This is Jelly, who came to NSAL from the latest puppy mill rescue. Jelly is an extremely sweet, loving little boy, an older miniature poodle. However, his teeth were so badly neglected that his jaw was broken in two places. Despite his fractures, Jelly still managed to give kisses. He and another dog that also had a fractured jaw had to be referred to a veterinary dentist because they were unable to care for him here at NSALA with their current equipment. The discounted cost of the referral was approximately $5,000 which had to come from our general operating budget.
Dental care is essential for the health of the animals. Dental disease can lead to bone fractures, systemic infection, cardiac disease, as well as gingivitis which is very painful. NSAL frequently rescue dogs and cats with dental problems. Many of the older dogs and cats we rescue have been neglected their entire lives, never having seen a veterinarian.
In addition to treating the homeless pets in our care, the Pet Health Center offers affordable care for people on fixed incomes or undergoing financial hardship. However, if a pet comes in with advanced dental disease, we are unable to care for it because we do not have the facilities to do so. The pet has to be referred to a specialist, which many people cannot afford. Sadly, their beloved pet pays the price.
The NSAL is currently not equipped for anything other than routine cleanings. If they were able to create a Dental Suite in their existing space, they would eliminate the need to pay for outside dental work for animals in our care, using those savings to support more animals. In addition, they would be able to serve the general public by providing pet dental care. This has the two-fold benefit of not only saving the health of pets owned by people who could not otherwise afford this care, but also, through the fees collected for this work, subsidizing their life-saving mission.
It will cost $113,580.00 to fully build and equip a state-of-the-art dental suite that will allow the NSAL to give rescued animals the care they deserve and to serve the dental needs of the public on a cost effective basis. The NSAL has one generous donor who has pledged $30,000, so we are more than a fourth of the way there!
