Read all the letters for the $3,000 CareCredit 'Pay Your Vet Bills' comp!
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED - Thanks! - READ ALL THE LETTERS BELOW...
 In late June early July 2007, we ran a competition where three lucky listeners could win a share of $3,000 in the 'Pay Your Vet Bills' GE Money CareCredit Competition.
Listeners were asked to tell us why they and/or their pet deserved to win a pre-charged $1,000 CareCredit card.
Below are the entries in the same order they were received and have been reproduced here 'for the record'. We have also indicated the three lucky winners with a heading above the winning letters.
Please Note:
As we have daily contact with many listeners and people in the rescue side of animal welfare and some of those people also entered this competition, we decided to hand over the choosing of the three winners to an independent third party. Some listeners sent in photos (thanks!) and we have added those to their story below, however this had no bearing on the result.
As with any competition the decisions made are final and no correspondence can be entered into.
 THANK-YOU! - We would like to sincerely thank everybody who took the time to enter - it has been both a happy and a heart-wrenching experience reading some of your stories. We sincerely hope you do manage to get the financial help you need for your animals. We would love to give everybody something but of course this is not possible. We will however speak with our very generous sponsors GE Money Care Credit and see if they would like to do something like this again in the near future - stay tuned.
Hugs for your pets - Brian & Kaye
I should win because I will not only save your readers money but also the frustration standing at the airport with your pet - NOT APPROVED.
I have been travelling with two very well known domestic airlines for approximately 3 years carting my little person in a fur coat with me. I purchased the airline approved pet travel carriage from my vet's array of pet goodies three years ago. I arrived at the ACT Airport last week and was told new laws have been passed the plastic clips on the airline approved pet carriage are banned and have been for 6 months!!!
So be WARNED else you will be up for the cost of a cage which you have to put your ex airline approved travel carriage in. OR you can replace the plastic clips with gutter bolts (which I did when I arrived at my holiday destination) however I found when I arrived back home the front section someone had laced wire across the front, obviously the plastic clip for the top front is also a no no, so looks like I am off to the hardware store to see how I can replace the two top plastic clips.
The brand is a Skipper 111 (three) MACHIORO - made in Italy (I hope they start making airline approved carriers for us here in OZ).
Beware if someone tries to sell you any carriers with plastic clips, and tell you it is airline approved.
Hope I win then I can go back to the vet and purchase the NEW AIRLINE APPROVED CARRIER - I like to travel in style so my little girl said, so looks like the ugly gutter bolts are not approved by her - my Jazzy girl.
WOOF from J & J
Hi to all at Pet Talk Radio - My name is Saint and I am a female German Shepherd. I think my mum would really like some help with my vet bills, you see I have chronic allergies and I scratch all the time I can't help but scratch until my nose, eyes and under arms bleed I am very uncomfortable, my nose is very soar and I have no fur on it any more.
Mum thinks it's something inside so she puts me outside, and I miss her and she misses me after all I am a German shepherd I need to be inside with my Mum, so this doesn't help my anxiety or my hip dysplasia in this cold weather we've been having so I think Mum would spend the money on my dermatology testing and seeing a orthopaedic surgeon about my left hip
Then I can go back to being a happy GSD again
Cheers Saint -licks and wags
Dear Pet talk radio & GE Money Care Credit,
Our pets have taken on our love of other animals and our desire to make the world a better place, and together our pets and us are foster carers for abandoned and sick animals.
Together we welcome every new foster animal we bring into our home with open arms. Our pets share their beds, the lounge, they share their toys and of course attention from 2 legged family members, and they welcome the new animals into fun and games, so if our pets were to win this rainy day CareCredit advance, they would share it with our foster animals as well.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter this competition.
Kind regards Lee - Seven Hills, NSW
 Hello Pet Talk, I hope you are great!
I think my 6-7 month old cat, Fiddy deserves to win CareCredit because he is definitely a fighter.
Back in November our female dog, Coco found a kitten stuck under a pile of rubble at a house demolition site. The poor thing was under about a 1 metre of wood, iron and rubbish. My boyfriend and I decided to remove all the stuff and found small white kitten buried at the bottom.
 We decided to keep him as he was the only one there. When we took him home we noticed he was in pretty bad shape, we ended up killing about 80 fleas on a kitten no more than 2 weeks old.
Because we ended up buying flea lotions and medication within the first hour of finding him, we ended up calling him Fiddy (sounds like $fifty, like the name of a US rapper).
When I picked him up I noticed how just how young he was, my hand was enormous in comparison to his size (and I have small hands!). He was so small that he couldn't walk and had just opened his eye for the first time. Since he was so young, I had to learn to feed him with a bottle, massage his belly o he could pee because he couldn't do that himself yet.
Over the weeks we taught him to feed himself, clean himself and now he is a gorgeous small and naughty white kitten. By the time he was ready to possibly find a new home, I couldn't let go because he'd come in so helpless and vulnerable and my heart was too attached to him. So now he is living with us despite the fact I always thought I didn't like cats! My three dogs love him and I have attached some evidence of their love to him.
Regards, Ariana
Dear Kaye & Brian - I am very interested in the competition, in this week’s segment, to win $1,000 worth of veterinary treatment considering my history with vet’s bills. I refer you to the segment you did in 2005 on me and Zachariah and the enormous amount I spent on his treatment throughout his 10 year life.
We now have Rudi a 4 year old English Setter who, thankfully so far, has been very healthy – a few minor ailments this year but nothing toooo expensive.
We have not taken out insurance with Rudi as our last experience left a nasty taste in our mouth i.e. we had to pay the premium for 8 months after Zachariah had passed away, as we had chosen to pay monthly rather than annually and had claimed for his cancer treatment in that year.
Being a “senior” now and only working part time and with an invalid partner, $1,000 towards Rudi’s well being would be very welcome.
Kind regards - Betty - Sydney NSW
*** OUR THIRD $1,000.00 WINNING LETTER ***
Hi Pet Talk Radio - I usually don't enter many competitions but I thought, for the animals sake, that I should enter this one.
I am the Brisbane co-ordinator for Friends of the Hound, a non profit Greyhound rescue and adoption group. Our mission is to create public awareness of the Greyhound as a gentle, affectionate dog and excellent family pet and we advocate the ADOPTION NOT DESTRUCTION motto. Through a program of promotion and education, we aim to dispel the widespread public misconceptions about this breed and provide permanent loving homes for as many Greyhounds as possible.
Greyhounds are not just race dogs, they do make great pets, and we hope that owning a Greyhound or ex-racer as a pet will become as popular in Australia as it is overseas in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom.
The Friends of the Hound Greyhound Adoption Group is volunteer-based and not-for-profit, relying solely on fundraising and donations, the generosity of our local community and the efforts of our members, to achieve our aims. All dogs re-homed through Friends of the Hound are desexed, vaccinated and microchipped and sold with collars, coats and muzzles.
As you can appreciate, a shortage of both time and funds plague most voluntary organisations, and it is a credit to everyone involved in Friends of the Hound that so much is actually achieved. However, we need more volunteers, particularly foster carers, who play a very important role in the greyhound adoption process by providing a temporary home for the dogs until they are adopted out into their new homes.
There are thousands upon thousands of Greyhounds bred for the sport of racing in Australia every year, and every year thousands of these dogs are destroyed at a young age as a negative consequence of this industry. It’s the quick or the dead. I think it is astonishing that, in our society which generally places a high value on companion animals, one of the world’s most popular species is exploited and destroyed in such vast numbers, for the ‘sport’ of racing, and incredibly, for the sake of gambling.
So what could we use $1000 in credit at a vet clinic?
$1000 would pay for either:
10 desexing operations
40 heartworm tests
33 vaccinations
10 "scale and clean" dental procedures
125 intestinal worming tablets
75 flea treatment applications
40 microchip implants
Or to look at it another way, $1000 would SAVE 5 beautiful dog's lives and pay for all their vet work prior to adoption.
We have around 16 dogs waiting currently to come into our rehoming program. All it takes is for one accident at foster carer's house to wipe us out of our funds completely, where we will have to turn away waiting dogs with uncertain fates. Being a charity we rely on the kindness and generosity of the community at large.
Please consider our group in choosing your winner for the CareCredit prize.
Our wonderful vets are Meridie at Tweed Coast Vets Cabarita and Susan at Anvet Kedron in Brisbane .
Thanking you, Carly www.friendsofthehound.org.au
*** OUR FIRST $1,000.00 WINNING LETTER ***
There is a little Shepherd boy, that with only 6 1/2 months old, already had to endure more then most dogs in a life time:
Ki was born by caesarian section. The owners of his mother decided that they did not want the puppies and wanted them put asleep. But 2 caring Vet Nurses decided to keep the puppies and bring them up by themselves. All four puppies found new owners. So far so good. But after a few months, Ki's owners noticed that Ki was blind. He has cataracts. So they decided not to keep him.
The next owner decided that they also could not keep Ki. Ki is a lovely Puppy and deserves better! So a group of us have started to collect money for Ki, for the eye operation.
It will cost $2,600.-, money we don't have. I am not sure, how much money is collected at this moment, but it is only a few hundred dollars. I I found a dedicated man, that is willing (hopefully) to give Ki a "forever" home. He is a lovely man and has already proven himself with one of my resue dogs. And that dog had the best home ever, since he was used to be on a chain 24/7, totally matted, flea ridden (it took 5 hours to clean him up), very skinny and SCARED. But Jim has turned his life around. Ki slept in his master's bed room, had air-conditioning, he went with him to work everyday, he had only natural, fresh, human grade quality food and all the veterinary attention he needed.
That dog was the apple of Jims eyes and heart. I I know that Ki and Jim would bond the same way. All we need is a little bit of money to make it hopefully a happy ending for Ki. BUT HE NEEDS TO LOOK AT HIS SAVIOURS! Specially since he is only that young! Don't you agree??
We are CROSSING FINGERS AND PAWS. Thank you so much for the competition, I like it very much and I am sure, whomever you give the money to will need it too.
Bea in Red Hill - VIC
I don't mind if you publish my name, Ki might get some more supporters? Now we need a lot of luck and goodwill from people, to donate some money to make Ki's little life whole again.
Hi I'm writing to enter your competition. I'm unemployed and a few weeks ago my horse became very ill, requiring 3 vet visits in 2 days, and racking up nearly $700 in bills, to add to my already substantial account with my very understanding and patient vet.
Two hours ago, this lovely man came round to my house to euthanise my 15 year old cat, who was dying of kidney failure. He never once brought up the fact that I owe him almost a thousand dollars, and gently reassured and comforted me during this difficult procedure. I would dearly love to be able to hand him the full amount owing all in one go, instead of taking months to pay it off!
Regards, and thanks for the opportunity to enter the competition, Ann
Hello my name is Jean - I have two dogs 1 Monty a German Shepherd cross who is 13 years old ( human years), very faithful & a good guard dog. I love him very much.
Unfortunately he has not got a lot of life left, he is in a lot of pain at the moment with arthritis, which is common I know in those type of dogs but it is very sad to see. Monty requires to see a vet every fortnight for injections & special food which is very costly. I will do anything to keep Monty for as long as I can & with little pain as possible.
Now for dog 2 Wombat - a Terrier cross. She is 6 years old (human years) very active & a very funny personality everything she does you just can't help but laugh. Both dogs get along really good. I know sooner or later things will change when Monty has to be put down, which is life I suppose nothing can live for ever.
If I am lucky, the $1000 would be greatly appreciated .
Thank you for your time - Jean, Monty & Wombat
Even though I have 4 dogs of my own, I think our homeless pets deserve the money to help pay their vet bills.
I can always get the CareCredit loan from GE, now that I know about it! If I win the money I would give it straight to my favourite rescue people, Mina & Anthony from Staffy Rescue www.staffyrescue.org.au
Look forward to receiving the winning money! Thanks, Sue - Coogee NSW
Hello, I believe that I should win this because I love my dog as I would my child.
I am on a Disability Pension and due to this last year I had to choose the "cheapest" vet quote to de-sex my beautiful 7 year old Obedience Trained male Rottweiler.
Two days later he was dead. I suppose you get what you pay for.
My wonderful son knew just how much I was shattered and how much I loved and missed my boy. He went ahead and bought a female Rottweiler for me to try to help me deal with my grief of losing "Damela" while dealing with the grief of losing my Dad just three weeks before that.
So, now I am just building that bond with "Sheila", it took some time to "love" her. She was born naturally without a tail ( I have won a $20 bet with my new vet, but I didn't accept the money, we just laughed.) but does have two front due claws which she keeps hurting as she is a great agile dog.
I would like to get her dew claws removed, for her benefit, but as I said I am on the Disability Pension and cannot afford to get them done.
The new vet I choose is The Animal Welfare League Veterinary Hospital and I care for animals that need temporary care to help them. I plan on doing Agility with "Sheila" but until the dew claws are done, this is not possible.
I do deserve to win this prize, due to the love of animals and my financial situation. >> >> Thank You, >> Debi - QLD
*** OUR SECOND $1,000.00 WINNING LETTER ***
 My pet Lily is adorable - she was "rescued" from a pet store two years ago for the sum of $900 dollars.
She had been in the store for weeks and was so cute it tore my heart apart to see her not homed. I think it didn't take too much for people to realise that Lily would be a high maintenance pet. Mum has estimated that she has spent over $3000 on Lily since taking her into our home.
Lily has on-going allergies and sensitivities and has a crooked eye, crooked nose and mouth but to us she is perfection. I would LOVE to repay my mother a little of this money. ..in appreciation for all that she has done for Lil ... she really has spared no expense in caring for her and deserves a reward...
By the way Lily's nick name is Princess Marshmallow!
Many thanks - Robyn - Sydney NSW
For the past 7 years I have been actively involved in sight hound rescue. Over this time I have assisted in rehoming numerous Salukis and a couple of Afghan hounds into loving permanent homes. Although I am a member of the Saluki Club of Victoria this has always been a private venture and privately funded. Our hound family currently consists of two elderly Afghans, Star (rising 15 years) and her daughter Roxanne (almost 11). Their medications alone costs $50+ per month as they are both thyroid deficient and have been on Thyroxine since they came to us. Star also has acupuncture and injections for her arthritis. We also have three Salukis, Belle (aged 9), Sallyanne who is coming up to 7) and Bailey who has just turned 4. They are all much loved members of our family, and over the years they have been with us our vet bills have mounted into many $1000's. Of course there are also veterinary bills associated with the rescues we rehome, as they are all desexed and vaccinated before they go to their new homes. This would be such a huge help to us as we are not wealthy, but I do what I do for the love of canines and sight hounds in particular. Thank you for listening. Pam
Hello: What a wonderful idea I hope it does some good. Koolie rescue is in four states now, Victoria, Nsw, Qld and S.A. We continue to save Koolies on death row from pounds, shelters and from abusive homes. We are not a government supported shelter and do not receive any discounts when dealing with shelters, so each Koolie saved cost around $200 that's before air flights, vet bills and care time. Koolie rescue do not have a kill policy, the Koolies are welcomed in to our care and that of our kind and generous foster carers network around Australia , there is never enough fosters. Once in our care they are brought back to peek condition and assessed for their new homes. They are fed, wormed, inoculated, micro-chipped where Koolie rescue remains the second contact for life, desexed, housed in weather proof kennels, socialised with both visitors and other Koolies and given all the care and attention every Koolie looks for. Some Koolies arrive beaten and damaged by abusive owners who have failed to be touched by the generosity of Koolie love. Even those Koolie never loose their great potential for forgiveness and as they heal, we are always touched by their courage and beautiful souls, which make our never ending work so worth it. When we finally find the perfect home and a couple have taken up to two years, because their beauty is from within. We rehome them free, I know we are crazy but it's homes we are searching for not money, so you don't have to have a bucket load of cash just a good heart and the Koolies know and they do the choosing and yes we have had to knock back one or two, but we always suggest they try another breed and give them contact details so they don't go away empty handed. So winning any amount of cash for the Vet would make him very happy as he kindly does allow us to pay off our accounts and at times the accounts can be very high. Broken jaws, busted hips, tumors, broken ribs all cost to help mend. So we would love to be considered but we know there are more out there who are in real need and it would be nice if the government subsidised desexing programs where anyone could have their animal desexed for free, it must be less expensive than just euthanizing so many thousands a year. Mandatory micro-chipping is a wonderful start, free desexing days would be a great follow up. Thanks for your support always love getting you in my email.
Kerrie - Koolie Rescue Koolie Club of Australia
Dear Pet Radio My name is Lynn and I live at Forest Lake in Queensland ..
Last year I had to put my beloved Golden Retriever down. This was a gut wrenching decision as you can imagine. His name was Barney and was only 6 years old. His had a genetic metabolic disorder and with this was unable to exercise. In the end he just couldn't get up and walk.. I had no money to help him with vet bills as I am on a pension and money is always very tight. Not long after his death I was able to get another Golden Retriever.. who I have called Bailey. Bailey is a beautiful beautiful dog and loves life.. I would love to be able to take Bailey and do Pets for Therapy. Both him and I would love to bring some happiness to sick or old people. I would have to keep his annual injections up and any medical care he might need. To know that I had the money to do this would be fantastic. I also have another little dog called Ben, he is a silky cross and was my mother's. However she has since passed away and Ben came to live with me.. To be able to keep him in good health till he finally went to be with his mum would be wonderful. He is 9 years old and getting on in age. He has a lump on his chest which the vet said needed to out come.. but there is no way I can afford this.. I am just hoping that he isn't in any pain. I appreciate being given to opportunity to go into this competition.. just maybe I can be lucky. Love your programme.. Regards Lynn -Forest Lake - QLD
My little girl whom I bought from a so-called good breeder in Queensland .
We paid for a first class female suitable for showing etc. we got a poor little one who so far had 3 hernias and one leg already operated on for luxating patellas and breathing problems. This month she has to have the other leg done and her breathing is much worse. As I am an invalid we wanted another puppy that was well as hubby has enough to do with all our other girls/Have been in touch with the backyard breeder and she just ignores me. My little one seems too tiny for so much pain. We already have two anorexic cats(birman) AND TWO SHIHTZUS THAT HAVE MANY PROBLEMS.
Thanks - Penny - Tamworth
Hello, This is why I would like to enter this competition. Pebbles! When I had my little beagle and she was about 6 mths old, I run over her in my ute, with the front & then the back wheels.
I scooped her up, and drove her to my vet.
With a lot of tears, I left her in there care. The did ex rays, and tests. Bad news.
Her front leg was badly broke. I had to take her to Werribee, University of Melbourne , Veterinary Hospital
My boyfriend supported me, saying, It's only money, there's only one Pebbles. So we made the trip to Werribee. When we delivered her to the Vet, he said she not look too good.
He rang me, after some more tests, and said she has broken each side of her pelvis. (Ouch.) I could not afford to pay for her to have the front leg and her pelvis both fixed. The vet was lovely and said if I kept her quiet & looked after her, he could leave the pelvis operation and she would be ok. So I went ahead with the front leg. Poor Pebbles had 5 steel pins stuck into her little leg, and an Elizabeth collar on for weeks & weeks....
Several trips to the local vet for pain killers and antibiotics, and several trips to Werribee. And a long painful recovery. She is now bullet proof, or thinks she is. We compete in Agility, and she loves it. This cost me thousands of dollars. As soon as she was happy & healthy, I got her de-sexed, I did not want her to get accidentally in pup, as with her back injuries.
Pebbles did not like this idea. More pain. A little while after this she was attacked by a big dog. Had her toenail ripped out and a hole in her side, stitches in her side and foot wrapped up.
Poor Pebbles, she is very wary of the Vet clinic now. She goes in for yearly Vaccinations...and hope fully that it for awhile. As you see she has had a very eventful life and she is only 4yrs old.
I think she is the most expensive beagle in town! I love her and am glad I made the decision to keep her, even if she is the "Million Dollar Beagle." I'd like to enter this competition, so if there is any thing else pops up in Pebbles' life, or Annie, my mini-foxy, I can continue to look after them as I have done, and enjoy their company. They make me so happy.
Thank you, & hooroo. Julie, Pebbles & Annie. Deniliquin. NSW.
 Hi Kaye & Brian, I feel that I would benefit from winning the $1000 from GE because my bill is almost $2000 as it is and its because I take in and care for animals in need.
Recently I was looking after an Alpaca cria, he had to have one of his legs amputated, he stayed with me for two weeks and had to be bottle fed. At the moment I have a little kitten, about 6 or 7 weeks old, who I ended up with because of the recent floods, he was out in all of that rain!
He came into my vet and needed someone to look after him and rehabilitate him, he was in a terrible state. I also have a 3 legged dog who was going to be put to sleep when she was born so I raised her and she stayed with me, she was born with a little stump that had to be removed. I have a deaf Cat who is my pet not a foster, I have a Chihuahua who's owner passed away, she is 11 years old and was going to be put to sleep.
I couldn't let that happen. As you can imagine, my vet bills do tend to climb so it would be wonderful to be able to pay some of them. I am a vet nurse and that's how I'm able to have the opportunity to be able to help these babies but at the moment the money just doesn't stretch far enough.
Thanks so much, your show is great!
Bear is a much loved family dog. His is a long way from being a pure bred but we do know he has got Mastiff and Staffy in him.
He is 3.5 years, 38 kg (not overweight) and has a temperament that endears him to everyone. He spent the first 15 months of his life being the centre of attention for our two boys (now 10 and 12). He played cricket. Best and fastest field person available however, there were times when his enthusiasm led him to grab the ball on its way to the bat!! Bears favorite place has always been the beach were he can surf with the kids, play beach cricket meet other dogs and people.
Unfortunately, Bear has only been to the beach once in twelve months. After suffering from intermittent lameness on his left hind leg for some months (at times completely sound and others sore for a couple of days and then ok) and many visits to our wonderful local vets ruling out hip problems we went to see a specialist at the University of Melbourne Veterinary Hospital.We were told (by the most delightful surgeon, don’t know if I can mention names) that Bear’s problem was his cruciate ligament.
Because of Bear’s young age the more expensive Tibial Wedge Osteotomy was decided on at a cost of $3,300.00.Bear recovered well from the operation and started the 13 weeks of rehabilitation. This involved 6 weeks of just going outside for toilet breaks on a lead and then back to house arrest. Approximately half way through this rehabilitation period Bear’s other cruciate ligament went .
Back to the University (and the nice surgeon) for the same operation on the other leg and another $3,300.00 account. After the 13 weeks of rehabilitation the second time we finally had our dog back.
Back to his happy playful self; playing cricket, surfing, playing in water troughs and being one of the “boys”. For two weeks. Bear has now looking at surgery again to address the menisci tear he has in both back legs. The chances of getting a menisci tear in one leg are approximately 10%. The surgeon has never heard of it happening in both legs. BUT we cannot do the surgery to relieve his latest problem until such time as we have got him off the corticosteroids he is on to control his frantic itch.
We think we have narrowed this down to a food allergy so now have a dry food only diet that costs $111.00 per 15kg bag. With a 38 kg dog that is not going to last too long.I stopped adding up the amount we had spent when it got to $8,300.00 for the first set of operations and expenses relating to. Our account just with the local vet just for May is over $600.00. Each operation to remove damaged menisci is going to cost $1,100.00 - $1,200.00.
Any assistance we could receive to assist to pay for Bear’s next lot of surgeries would be wonderful, thank you for this opportunity.
Yours sincerely Tracey
Hi let me introduce Tilly.
Tilly is a 10mth old spoodle that more resembles a spaniel than spoodle. My little girl thinks she is a palomino horse and does not run like your typical dog but prances like a show pony. Tilly also has a secret. A secret that even our vet cannot quite understand.
In the past 3 months Tilly has had sudden paralysis in her front leg and stiffness in her neck. She has responded quickly to pain relief, anti-inflammatory and cortisone treatments.
We suspect spinal nerve damage or a malformation in the T1 and T2 vertebrae. Diagnosis can only be made with an MRI and spinal fluid testing. To find a cause will not automatically lead to a cure. We also suspect there maybe no cure.
So in between episodes I have modified her lifestyle. She walks now in a harness lead, no jumping up or down and running sprints and chasing are certainly no longer in her list of activities. This is hard for her as we have another spoodle who is the exact opposite of Tilly. Diesel is a 9mth old boy that has one speed, flat out. He and Tilly are inseparable.
Tilly doesn't understand why she is in pain, neither do I. Tilly is now a spectator in the doggy arena and sadly sits out on all the fun with her friends. Acupuncture allows the episodes to be more infrequent however I think this is her life and we just accommodate for her "special needs".
She is even more treasured in our life than ever before. GT
Hi Brian and Kaye Just in case you don't remember us, we met at Dogs Day Out at Leichhardt when we were trying to raise money to assist us in paying our vet bills.
I also entered my foster failure Skoota in the Pet of the year competition but missed out so I thought. I would try again and take this opportunity to help our group Paws 'n' Hooves.
We are a group of dedicated carer's that help rescue unwanted animals from death row from the pounds. We also have people that want to surrender their pets when they can't care for them any longer due to circumstances changiing or because they just don't want them after they are past the cute puppy years. We do try to take them in if there is room so they don't get the diseases they can pick up in the pound.
I will just fill you in a little on what we do. Firstly when we pick up a rescue they are taken to the vet for a examination and given a C3 to a C5 depending on their age and are micro chipped.
After that, they are cared for as a family pet for about ten days to make sure they are healthy enough to undergo desexing. Once desexed they are then put on our site in the search of their forever loving home at the cost of $220 to $250 depending how many vaccinations the animals have received while in care. This price just covers the cost of their vet work unless they have had a severe illness or other vet visits for various things. In these cases, we never break even and in fact we can loose big time and that is why you have seen us out there trying to raise money to keep Paws 'n' Hooves afloat.
We have tried several ways to raise money and by entering in this competition we thought it may give our carer's a deserved break from fundraising. Even though it may only be one day our members can spend a little more time taking care of all our furry friends. We know we still have to get out there and fundraise but if we had a helping hand of a thousand dollars we know that at least a few of our friends would be covered and we wouldn't have to worry as much.
We would like to also thank GE Money Care Credit for giving people the opportunity to have their pets cared for the way they deserve.
Kindest Regards Narelle
Hi, my name is Dianne and I am a foster carer for Paws 'n Hooves Animal Rescue as well as having my own animals.
At the moment out of all of my own dogs & cats I have two special need dogs and one cat that is HIV positive, both dogs were from rescue and the cat was a stray, but for different reasons they ended up staying with me.
The main one is Miss Diva, aka Missamoo, she had suffered horrible abuse with the original people that had her, including being thrown through a window, that was shut at the time I might add. I can’t tell you how much I have spent on treatment for her, it runs into thousands.
She has had both front elbows operated on to remove fractured pieces of bone but it wasn’t 100% successful. She is on continual pain management and will be for the rest of her life and she is only a bit over a year & a half old at the moment. I really want to try acupuncture for her to compliment the other medications and natural therapies that she is on and this is where the competition prize would be a lifesaver for her and me. I really hope you consider my missamoo for your competition, my vets are the best in Sydney I think and they continually let me pay them off but it would be wonderful to have that for her future treatment.
Thank you for your time and your great show. Dianne
Hi My name is Terry and I live at Cameron Park and my wife Claire and I would like to explain why we deserve the $1000 Vet credit for our one and only ROWDY.
Rowdy is a black & white English Cocker spaniel with the most laidback, loving nature you have ever seen. He is an essential part of our family and we would be devastated if we ever lost him. Rowdy is 7-1/2 years old and unfortunately has been a regular visitor to our favourite Vet Andrew at Cardiff . So regular in fact, that Andrew jokingly stated on our last visit that the new renovations (which included expanding into the shop next door) would be called the ROWDY CROOK WING because he has basically paid for it. Rowdy has had a colourful medical history which has cost us an arm and a leg, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
He has had eye and ear problems which has required ongoing treatment since he was a pup. Treatment has included operations (Cherry eye and a face lift) and the need for ongoing use of eye drops and ear ointment. He also suffered a bout of Pancriatitis a few years ago when we almost lost him. The result of that is an expensive new diet. He has a problem with his hip joints, they have popped out a few times, but Andrew has always managed to pop them back in. Rowdy needs to take Thyroxine for the rest of his life because of an under active thyroid condition that baffled the vet for a while and almost killed him.
He has had other issues (lumps that have been removed etc, etc, etc) but the joy he has bought into our lives has more than outweighed the cost of keeping him healthy. We estimate that Rowdy has cost us about $9,000 to $10,000 over his lifetime, so you can see why we would love to have $1000 credit for the future. Thank you for the opportunity to tell our story and keep up the good work on Pet Talk Radio.
We try to listen every week. Cheers, Terry & Claire
In the last three years, I have come to know ducks. I am now a duck owner and lover, and I'm glad to say that my former ignorance of these fantastic creatures has been rectified! As a family pet, they are intelligent, loving, and trainable!
Recently, I have started a duck rescue and sanctuary in my home town. It is basically to serve my whole region and it is a LEAP OF FAITH! As a pensioner, I have the time and energy, but not the money to pay for veterinary bills when they arise. So the reason I enter this contest, is for the times that I will need help for the injured birds that come in. I can't do this without community help, and I've had much help for the set up so far, but I need to press in for ongoing help with feed and vet bills.
RP DuckRescue_Domestics_Illawarra : Duck Rescue Illawarra Domestic & Injured
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57377247@N00/sets/72157594484652760/
Rhoni - Albion Park NSW 2527
My faithful German Shepherd, Jack, will be thirteen years old on 2nd July.
Jack has shared so much with me; in fact he has been there for me through thick and then, when there has been no-one else.
Jack was five months old when I bought him. He was the last puppy in the litter and his breeder told me that Jack was the ugliest puppy he had ever seen, when he was born. I remember the first time I saw him, he was sitting on his own with a ball in his mouth and a toy by his side, I loved him the moment I saw him. He hasn't changed; a toy is never far from where he is lying.
Jack has a floppy ear which people have often quizzed me about. One day a lady asked me if he was a 'cross-shepherd' and I told her, no, he’s a 'happy shepherd'. Jack and I don't care that his ear doesn't stand up.
When Jack was younger we entered obedience trials. He loved nothing more than being be my side and going through his paces. I was also a volunteer instructor at a local dog training club. Jack was my assistant. I’m sure he knew we were helping teach the other dogs and their owners. He was such a good role model and a gentle giant.
These days Jack can no longer hear, but if he is looking my way I can still communicate with him with hand signals. He loves his daily walks, however he no longer thunders past me like a galloping stallion. Instead he limps along, stopping here and there to sniff around the trees.
Today Jack dirtied in the car. He is losing control of his bowels and has diarrhea. I would like Jack to be able to receive veterinary treatment to help him with his arthritis, bowel trouble and any other problems he may encounter.
He deserves to be in as little pain as possible in his old age. Julie
I have two very special pets my dog Kayla and my ferret Spiro.
I love my pets very much and I play with them every morning and afternoon, I would love to know that I had some money put away just in case one of my pets got sick, when Spiro was only a baby he broke his leg and it cost lots of money to fix it, Mummy said I have to be very careful with him because she wouldn't be able to find that much money again. I worry about Spiro because he can only see out of one eye as he has a cataract.
My name is Christopher and I am nearly 9 years old.
My name is Ebony and I am entering this competition because I believe my family deserves to win this prize – I know it would surely help them and in turn help me too.
My new mum, dad and furry brothers and sisters are just the nicest and most loving family that a dog like me could ever wish for, and I would really like to be able to give something back to them. I am a black 8 year old greyhound and have now finally found peace and happiness and somewhere I can call home in my retirement years.
I used to be a racer back in my youth and was quite good (if I don’t say so myself) but gosh it was a tough and challenging time in my life. I had a litter of pups when I was getting beyond my racing years and then to my disbelief I was surrendered to a pound because I was not wanted anymore. When I was on death row, with only hours to spare, my new family rescued me and took me into their home. I now live with 3 whippets and 1 cat and my mum and dad. It took a little time to adjust to my new surroundings because I could not believe how good it could be, I still wonder why people would want to own an old spinster like me! My tail wags constantly because I am so happy to be here and thankful that I was lucky enough to be granted my dream.
My mum and dad have been so unselfish, giving me everything I need. I have had to put on some weight as I was very skinny when I first arrived - I get fed the best food around! Yum. I also had to get desexed and have my teeth cleaned. It feels like I am always going to the vet, which I don’t mind at all but mum and dad must be paying a lot for all this to happen to me. Aren’t I lucky!!
So you can see from my story why it would be grand if I could win this prize for my family. My family are very special and I guess I must be too.
Paws and licks, EBONY
Hi Pet Talk Radio - I don't think that I need the credit card as I have been lucky enough to be able to afford all the vet bills for my 4 cats and 2 dogs.
What I was going to suggest is that the $1,000 should be given to my local Vet ( Parap Veterinary Hospital ) for them to use to pay for vet bills relating to either stray animals or for animals where their owners cannot afford the treatment.
In the past I have seen requests for donations towards the vet costs of animals where the owners couldn't afford it - one that I helped with was in relation to a cat that was shot - and this has highlighted to me the need that some people have.
I'm sure there are many people (old age pensioners for example) who may have elderly animals with high vet bills and the pensioners cannot afford to pay for the treatment. This is a heartrending decision for the pensioners as they have to make a choice between treatment that they cannot afford and the life (or comfort) of their ageing furry friends.
So I would like to submit that the $1,000 be given to the Parap Veterinary Hospital for charitable purposes.
I know that this particular veterinary hospital help many people and animals in need and that they would use the money wisely.
Sue
Hi, we have a poodle who has had a lot of problems associated with his liver which has already cost us a helluva lot of money with no guarantee that he won't have more.
He is certainly worth what it has cost so far, but it would be a great help if we could win some of this CareCredit for the future. We also have a min. longhaired Dachshund who is on lifetime medication for epilepsy and has to have a blood test every 6 months.
Thanks for reading this. Regards, Valerie - NSW
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our life whole.
It's always difficult to ask for help but sometimes one has to. Owning a cat or dog nowadays is expensive, we all know that and hope that the pleasure they bring to our lives more than compensates us for the expense. Unfortunately sometimes the problems arise close together and with other bills also falling due at the same time things can get a little tight. Win or lose our animals are important and will always be there to cheer us up at the end. Keep up the good work, love the show, Cheers Alex - Alice Springs
Hello My pets deserve the $1000.00 vet care credit because they are extra special to me.
You never know when something un-forseen will happen to them. We live on a farm dogs could be bitten by a snake or kicked by a cow. Or the cow could come down with milk fever, the horse with colic. It would be nice to know I had money in the bank for to cover their vet expenses should any arise. Just to have the money there knowing you could draw on it if my pets ever needed it urgently would give me peace of mind.
Thanks Debbie
This is my story on Flynn as to why I should win money towards my vet bill. I own a Swedish vallhund ( Sweden 's Cattle dog).
There are only approximately 350 in Australia . Flynn got hit by a motor vehicle and received a broken pelvis in 5 places as well as a degloved leg. The vet had never seen a dog walk as well as him after receiving such horrific injuries.
Flynn was in the vet hospital for a week and $2000 later. So winning some money for his follow up care would help a great deal. Flynn was at the vet twice a week for dressing changes. Will never do agility again or lure coursing.
But he is loveable and does obedience. Louise - QLD
Dear Pet Talk Radio. We would like to enter the GE Money CareCredit Competition.
Our Kimbah has been pretty ill since the age of 2. He is now 8 years old & has spent a large part of his time at the Animal Referral Hospital Strathfield, Sydney.
Kimbah was initially diagnosed with Lymphoma and a course of chemotherapy was given. He has since returned for regular checkups over the years in which Kimbah was having a pretty good healthy life.
Approx two years ago Kimbah was diagnosed with SARDS (Sudden Acute Retina Deficiency Syndrome) which several tests later proved Kimbah was now blind. Unfortunately in January this year he started to fall over for no apparent reason. Animal Referral Hospital saw Kimbah again & this time he was diagnosed with Haemolytic Anaemia.
Kimbah started many medications and a series of regular blood tests. One of the medications for Kimbah was a steroid, prednisone. This caused Kimbah to run around the house very fast & unfortunately he ran into a sharp object ( we are not sure exactly what) and burst his eye ball. Again we return to the Animal Referral Hospital to be operated on by an eye surgeon and Kimbah required an anaesthetic for this and several days in hospital.
Kimbah now has one eye but still has a beautiful personality. We don't really see Kimbah's exterior. He is still the beautiful little dog we have always loved.
Since January this year we are visiting the Animal Hospital regularly having his bloods monitored & medications adjusted. We are guided by our specialist vet 'Nigel' what is best for Kimbah & he always guides us what is best for our little man. Recently Kimbah stopped eating.
More tests later Abdo X.Ray & Abdo Ultrasound showed Kimbah now has Pancreatitis. However we are pleased to say he is eating much better and starting to grow some of his lovely Maltese Terrier coat back. As of January we had spent $17,000 on our Kimbah.
Kimbah's eye operation cost about $4,000 also in January Some recent medications bought for kimbah cost $100 for x5 tablets alone. The medications Kimbah is on is not subsidised by the Government. Humans would get these medications much cheaper if prescribed by there local GP. We love our little Kimbah. He has brought us more joy than you could imagine! My partner & I often discuss how some people buy large screen TV’s, go overseas for their holidays. We just want to give our Kimbah the best life possible and know we did our best for him.
However as of late many bills have started to come in and a few of our visits to the Animal Hospital have had to go on credit.
We are starting to fall behind. If we could be considered for a small prize in this competition we would be so grateful as would our little 'Kimbah'.
Kind Regards Sharon & Kimbah.
My daughter rescued a stray cat in Singapore which had been kicked or hit across the face.
She paid high vet fees to have her taken care of, and the kitten (Serena, a beautiful black kitten with green eyes), survived, but was left with a hole in her nose. This becomes infected periodically and needs constant care and attention, including vet care.
Serena was flown to Australia , then across Australia (at great expense), because my daughter had taken personal responsibility for her and couldn't bear to leave her behind. The cat also spent a month in quarantine - also expensive.
To assist with the continuing vet fees, it would be great if my daughter could win one of the credit care prizes. She loves animals and also fostered two tiny abandoned kittens and found them a good home.
She works to raise money for the RSPCA and recently raised over a $1,000 for the RSPCA. Regards Joy
I would like to nominate my daughter Naomi for a $1000 Care Credit prize.
She has always had cats after her aged cat died from cancer last year she was heart broken but wanted to rescue another one, she & her partner found an adult one at the RSPCA & while collecting her saw another one which no one wanted as her entire rear half inc tail & legs had been shaved because of injuries from a car crash which she was still recovering from, Naomi instantly wanted this little cat also.
The fur has re-grown & she is a lovely little cat needing physiotherapy for her injuries & has a pin in her leg. As you can imagine her vet bills have been very high & with anticipated arthritis of the injured one will continue to be so.
Naomi has such a passion for animals & would like to take them all home I feel she is a worthy entrant for this competition. Regards Noreen
I always enjoy reading/listening to you programme. I thought this story may be of interest to you. Please enter me in the $1000.00 GE Carecredit Competition.
Not only have I had this huge bill. I have 2 other dogs & 3 cats & all have to have annual injections & regular flea treatment. I also feed them all Eukanuba.
On Friday 10th February 2006 I called to Bonnie to come inside.
She just stood looking at me. I picked her up & noticed she was very wet around her face & she had some black bits on her ( later to discover it was snake skin) I took her to the bathroom, where I discovered she could not walk, her pads were very cold & the inside of her mouth was bright red.
She kept wiping her face with her paws. I sat with her all night. I was awoken to the sound of Bonnie being sick at 7.10 am. I went outside to see if I could find what had made her so sick.
To my horror there was a Red Bellied Black Snake dead in her kennel. I gathered up the snake put it in a bag & into the boot of the car wrapped Bonnie in a towel & rushed to the Vet. On arrival I said Bonnie had been bitten by a snake the Vet wasted no time in getting to work on her. She was put on a drip, given a needle for pain & had some blood extracted. I was told she had a 60% to 40% chance of survival. In the next few weeks she had 3 bald patches appear this was where the snake had struck.
Bonnie was in hospital for 6 days, after lots of rest & love she has made a full recovery & is worth every cent of the very large bill.
Bonnie is a Bichon Frise & is now 13 years old.Yours faithfully Noelle - St Marys NSW
PS. I do have the snake in a jar.
 Dear Brian and Kaye, I hummed and haa'ed about entering your competition to have my vet bill paid, but then in the end I decided that "You've got to be in it to win it," so here goes nothing.
I have an Australian silky Terrier named Harry, and it is that time of year for his vaccinations, and, because I just get by from fortnight to fortnight on my Disability Support Pension, I have to pay my Vet Bill off in a couple of installments.
I would also love to get Harry's hair and nails trimmed, but that has to wait for the time being, until I have the spare money for it. I have been going to the same vet with my pets for nearly ten years, and they are very understanding of my financial situation, and help me out whenever possible.
After talking with my Vet Nurse, Lyn, she agreed with me that it would be great if I could get lucky enough to win, and so I am appealing to your generosity, with the help of GE Money CareCredit, to come to my, and Harry's, aid. I have attached a picture of Harry, waiting for some good news in our quest to win the competition.
Waiting with bated breath, I will sign off. Kind regards, Colleen.
I have been looking after my son Andrews Dingo Chambers since the 22nd of December.
Andrew couldn’t find work as a glazier here in the Hunter and when the storm hit Armidale he went to help out with repairs to storm damage and was offered a full time job. Andrew can't have Chambers in Armidale as he is in rented premises and Chambers is no ordinary dog...he needs special fencing!!
Chambers has been living in Andrews back yard all this time and I have been going down at 6am each day and around 6pm each evening to take Chambers for a long walk, feed him and spend some time with him. I currently spend at least 2 hours each morning and evening with him. If Chambers could live with me I could spend more time with him and less time away from home. Chambers hates me leaving him, he is very lonely.
Now Andrews house has to be sold as he is having difficulty keeping up the repayments on the house and also paying rent in Armidale. He has tried to get a job down here but nothing! so he has to stay there and work.
WE only have two choices, one is to move Chambers to my house or give him away to someone that could look after a dingo (not easy). I don’t even want to consider the third option.
I am hoping to win $1000 so I can erect a decent fence at my place to keep him safe. I could put him on a runner but he would end up being bait for the other dogs in the neighbourhood as we have no fence (and cant afford one). I don’t want to give him away as we have had him since he was 3 weeks old and he has really bonded with our family and is really scared of strangers (even the vet!).
We love Chambers and have spent a lot of time and effort turning him into a loyal and loving dog. We don’t want to lose him.
I really hope you consider this to be worthy of the prize. Regards Helen - North Rothbury NSW
I would love to win the $1,000 GE Money Care Credit
After our two 9 month old kittens Toki and Honey Pot were chased onto the road by a neighbours bullying cat Toki and Honey Pot were both hit by a car ,Honey Pot was killed and Toki was rushed to the vet , I was informed that Toki had to have his right rear left amputated. All of this happening on Boxing day! As you can imagine this was not a cheap procedure and I was wondering how to get the money to pay for toki operation. But my Vet was very generous and let me run an account so I could pay per week.
After Toki coming home ( less 1 leg) One of my dogs became very ill and had to have skin biopsy and then go on medication for an indefinite period of time, again my vet was very happy for me to pay weekly. Unfortunately my dog passed away 2 months ago and I had just paid the Vet bill in full.
The last week poor Toki was once again bullied by the neighbours cat, which resulted in a fight with Toki being injured. He developed an abases in his joint of his front left and had to have 2 drains placed in his paw for 5 days! So now my Vet bill is up again and I am still paying weekly. My aim is to not owe any money to my Vet!!!! and to actually get in front for a change.
Yours Sincerely - Paulene - Home Is Where The Dog Hair Sticks To Everything
Hi - I wish to enter the competition for payment of vet bills. I have two stories which I would be very grateful of your assistance with.
3 weeks ago I lost my beautiful Maltese/Poodle Monty quite suddenly. I left a healthy dog at home that morning and when I returned later in the afternoon he had passed away.
I took him to the vet where they did an initial examination. I than requested a autopsy be done. The vet phoned me the next day and said he could not see anything that could of killed him so suddenly. He had a lot of blood coming out of his nose. The vet did not go into his brain so I am just assuming that it was some kind of brain haemorrhage.
The vet organised to have Monty taken away to be cremated. Now I am trying to save the money so I can get Monty's ashes back home where he belongs. All up the vet bill comes to $300.00.
I adopted Monty from the RSPCA 5 years ago. It was the best thing I ever did. He gave me so much love and happiness.
My 2nd story has to do with my dog Jedda or as I like to call her the "Wacky Widdler"
I adopted Jedda from the RSPCA about 2 weeks before Monty passed away. Jedda has a weeing problem. She wees all the time. I am cleaning up after her everyday. It appears that she can't seem to help it. She will wee from excitement, from being scared, or she will just wee for the hell of it. I have found quite a few little wet patches on my carpet. I have had to cancel two vet appointments due to money running tight. I am also scared that she may have to have further tests and this would lead to more expenses. I can't keep her outside as she is an indoor dog and would be miserable if I left her outside. I would love to have this problem sorted out for her (and me). She is approx 2 years old and the RSPCA had her listed as an Australian Terrier.
Thank you for your informative radio show. I enjoy listening!! Lyndal - Cameron Park NSW
 Hi there, My dear old dog Okii an 11 1/2 year old Akita has spent quite a bit of time over the years at the vet, and as he is ageing rapidly we are spending more time there!
We have had Okii since he was a beautiful cuddly ball of fluff of 8 weeks old. We first noticed he was getting hot spots when he was about 18mths old. Turns out he had allergies to almost everything green! Trees, grass, bushes, shrubs. You name it, he was allergic. Poor thing!
We spent years desensitising him with injections and cortisone daily then weekly, then monthly then on demand. He accepted his injections and tablets without complaint like the true trooper he has always been!
Okii has been a beautiful and loyal companion and family member, he is gentle and has a beautiful attitude to life, so in November 2005 when he was struck down with gastric torsion it was an easy decision for us to make to spend $3000 on fixing him! He recovered quickly, but since his surgery to correct his gastric torsion he has aged dramatically.
 He developed after this a skin condition called Sebaceous Adenitis which causes discomfort and hair loss. He has a bit of moth eaten look about him nowadays! To relieve the symptoms we have to bathe him regularly and spray his coat with Glyceron. There's not much else we can do for him unfortunately.
Now, that he's old, he's also lost much of his control of his bowel, so we often have to clean up the little "nuggets" he leaves for us on his bed over night. And there's the occasional we patch too. Dear old thing, he can’t help it so we just clean him up!
We are giving him some medication now that’s supposed to help geriatric dogs. I guess it has helped to a degree but it probably can’t do much for him, he's just really old.
You know what though, I will spend every spare cent I have if necessary to make his last days, weeks or months with us happy and comfortable because he deserves every bit of love, affection and support we can give him as we can never repay him for what he has given us over the years.
My best friend Okii, could really do with $1000 to spend at his vet!!
All the best, love your show! Sonja - Beaconsfield WA
My Entry is the following, hope it is not too late as I have been away over the weekend and I have just received this email now at 4.20pm Sunday 14th July 2007.
I would like to win the $1000 for my daughter. She has a beautiful Siberian Husky dog named Kanook who is now 2 years old. My daughter Sara bought him for herself for her 18th Birthday (she has just turned 20). Apart from a few puppy "teething" problems he has been the perfect pet. He has the best personality and nature I have ever known in an animal. He is very gentle and so obedient and can be quite a cheeky character at times.
What my daughter didn't realise at the time of purchasing Kanook was that they do have a few weaknesses healthwise and can be a little time consuming in their overall maintenance having to be walked and brushed regularly etc.
However she did have a bit of bad luck not long after she got him. Unbeknown to us the house that we had just moved into at the time was in a tick infested area (we have since moved) and as a result of that she almost lost him due to paralysis ticks, many of them and, it wasn't until he almost died, that we realised the area had a problem. As a result of the "tick incident" he had to be rushed to the vet's emergency care and was hospitalised for a week which resulted in a lot of emotional stress for her and a very heavy bill for the expenses. When he recovered from that she had him de-sexed, which had been recommended by the breeder to keep him controllable, and as a result of that she almost lost him again. He handled the operation well but apparently while he had recovered and the vet gave him the all clear to have this operation, his kidneys were still a bit weak from all the tick treatment so he almost died from kidney failure. To prevent this he had an extensive stay in the vet's with another "expensive and extensive" bill to go with it.
He is all fine now and fully recovered from this ordeal but for Sara, she is still trying to get in front financially as a result of the setback these events caused. She works very long hours but a lot of her income has been spent on unexpected vet costs and also having him groomed professionally when her time does not allow. I think if she was to win this money it would just help boost her funds to maintain the ongoing costs for Kanook as I am sure there will be a "next time" of some description, it is just a matter of when.
Hoping this entry has some consideration.
Many Thanks - Chris (mother)
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