Ophthalmology Deserving Cases Fund
Our Ophthalmology Unit excels in the investigation and treatment of eye disorders across the species’. Cats and horses do, of course, suffer from eye conditions and are treated at the Trust, but most of our patients are dogs. Eye disorders such as glaucoma or cataracts are much more prevalent in dogs than any other animal.
Unfortunately, there are some animals who cannot come in to the Trust due to the high costs involved. This means animals may be losing their sight because they are not able to benefit from our expertise.
In an attempt to address this problem, our Ophthalmology Unit started a Deserving Cases Fund, which is funded by staff donating their out-of-hours earnings. The Deserving Cases fund has managed to save the sight of many dogs and has freed them from the pain of eye disease.
As a registered charity the Animal Health Trust relies upon charitable donations, which go towards supporting research work and buying essential equipment. These donations do not, however, pay for the costs of treating any individual patients. The costs of many procedures are considerable because of the sophisticated equipment and expensive drugs and consumables, as well as a high ratio of nursing and veterinary staff to each patient.
One of the pets helped by the Deserving Cases Fund is Tuftie, who was adopted from the Many Tears Rescue Centre in Wales. The charity knew she had cataracts, so wanted to find her a home near the AHT, where she could receive surgery for her problem. Many Tears paid to have Tuftie’s first operation, and then, later in the year, after lots of fundraising and help from the Deserving Cases Fund, Tuftie came back in to the procedure on her other eye. Thanks to our expertise and specialist treatment, Tuftie, who had been totally blind just six months earlier, had now had her sight fully restored.
Her owner Mr Lowery said, “I have so much admiration for the Trust and the work it does.” Tuftie went on to win ‘Best in Show’ at the AHT Gala Open Day in 2007 in the special ex-patients class.
“Tuftie winning in the dog show was absolutely beyond belief” he said. “It was the perfect fairytale ending to her story.”
The Animal Health Trust would love to be able to help more deserving cases like Tuftie. We do hope that you will be able to help us help those who are not able to afford the specialist clinical and surgical care that we can offer their pets. Elderly and disabled people are often not in the position to be able to pay for insurance, let alone large vets’ bills, and it’s for these people that a pet is often so much more than a companion. It’s a lifeline.
Donations can also be made by completing the form below.
Alternatively, you can call the Fundraising Team on 01638 555 648
Deserving cases donation form