathon I Accelerating Towards the Future in Cancer Care | Breaking the Strangles Hold | Breakthrough In Sight for Glaucoma Treatment | Ollie's Fund
At the Animal Health Trust, we are renowned for our expertise, ground-breaking research and validation of new equipment and technologies long before many other veterinary establishments. In order to maintain our position at the top of our game, we are constantly campaigning to raise vital funds which allow us to buy new equipment, employ first class staff and develop ways of improving animal health and welfare.
To find out more about our current appeals, click on the links above or scroll down the page.
Make your Dog a Star
There’s probably not a single person among you who hasn’t seen an advertisement on television recently for sofa firm dfs. Well, guess what? Your dog could be the star of the next one!
The Animal Health Trust has teamed up with furniture giants dfs to offer one lucky donor the chance for their pet to appear in an upcoming commercial. The advert will be screened nationwide and shown at peak viewing times – the perfect chance to show off your pooch to the Great British public!
Click here to go through to the competition site which is now live.
AHT Racing to Fundraising Success
The Flora London Marathon takes place on April 26th and will this year also be welcoming six AHT supporters into its midst, including two members of staff!
Maire O’Brien, Senior Secretary and Administrator and Oliver Forman, Genetics Research Assistant, have all bravely volunteered to run the 26-mile race to raise funds for the Animal Health Trust. Neither of them has entered before but they are all very much looking forward to it!
Also running for the Trust are four of our supporters; Laura Hudson, Graham McGrotty, Jolene Hammonds and Robert Webbon.
Laura’s late father was a veterinary surgeon in nearby village Barrow, and after his death, some of his staff came to work here. Laura’s family also have a strong connection with Newmarket – her Great Grandfather Reg Day was a top trainer, who ran the terrace yard - now known as Tattersalls! Laura has had one of her dogs treated at the AHT and now lives with her partner, twins and dog Hooch.
Graham’s dog Elvis was also treated at the AHT, when he was less than a year old. Graham works as a professional musician, singing and playing a lot of live gigs around East Anglia and is really enjoying running more than ever and training hard!
Completing a marathon is something runner Jolene Hammonds has always wanted to do. “I wanted to run for the Animal Health Trust as I love animals and supporting a charity that researches ways to improve their health will make me very proud. From a selfish point of view, I enjoy running and would love the sense of achievement in completing a marathon, so it’s great opportunity to combine the two!”
Robert Webbon, son of AHT Chief Executive Peter Webbon, is our final runner, hoping to raise around £1,500 for the Trust.
The London Marathon began in 1981 and is now one of the world’s premier running events, with top athletes from around the globe taking part every year. It is also one of the biggest fundraising events in the country, with most runners opting to support a cause close to their hearts.
If you would like to help raise vital funds for the AHT, please click on one of the photos below, which will link you to their Justgiving pages where you can pledge your support.
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Accelerating Towards the Future in Cancer Care
Cancer statistics amongst animals are staggering, with one in four dogs and one in six cats being affected. Here at the AHT, we pride ourselves on our excellent oncology department and the care and expertise we can offer patients.
One vital piece of very advanced equipment we need to be able to reduce these statistics is a Linear Accelerator. This machine works by delivering high-energy radiation beams to break down tumours. This radiotherapy technique can destroy cancer cells, while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.
Our ability to give cancer patients the best possible treatment is currently hampered by a lack of this piece of key equipment. While we are fortunate to have first class facilities and equipment in some areas of cancer management, such as our MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner and chemotherapy suite, we are lacking in this major areas that is essential to provide a complete level of care.
The use of radiotherapy is absolutely vital for the treatment of some cancer types, as it is in people. We are currently sharing a radiotherapy facility but this severely reduces the number of patients we are able to treat.
Linear Accelerators are common in US specialist veterinary centres and we know the benefits that they bring. We aim to become the leading veterinary Cancer Centre in Europe but cannot achieve this goal without investment in such technology.
To date we have raised over £300,000 towards a complete upgrade of our imaging facilities. We need a further £900,000 over the next two years and are appealing for funds from other charitable trusts and foundations and from individual donors.
If you would like to help us raise the funds for this appeal, please call the fundraising team on 01638 555648 or email fundraising@aht.org.uk.
“Breaking the Strangles Hold”
The AHT and The British Horse Society have joined forces to launch this campaign which aims to increase awareness of the disease, Strangles, and help to raise the vitally needed funds. We urgently need to raise £250,000 to accelerate research into the development of improved means of diagnosis and prevention - ultimately to eliminate the disease.
Strangles is the most commonly diagnosed infectious disease of horses worldwide and is of major welfare and economic importance. The bacteriology group at the Animal Health Trust is dedicated to applying scientific research to the improved health of horses through the eradication of this ‘equine plague’.
Clinical signs of Strangles include fever, profuse nasal discharge and abscessed lymph nodes of the head and neck. The swelling of these lymph nodes may, in severe cases, restrict the airway, hence the name ‘Strangles’.
Scientists at the Animal Health Trust have discovered that S. equi has genetic characteristics typically found in Yersinia pestis – the causative agent of human plague. They are currently developing blood tests capable of identifying long-term carriers of Strangles, which will enable us to reduce disease spread. Safe and effective strangles vaccines are also being designed at the AHT that can be widely used throughout the equine community.
The campaign was launched in February 2007 by AHT’s President, HRH The Princess Royal, and has been supported widely by leading figures in the eventing, racing and show jumping world. Thanks to nationwide help and support, by the beginning of 2008, the £100,000 barrier had already been broken.
Progress is well on the way to developing a vaccine against this awful disease, so please help us raise the essential funds we need to take our final steps towards eradicating it for good.
If you would like to help us raise the funds for this appeal, please call the fundraising team on 01638 555648 or email fundraising@aht.org.uk.
Breakthrough In Sight for Glaucoma Treatment
At the AHT, we have a dedicated team of ophthalmologists who regularly treat various eye conditions in dogs, cats and horses. One of the most serious eye conditions in dogs is glaucoma, for which, at the moment, there is no real long term solution. Now, however, thanks to pioneering new laser equipment, we may have the answer.
Glaucoma affects hundreds of dogs across a range of breeds every year. Not only is it terribly painful, but will, in a short space of time, cause blindness. It can affect one or both eyes, and is the result of a build up of pressure in the eye.
At the AHT, our team of specialists frequently deals with cases of glaucoma. Head of the Ophthalmology Department is Jane Sansom, who has been treating the disease for years and tried everything – drops, medication and surgery – none of which offer long term success.
In 2006, Jane learnt of a new piece of equipment officially titled endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP), which was proving highly successful in the treatment of glaucoma in people. It involves the insertion of an incredibly fine endoscopic laser inside the eye, which then burns away the fluid-producing areas and reduces eye pressure.
In June 2007, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Western Eye Hospital, Philip Bloom, came to the Trust to supervise our surgeons in performing the procedure on four dogs with glaucoma. All were successful.
One dog treated was 13-year-old Jack Russell, Polly, who had been coming to the Trust for five years with various eye problems, culminating in the removal of one eye. She then contracted glaucoma in her remaining eye, for which she received several methods of treatment, none to great avail. Polly was a perfect candidate for the laser treatment, and owner Mrs. Bond says her terrier is now like a new dog.
With our own laser equipment at the AHT, we will be able to offer hundreds of dogs treatment which would not only relieve them of the pain of eye disease, but could also help them retain their sight. We will be the only veterinary institute outside the USA offering this treatment.
We have therefore launched our Laser Appeal to raise £50,000 to cover the cost of this incredible equipment, which can also be used to treat retinal conditions.
Mrs. Bond, owner of Polly, said, “This equipment will change the lives of so many dogs and will be absolutely brilliant. I really hope that the Trust will be able to raise sufficint funds to cover the cost.”
If you would like to help us raise the funds for this appeal, please call the fundraising team on 01638 555648 or email fundraising@aht.org.uk.
Ollie's Fund: AHT Canine Epilepsy Research Fund
Epilepsy is a disorder affecting around 1% of the human population and 5% of dogs. It can occur in any breed, although typically some are more commonly affected than others.
Epilepsy can have a huge impact on the quality of life of both the dog and owner and, for this reason, many epileptic dogs end up being euthanased. Ollie’s Fund has been set up to allow researchers at the Animal Health Trust to research into the cause of the illness and prevent dogs like Ollie suffering in the future.
The Trust’s Neurology Unit has several ongoing projects to improve the understanding, treatment and, most importantly, the prevention, of epilepsy. This goal can only be achieved with the help and expertise of the specialist Canine Genetics Department at the Trust. By studying the genetics of the condition in a variety of breeds, it is anticipated that a number of different genes will be identified that play a role in the development of canine epilepsy.
In order to continue this pioneering research, the Animal Health Trust needs funding. Any money raised for ‘Ollie’s Fund’ will go directly towards this project, and will support the work being done to get to the root of canine epilepsy.
For Ollie’s Story, click here.
If you would like to make a donation towards this fund please click here or call the fundraising department on 01638 555 620.
