ACT—Animal Care Trust

25/08/2024

JUST RESCUED: We got a call 90 minutes ago about a stray dog left lying at the side of the road after being hit by a truck. Her name is Little Tiger. We’ve already got her and are now waiting for the 24-hour vet to open. Donations for Little Tiger’s medical expenses are much needed and greatly appreciated: https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/donate-now/

23/08/2024

A kind passerby spotted this young stray dog with a terrible injury to his tail. It seems to have been cut off, and bone is now protruding from the stump. He lives with his mum and brother just outside Taipei City in a car park that's currently under construction. We of course agreed to go and get the poor dog the urgent medical help he so desperately needs and deserves.

When we arrived at the spot, we noticed that he's also a little lame in his back legs. Thankfully, it was a fairly quick and easy rescue and Topov, as we've named him, is now being treated at one of our vets. We hope we'll soon know more abut what might have caused his injuries.

ACT is currently in the middle of building a new dog sanctuary and searching for land for another, as the local government is tearing down one of our sites and another now has landlord problems that mean we cannot afford to stay. But we are still rescuing animals in desperate need like Topov here. How could we not? But we need your help to continue this vital service to the oft-forgotten animals.

Would you have it in your heart to help a suffering stray in Taiwan? We can only rescue, treat, and provide safe sanctuary to dogs like this poor boy if kind people like you stand in their corner. Please consider becoming an ACT donor today.

https://AnimalCareTrust.org.uk/donate-now/

Thank you for any kindness at all. We’ll let you know when Topov is out of the hospital. We're now heading out to the next stray in urgent need of rescue.

17/08/2024

17/08/2024

We’re Ready!

The safety net is ready if needed. Now just waiting for the rescuers above to secure themselves so they can climb down to save Mantou. They have a very difficult and dangerous job to do, so we’re giving them all the time they need.

17/08/2024

She’s still stuck up there. The other rescuer, Henry, is climbing down from above her. We’re below her with a 16-meter-wide net in case she falls. Lots of kind people have come to help save her. Wish us all luck! 🤞🏻🐆

17/08/2024

We’re at the location where the dog is stuck on the side of a cliff. We’re going to fly our drone to see if we can get a better understanding of her situation.

16/08/2024

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16/08/2024

Some kind hikers heard a dog barking from the side of a cliff. They’ve tried climbing down to the dog but couldn’t get close and the dog got spooked and went down a little further.

We’ve alerted another rescuer who is closer than us. And we’re working together to see if we should also head down. It’s in the middle of the island, and about three or four hours away. The problem is, is now starting to get dark.

15/08/2024

We got a message about a very thin, weak, sick stray dog in New Taipei City, and headed out there yesterday to find her. Because of her condition, she doesn't wander very far and we were able to locate her very quickly with the help of a lady who feeds her.

She ambled across the road, and it was clear that she had seen better days. Apart from her painfully thin frame, she was also wheezing and coughing, and was clearly in distress.

We guessed she wouldn't have a great appetite, so baiting a humane trap wouldn't work. So we used our big dog net to catch her as gently as we could. She barely struggled. It was a quick rescue and we were able to get her to a 24-hour vet in Taipei in no time.

We've named her Ethel.

ACT rescues about 150 badly injured or very sick animals every year. How could we not? They all deserve to be helped. And it's only because of the kindness of strangers that sick strays like Ethel can get the veterinary help they so desperately need, followed by a safe, loving home at one of our three sanctuaries on the north coast of the island.

You can change the life of a Taiwan stray today.

Would you have it in your heart to help a suffering stray in Taiwan? We can only rescue, treat, and provide safe sanctuary to dogs like this poor girl if kind people like you stand in their corner. Please consider becoming an ACT donor today.

https://AnimalCareTrust.org.uk/donate-now/

Thank you for any kindness at all.

We'll post updates about Ethel very soon.

09/08/2024

We rescued this sick stray cat in Taipei City yesterday. His name is Meow-Meow and he's currently being cared for at our cat house while we wait to find out the results of lab tests.

ACT rescues around 150 very sick or badly injured stray and wild animals throughout Taiwan. We can only help cats like Meow-Meow with your kindness. If you like to see suffering strays have the best chance possible of having their life transformed, become an ACT donor today.

https://AnimalCareTrust.org.uk/donate-now/

Updates on Meow-Meow very soon (but he is already eating better!).

28/07/2024

JJ has just finished a gruelling 16-hour swim to cover 35.4 kilometres—more than enough to cross the English Channel! We grabbed a quick word before letting him go home for a really good night’s sleep. He was really happy to know how much money has been raised. If you want to really make him smile when he wakes up in the morning, please feel free to help pay Skye’s vet bill: https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/Well done, JJ! 👏🏻🏊‍♂️🐕‍🦺

28/07/2024

It’s 8:30 PM now, and JJ has been swimming for over 14 hours, with still another 90 minutes to go. It’s a really incredible achievement!

And the fundraising is now at £1,150— that’s really gonna go a long way to paying off Skye’s life-saving vet bill. 

I’m gonna stay here until the pool closes at 10 pm and JJ’s swim finishes. Hopefully, I can get a few words out of him if he’s not too out of breath.

To support JJ in his amazing ‘English Channel swim’ for Skye’s vet bill:

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

One more update to come!

🏊‍♂️🐕‍🦺♥️👏🏻

Sean

28/07/2024

And he’s off! JJ started his ‘English Channel’ swim for Skye at 6:10 this morning. He faces a grueling 35 kilometres over the next twelve hours or so. But he’s not met his fundraising goal yet. Can you help? He really deserves to smash it for such a huge effort! https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

27/07/2024

Stray Labradoodle-type dog in pain with broken leg

We got sent a couple of videos of this female stray in a bad way. Luckily, she’s not too far from our sanctuaries.

Updates coming very soon. Donations needed and greatly appreciated.

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/donate-now/

What shall we name her?

27/07/2024

It’s tomorrow! And we’re almost at the 60 percent mark. Please donate for Skye to support JJ’s incredible challenge. Today, JJ talks about the significance of the distances.

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

26/07/2024

JJ’s sponsored English Channel swim is Sunday—all day long!

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

JJ will attempt to swim more than 35 kilometres—the equivalent of swimming the famed English Channel—in a pool in Taipei from open to close on Sunday 28th.

He’s taking on this huge challenge to raise funds for Skye’s life-saving vet bill. But he’s only just over halfway towards his goal so far.

Please consider getting behind JJ and contributing something towards Skye’s vet bill. We really appreciate JJ’s huge challenge and really want to see him succeed not just at the swim but also the fundraising.

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

Your donation, big or small, goes directly towards the vet bill that saved Skye’s life. Thank you!

Will be posting videos live of JJ’s attempt this weekend!

Join JJ's epic swim challenge to support Skye! On July 28th, JJ will swim 37 km—equal to crossing the English Channel—in a local pool to raise funds for Skye's urgent medical treatment. Your donation will go straight towards her veterinary bills and give her a chance at a healthy, happy life. Ev...

20/07/2024

JJ explains why he is now raising funds for Skye

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

19/07/2024

We’re on site now, trap baited and set, to rescue this poor stray cat with a nasty wound on the leg.

He/She just went in, but got spooked and ran away again. So now we wait.

⏳🐈🤞🏻

19/07/2024

Meet the man swimming 35 kilometres to help our Skye!

To sponsor JJ:

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

We’re halfway towards JJ’s target of £1,500—can you help JJ and Skye get closer to their life-saving goal?

16/07/2024

Wow! The wave of support for JJ's 'English Channel swim' for Skye's mounting vet bill has been so generous already that we've had to up the target significantly! JJ originally wanted to raise £1,000 for Skye, but he's now aiming for £1,500. We are confident that enough kind people—impressed by JJ's determination—will open their wallets and purses to sponsor this swim to help a suffering rescue dog.

If you haven't already, please consider chipping in to help JJ reach his goal in return for his incredible effort to swim around 37 kilometres at a local pool on the 28th July—just twelve days time!

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

JJ came to meet Skye today and sat down to answer a few questions about why he's attempting this gruelling feat for Skye. We're just editing the video now and will release it in a series of short reels, so stay tuned.

A huge thank you to everyone who's donated for Skye so far, and of course to JJ for taking on such a great challenge. 👏

15/07/2024

JJ's sponsored English Channel for swim has only been going for just over 24 hours and we're already approaching the halfway mark—that's fantastic!

It's 3:00 AM here in Taiwan, and we've just finished tube-feeding Skye and we'll be up again at 8:00 to do it again. Then JJ will be coming to see Skye and also visit our brand new dog sanctuary (currently under construction). He's hoping to share some posts on his Instagram to drum up more support for his epic attempt to 'swim the English Channel'.

Please consider supporting JJ's incredible fundraising bid. Just click here:

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

If this kindness for Skye continues, we may be able to raise the target figure to cover even more of her expensive but worthwhile vet bill. More updates soon!

Remember, you can watch JJ's training progress and get live updates on the day of the big Channel-crossing swim by following him on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/john.joe.donna/

13/07/2024

🚨 Urgent Appeal: JJ's Epic 'English Channel' Swim for Skye! 🚨

📢 We have an exciting and heartfelt announcement to share! An amazing supporter, JJ from Windsor, Ontario, is taking on an incredible challenge to help lovely little Skye. On July 28th, JJ will swim an astounding 37 kilometres—the equivalent of swimming across the English Channel—in a local pool in Taipei to raise funds for Skye's lifesaving medical treatment. 📢

🐾 Rescued as a 10-week-old pup in March 2013 along with her brothers and her mum, Beautiful, Skye's journey has been filled with love and resilience. Recently, Skye has faced severe health challenges, including stomach ulcers, a blocked pylorus, and renal failure. She has undergone multiple surgeries and is currently at the vet hospital receiving life-saving treatment. 🐾

🎯 Our Goal: We aim to raise £1,000 (approximately $1,300 USD / $1,750 CAD / €1,150 EUR / $1,950 AUD / NT$40,000 TWD) to cover Skye's mounting veterinary bills. Every donation, big or small, makes a significant difference in Skye's recovery. 🎯

How You Can Help:

🌟 Donate: Please consider making a donation to support Skye. Every bit helps and brings us closer to our goal.

🌟 Share: Spread the word by sharing this post with your friends and family. Together, we can make a huge impact!

🌟 Encourage: Leave a message of support for JJ and Skye in the comments below—it really helps us raise awareness of the challenge.

Donate here: https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/jjs-swim-for-skye/

JJ's incredible determination and passion for helping animals in need are truly inspiring. Please support his 'English Channel' swim and give Skye the chance to continue living a long, happy life with her mum, Beautiful. We have just two weeks to help JJ raise—or surpass—his fundraising goal!

Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Let's help Skye and show JJ how much we appreciate his incredible effort! ❤️🐾

Follow along on JJ’s training progress—as well as how he’s doing on July 28th during the swim—via his instagram .joe.donna.

Join JJ's epic swim challenge to support Skye! On July 28th, JJ will swim 37 km—equal to crossing the English Channel—in a local pool to raise funds for Skye's urgent medical treatment. Your donation will go straight towards her veterinary bills and give her a chance at a healthy, happy life. Ev...

12/07/2024

On our way. Two minutes away.

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/donate-now/

04/07/2024

Skye's trip to NTU Veterinary Hospital went OK yesterday. Her renal values have dropped considerably in just seven days. It's good news, but, as the doctor pointed out, the numbers are still pretty bad and may not improve further.

Apart from the acute kidney failure, stomach ulcers, and blocked pylorus, Skye also seems to be suffering from pancreatitis. The veterinary professor suggested a biopsy to find out what exactly is causing the pylorus to be swollen. We were sent home with an appointment to see the head of surgery and some new meds to try, but by morning our sweet girl had collapsed. We rushed her back to NTU for the biopsy, but the surgery professor didn't want to put Sky under anaesthetic because of her poor renal function. We were sent away and basically told to start preparing for the worst.

But we know better than to accept a poor prognosis.

So now we're at the 24-hour vet that did a great job on Skye just a few weeks ago. And we were in luck, because the vet who saw us is also that hospital's renal specialist. Ultrasound showed that Skye's stomach was bloated with fluid, partly because it can't pass through the swollen pylorus and also because of poor gastric function. Then Skye helped the doctor get a better look at her stomach contents by kindly vomiting them all over the exam table. Clever girl!

The good news is that this vet is a little more hopeful, despite Skye's elevated BUN and Creatinine numbers. She'll put Skye on intravenous fluids and some nutrition to help stabilise her condition. And she'll work on getting Skye's Creatinine value down from 3.2 to below 3.0, the threshold above which dogs experience severe gastric discomfort and vomiting.

We don't pray for miracles; we work hard to give them the best chance of happening. Skye is in good hands now with a vet who thinks she has a chance. We're going to take her supplements to the hospital tomorrow, as the doctor agreed they seemed to have helped her renal values decrease over the past two weeks.

Amazingly, the topic of tomorrow morning's Dogs First live clinic is all about nutritional support for dogs suffering with kidney disease. We'll be tuning in, sitting at the front of the virtual class, asking lots of questions, and taking plenty of notes. It'll be interesting to see if Skye's vet is interested in or already well-read on the latest real nutritional science about her area of expertise.

We're feeling hopeful. We love Skye—she and her mum have been with us for over 11 years now. The gratitude we have for all our kind donors is immeasurable, as it's you who make sure dogs like Skye get the veterinary attention they need and the best chance possible of a happy, healthy future. Our raw-fed rescues tend to live to at least 17 years of age and often longer, so she has many good years ahead once she recovers.

To help dogs like Skye, rescued from a snare-plagued rural location after her mum was maimed and lost a foot, please consider becoming an ACT donor today. When many each give a little, we achieve A LOT for dogs like Skye.

https://AnimalCareTrust.org.uk/donate-now/

Thank you. More updates soon. 🐕‍🦺🧡

03/07/2024

This is Skye. We rescued her and her mum and two brothers in March 2013, when she was just three months old. She’s always been shy but never snaps; in fact, she seems to enjoy being cuddled sometimes.

About six months ago, she started vomiting large amounts of liquid. Her mum had done the same a few months previous. Both got checked over at the vet and both seemed to recover. But a couple of months ago, Skye started vomiting more. She lost her appetite. And then she suddenly collapsed. She was having a seizure.

We rushed her to a 24-hour vet, where it was discovered she had ulcers in her stomach. One was at the pylorus and was causing a blockage from the stomach into the intestines. And her kidney numbers were elevated.

After a few days in intensive care, the seizures and vomiting were brought under control. Skye was prescribed meds and we took her home. But she’s still not regained her appetite and is still vomiting liquid every couple of days.

So we’re now at the National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital—probably the leading veterinary hospital in Taipei. We want to get to the bottom of what’s causing Skye’s health issues. And we want to find out if surgery is needed.

It’s going to be a long day, as this is a veterinary training hospital. And surgery could be expensive. But Skye is worth it. We’ll do an appeal for her if needed.

Fingers crossed shy little Skye can get healthy very soon—and get back to her mum not too late in the day. They’re very close and currently live in our founders’ home.

More soon. 🐕‍🦺

01/07/2024

We are heartbroken to announce that Myst passed away in the middle of the night. He had taken a turn for the worse, suffering seizures after going into shock. Apparently, the infection had spread to his brain.

As sad as this is, we are comforted knowing that Myst’s suffering is over. We just wish we had found him sooner. Thank you to everyone who donates so that strays like Myst can at least have the best chance possible.

Rest in peace, Myst. You were loved. 💔🐆

29/06/2024

We have just two more days to move 23 dogs out of ARK 1, the sanctuary that must be empty by the end of the month. On Thursday, our local metal worker came and built the first six of our kennels, which is where we keep new dogs (or other dogs undergoing treatment) before introducing them to a garden.

And as soon as the metal worker left, MayMay became the first to move in while she awaits hip-reduction surgery next Tuesday. We decided it would be best to let her get used to it now as she'll be there for quite a while after the surgery and want her to feel it's already her home. We bought her a big comfy bed from Costco and a gentle fan, though it's really not too warm inside the building.

This afternoon, three dogs from ARK 1 will move in while we reassess their suitability to be integrated into a garden. Tomorrow, the last 20 dogs will move into the small-garden area that is still under construction but which should have enough finished by the end of the day tomorrow.

It's all hands on deck at the ARKs, as the government has warned us they could come at any time now to demolish ARK 1 and ARK 3. We've asked the construction workers to make a big push to finish the small-garden area and then quickly build some more in the new large-garden area so we can get the last 56 of the ARK 3 dogs out before the government demolition crew arrives some time early July.

To clarify: almost every dog shelter or sanctuary in Taiwan is illegal—including all but three government shelters—because the licenses have been made prohibitively complex and costly to even just apply for. Every private shelter in Taiwan comes under threat at some point, and we have had to move our dog sanctuaries twice in the last ten years because of legal problems and three times because of landlord issues. It's brutal, but we know we have to rebuild because of rusty fences every five years anyway, so we look at it as an opportunity to redesign and grow.

A very big THANK YOU, as always, to everyone who donates so that so many suffering strays in Taiwan can get the rescue, treatment, and lifelong care they deserve. Our sister charity, ACT for Animals, has—quite incredibly—already raised over NT$4.5 million (£109,000 / US$138,000 / €130,000) towards construction of the new ARK, and almost all from the kind Taiwanese public. There's still more to raise and much to build, but we are confident we can achieve it all.

We have to. These dogs deserve a safe, comfortable, happy place to call home, and we won't stop until they're all safe again.

OK, we're heading out now to move Lynn, Jiu Jiu, and Bono into our brand-new kennels. Then tomorrow is going to be VERY busy. More updates soon.

By the way, Myst, the dog with no face, is doing well. He received a blood transfusion and the vets have been taking incredible care of him in preparation for skin-graft surgery by the amazing Dr. Yeh. He has surprised everyone by showing he can eat and drink, so he clearly wants the life that is ahead of him. More on Myst soon too.

Want to save a Taiwan stray? It's easy. Make a one-off gift or consider subscribing as a monthly donor to help ensure our vital animal-rescue mission can always continue.

https://AnimalCareTrust.org.uk/donate-now/

27/06/2024

MayMay was left at the side of a road for three days after being hit by a car. The accident dislocated her hip, leaving her unable to stand.

If she’d been taken to a vet immediately, hip reduction would have been much easier and quicker. But with so much time passed after the injury, the vet’s attempts were unsuccessful.

So MayMay has been in our care, eating healthy raw food and getting strong enough for hip-reduction surgery. And she’s made great progress! Not only has she been eating well, but she’s been walking too—though limping badly and clearly with some pain.

This morning she went to our local vet for blood tests to see if she can undergo the operation on her hip. And she passed with flying colours.

We’ll launch a special fundraising campaign for MayMay’s surgery once we have the date and estimated cost. If you’d like to support this gorgeous girl’s bid for mobility, you can use our regular donation page and just mention MayMay in the comment; we’ll add your donation to her appeal.

https://animalcaretrust.org.uk/donate-now/

Looking forward to seeing her fully mobile and pain-free!