Furry Friends Animal Rescue & Sanctuary Reg Charity No 20204741

07/08/2024

Skye the Rottweiler returned home today after being in the vets for nearly two weeks.
In that time she has been on a drip, had numerous tests, had major surgery to remove a blockage that had been in her intestines since before she arrived here (parts of a rubber ball) and a blood transfusion.
She is quite wretched at the moment and a scrawny and wasted away girl.
The emergency surgery performed was done when she was very weak and sick but there was no choice.
It really took it out of her and made her anaemic.
Her last blood test showed that her red blood cells are up so the transfusion did work.

I am well aware that people are talking and have decided that the rescue tried too hard to save just one dog and especially a restricted breed.
I am prepared to discuss this with them if they want to chat.
Or I can say now that I take euthanasia very seriously as you cannot take it back and if I feel that there is a chance to save a life then I will put everything into it.
I was pushed into putting my own dog to sleep by my vet 15 years ago and even now I am still traumatised by it and feel extreme guilt. I know it was too soon and have to live with that.

The fact is that she is improving and no matter what anyone's opinion is, I will do what is right for that animal. Lives first, money second.
Although I do understand that a bill of nearly €3 grand is a tad extreme 🙈

Moving on though...
Skye is staying in the house rather than in the kennels.
She has shown that she is deeply unhappy in the kennels by throwing her bowls around, leaving her without water and exhausting herself which is the last thing she needs.
She has been quiet as a mouse indoors though and very relaxed and that will help her recovery.

Of course she has decided that she wants a raw food diet. Not just raw food but a fresh steak diet!
She is definitely on board with the six small steak meals a day though. 🤔

Here she is having a gentle wander this evening in the field. You can see how thin she is.

07/08/2024

Pikachu has made a great new friend!
The delightful and very handsome Steve.
Steve has the most amazing nature and was integrated in with my own dogs very easily.
Steve has been in rescue (boarded for the NWSPCA) with no interest for a year but he doesn't seem to mind!
Here we have the pit bull and the pocket bullie ❤️

06/08/2024

The lovely Ruby is being boarded for the NWSPCA.
She has been in the rescue since November but was in kennels and was going a bit stir crazy as they didn't have the facilities to exercise her to her needs.
She is a young and energetic dog who needs to run.
On arrival it became clear quickly that she was very stressed in kennels so we bought her into the house.
She slept for 8 hours without a peep.
Unfortunately she isn't amazing with other dogs but her prey drive is much higher with cats.
For the first few weeks she stayed on a long line so I could do some one to one training with her round the horses.
It is vital that they are non reactive to livestock.
She ended up ignoring them altogether because she is a clever girl and learns fast.
Today she had her first free run since she was picked up straying in 9 months.
She was over the moon to run her energy off and then went straight to bed 😅

31/07/2024

No place for an elderly dog.
Found yesterday.

30/07/2024

Tom Thumb has joined the sanctuary gang.
Charlie is in season at the moment so is being kept strictly separate from him for the next week or so.
He cannot be gelded until October after flystrike season.

26/07/2024

Sky update!
After another night on a drip, the vets have done further investigations including more xrays.
They have discovered what looks like a foreign body in her intestines. It has made the intestines look ridged so it has been working it's way through very slowly which links up with her arriving poorly. She would have eaten something and it got lodged but no vet treatment was sought until she came into rescue.
She is having major abdominal surgery today to remove it and if surgery goes well, will be spayed at the same time.
That said, she is a very weak dog so it is also possible we will lose her under anaesthetic.
She has been supported with a drip overnight so she has more of a chance of survival but even so, she is in a lot of danger.
The decision was made to go ahead with the operation because we never give up on any animal bought here and will do whatever is necessary to help them recover.

This of course has hit us financially but her life is more important than a stressful time over a vet bill.

Thank you to the people who have helped out so far. Without your support she would have died by now with no veterinary care at all.

If you can help support this incredibly sad case please see details below.
We are looking at a bill of about €4,000 altogether but she is worth it ❤️

PayPal (UK) - [email protected]
PayPal (Ireland) - [email protected]

For bank transfers please message the page as I cannot put details online because of scammers.

Payment can be made directly to the vet.
Kilkoyne's Vets (Semple account) - 0719185016

**Edited to add that the operation has been done and they found two halves of a rubber ball in her intestines.
They said it had been in there for a long while.
She has come round from the anaesthetic.
The next 24 to 48 hours are now crucial as they next milestone she needs to reach is not getting peritonitis (infection of the abdomen)

25/07/2024

Poor Sky the Rottweiler is back in the vets 😢

She has become dehydrated again and her back legs were looking wobbly.
She still has diarrhoea and is not doing as well as hoped physically. Luckily she is still playful so rather than leaving her to go flat again, it was decided to get her to the vets before she did.
She has two vets working on her and trying to work out what is wrong.
She has had scans and in house and laboratory blood tests with very little being revealed apart from low folic acid.

Whilst she is happy and responding to treatment we'll keep trying. Sky's welfare is always top of the list of priorities.

I know we've asked a lot lately, but funds are desperately needed to help her. All the tests and vet stays have now topped €2000. It is always difficult fundraising for a restricted breed but sometimes they need help just as any other dog does.

Sky was bought into rescue ill and hadn't received any vet treatment so this is a long term issue.
If she hadn't been bought in she would have collapsed and died slowly by now.

We are now shut to intakes until we catch up with vet vet bills. Too many urgent and serious cases have turned up over a few short weeks and it has pushed us to the absolute limit.

If you can donate towards her care, details are below:

PayPal (UK) - [email protected]
PayPal (Ireland) - [email protected]

For bank transfers please message the page (I can't put the details online because of scammers).

Payment can be made directly to the vet -
Kilkoyne's Vets - 0719185016

Thank you for any help offered ❤️

23/07/2024

Little video of how Pikachu is doing 😊
She is absolutely full of it.
She has weight gained beautifully now and I've got to be careful not to go the other way.
Her eye is still being medicated so we're not done yet but she is now a very happy girl!

22/07/2024

The last few weeks in rescue have been very pressured.
The cases that have turned up were absolute emergencies and some are pictured below.
As well as these we also had a kitten handed in from Charlestown dehydrated and covered in dried diarrhoea along with a thick cataract caused by the Herpes virus. She was very lucky not to have fly strike. It's taken weeks to sort out her stomach and find a food that she is not allergic to and it turned out she has a red meat allergy.
Two young cats were found dumped on the Swinford bypass. They were so terrified that they just sat there as the finder grabbed them and got them safe.
We are also dealing with Jack the sanctuary pony who is under the vet because his Ballarina Syndrome has progressed and we are deciding on what is best for him. Jack may not be around for much longer as whilst his mind is willing, his feet are becoming unable.

The state of neglect in Ireland is tragic.
The animals that do turn up have often been suffering for a long time and desperately need veterinary care.
We have a very good team of people helping out, medicating and giving these neglected and suffering animals the one thing they have always deserved but never got - love and care.

This is why we launched Sponsor a Vet Bill many years ago to lighten the load.
It is a scheme that people can set up a monthly Direct Debit for any amount they can afford and it makes a big difference and enables us to help these animals, get them back on track and find them loving homes.

We want to keep helping these animals but there is only so far we can go.
It is no good just collecting sick animals. We must be able to get professional care for them and we will never get to the point that we deny any animal a vet.

Sponsorship is so important to allow us to continue this vital work.
The animals pictured below and in the descriptions above would be dead now if rescue hadn't stepped up.

If you can help, please see details below -

PayPal (Ireland) - [email protected]
PayPal (UK) - [email protected]

For bank transfers or direct debits you would need to message me as I cannot put details online (scammers).

Thank you so much to the people who continue to support the rescue through thick and thin.
All money received goes directly to the animals care and nothing else.
No wage is drawn from rescue funds.

Please share to help us spread the word 😊

20/07/2024

One little foal successfully caught!
It took five of us (Clodagh, Andy, Danielle, Dani and myself) to load a very frightened little boy but he is now safe.
Monday was not your day to die Tom Thumb!

15/07/2024

THE SKY APPEAL!

Unfortunately things have not been great for Sky.
She is a 4 year old Rottweiler who was brought into rescue two weeks ago after her owner died and the family could not keep her.
She had diarrhoea on arrival and we've been doing trips to and fro the vet trying different treatments since then which just weren't working.
On Saturday she looked dehydrated and very flat so she was admitted into the vets and put on a drip to rehydrate her and for her to receive intravenous antibiotics. They also did blood tests which came back pretty much normal all things considered.
Even after that the diarrhoea has continued.
She had a laboratory blood test sent off today to test for PLE (for the longer followers of the rescue, that is what Leon had) and tomorrow she is being tested for Addison.

This unexpected vet treatment has definitely put a strain on things although no upper limit of treatment has been suggested because that isn't how we work.

It's therefore been necessary to put up yet another fundraiser which as a rule, I try to keep to a minimum (it's just been a very intense time for the rescue lately).
Without treatment she would have died so it wasn't something that could wait.

I've attached photos of the current vet bill for Sky.
The bill up to today is €615.35 and I'm hoping to raise some funds so that her treatment can continue comfortably.

Thanks as always for your support!

PayPal (UK) - [email protected]
PayPal (Ireland) - [email protected]

For bank transfer details, please message me (I can't put bank details online because of scammers)

A direct payment can be made to the vet under the Semple account.
Kilkoyne's Vets - 0719185016

Thanks for reading!

15/07/2024

THE SKY APPEAL!

Unfortunately things have not been great for Sky.
She is a 4 year old Rottweiler who was brought into rescue two weeks ago after her owner died and the family could not keep her.
She had diarrhoea on arrival and we've been doing trips to and fro the vet trying different treatments since then which just weren't working.
On Saturday she looked dehydrated and very flat so she was admitted into the vets and put on a drip to rehydrate her and for her to receive intravenous antibiotics. They also did blood tests which came back pretty much normal all things considered.
Even after that the diarrhoea has continued.
She had a laboratory blood test sent off today to test for PLE (for the longer followers of the rescue, that is what Leon had) and tomorrow she is being tested for Addison.

This unexpected vet treatment has definitely put a strain on things although no upper limit of treatment has been suggested because that isn't how we work.

It's therefore been necessary to put up yet another fundraiser which as a rule, I try to keep to a minimum (it's just been a very intense time for the rescue lately).
Without treatment she would have died so it wasn't something that could wait.

I've attached photos of the current vet bill for Sky.
The bill up to today is €615.35 and I'm hoping to raise some funds so that her treatment can continue comfortably.

Thanks as always for your support!

PayPal (UK) - [email protected]
PayPal (Ireland) - [email protected]

For bank transfer details, please message me (I can't put bank details online because of scammers)

A direct payment can be made to the vet under the Semple account.
Kilkoyne's Vets - 0719185016

Thanks for reading!

12/07/2024

Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Council (who have a contract with Dublin Pound) are bringing in this new rule re unclaimed restricted breeds.
In Ireland, the restricted breeds are:

American Pit Bull Terrier
English Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Bull Mastiff
Dobermann Pinscher
Rottweiler
German Shepherd (Alsatian)
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Japanese Akita
Japanese Tosa
Ban dog – a so called “ban-dog” is a cross or mixture of any of the above breeds mentioned or any strain of the above dogs listed.

Restricted breeds are NOT banned breeds. The owners just have to follow a few rules to own them.

These rules do not affect the Mayo area where this rescue is located, but this may set a precedence for other councils.

Please email the council using the email shown at the bottom of the page no matter what country you are from.

11/07/2024

This beautiful old lady was found abandoned behind a restaurant locally to here.
She was bought straight into rescue by her rescuer 48 hours ago.
She has been named Snickerdoodle (by my brother 🙄) and she has a few things going on.
She is extremely underweight and was dehydrated on arrival.
She had a flea and worm infestation.
She has a very bad chest infection that is making it extremely difficult for her to breathe.
She has peridontal disease so when well, will need a full dental.

She has been put on antibiotics to help fight the chest infection and a short course of steroids to clear her chest and make life a lot easier for her.
She has been flea and worm treated and is getting four small meals a day (which she is eating straight up).

She is a cuddly girl who didn't have any idea what to do when abandoned. She has clearly been a pet for many years.

Once well we'll look at getting her dental done as her mouth is sore but she wouldn't survive an anaesthetic at the moment.

29/06/2024

Pikachu's fundraiser is slowly getting there.
So far we've raised €550 (including the Go Fund Me) out of €1046.
Her current bill stands at €596.
So please carry on sharing her appeal 😊

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/P7BhPEojCst6tQkb/

Here she is now.
She has learned zoomies and even found the joy of playing with a ball!
It's the little things in life!

26/06/2024

Sky the Rottweiler with a tail, is new into rescue.
She arrived here poorly with conjunctivitis and a nasty tummy bug.
She is still trying to fight off the tummy bug but is drinking well so no concern at the moment.

Her temperament is absolutely beautiful and she became homeless because her devoted owner died.
She is great with other dogs and larger livestock, but a bit sharp with small furries, chickens and cats.

She has been bought up with children and adores them.

Sky is 4 years old.

26/06/2024

Poppy contemplating life as a pig on a diet whilst chilling out on this warm and breezy day just watching the world go by 🥰

23/06/2024

Pikachu is turning out to be the sweetest and cheekiest little girl.
I wonder if her previous owner realised that she actually had a little personality going on inbetween churning out puppies for their profit?

I doubt it...

(Video in comments)

23/06/2024

Pikachu now has a Go Fund Me fundraiser.
Please share and help raise the funds for this unexpected but deserving arrival.
Thanks!

Pikachu is a little Pocket Bullie type who was bought into Furry Friends Animal Rescue & Sanctua… Emma Semple needs your support for The Pikachu Appeal!

21/06/2024

THE PIKACHU APPEAL!

Pikachu is a little Pocket Bullie type who was bought into rescue on Tuesday after being found dumped on local farmland.
She was a sorry state physically and had to have immediate veterinary treatment.
Pikachu was suffering from a pyometra (infection of the womb) which will kill a dog in a few days or less if left untreated.
As well as her womb infection, she also had untreated mange, an ear infection, was extremely thin and dehydrated, had an untreated long term eye ulcer and finally, was producing milk from teats that were dragging on the floor.
She has been bred almost to death whilst sick and then dumped when she was of no further use.
Pikachu was taken straight to the vet who performed an emergency spay and treated her other ailments over the course of 4 days.
This has left the rescue with a large vet bill so we have had to appeal for funds.

It is not easy fundraising for bull breed types as they are not as popular as other breeds, but hopefully people will see past her physical appearance and understand that she was in a lot of pain and discomfort and desperately needed help.

Pikachu came home tonight along with a bag full of medication, but is out of danger.

The full amount for vet treatment came out at €1046.09

If you can donate towards Pikachu then please see donation options below :

Paypal (UK) - [email protected]
PayPal (Ireland) - [email protected]

For bank transfers, please message me - I can't put bank details online because of scammers

Payment direct to the vet - Ballina Veterinary Clinic on 09622063 (Semple account)

Any amount donated is gratefully received.

19/06/2024

Good!
One saved little dog 😊
Pikachu surgery went well 😊

18/06/2024

Please welcome Pikachu, our newest addition to the rescue.
This beautiful little girl was found dumped at a local farm.
She looks elderly but judging by her teeth she is only 2 to 3 years old.

She was of course taken to the vets first thing this morning as she has a list of problems that need addressing.
The major problem is that she has a pyometra. I didn't realise how advanced it was until she was sitting on my lap in the vets and it burst blood and pus all over me.
She is having an emergency spay for that.
She also has untreated mange, is very underweight, has a very nasty untreated eye ulcer and is producing milk for puppies that are nowhere to be found.
She is quite dehydrated too so will be put on fluids and will have a blood test to see that everything is working well inside.

She really is a sorry state.

We will need to put up a fundraiser for her as it is going to be expensive to save her life. As always €'s are never put before a life.

14/06/2024

The beautiful Abigail (black and fawn) and Rambler (black) out with the dog walkers.
Both these lurchers were picked up as strays.
Abigail is just a puppy of about 5 months old and arrived from a vet.
She had very bad attack injuries so on arrival she reacted to other dogs due to being in quite a bad fight. She is now socialising well.
Rambler is also young (guessing about 10 months old) and came in from the pound skin and bone and with spots of mange.
Both recovered well and both weight gained fairly quickly.
Abigail's wounds healed up and Rambler developed a thick lush coat after mange treatment.

Both these dogs are being boarded for the NWSPCA.

10/06/2024

Rest in Peace Simon Cowell, founder of the Wildlife Aid Foundation in Leatherhead, Surrey.
He was one of my longest rescue contacts and helped out with all types of wildlife for the 20 years that I ran my rescue in the UK.
He will be so missed in the rescue world 😢

09/06/2024

Sooty and Sweep the most adorable boys 💖
Absolutely love this pair of clowns.
10 month old American Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

Currently being boarded for the NWSPCA

08/06/2024

Zara had some visitors today.
She was over the moon to receive some belly rubs!
She really is a sweetheart and thoroughly enjoyed the extra attention ❤️
Currently being boarded for the NWSPCA

08/06/2024

Appeal for dog food!

Due to an influx of unwanted dogs, an appeal for food has gone up.

If anyone can help, drop off points are in this post as well as here (Charlestown, Mayo F12TD28)

07/06/2024

Yesterday afternoon I got a call about a young chick that had fallen from the nest in Charlestown.
Unfortunately I was working but Bird Rescue agreed to go out to the call.
On arrival the rescue found kids throwing the tiny chick in the air trying to make it fly.

The injuries sustained were:

A broken leg
A split crop (caused by the repeated crashes into the ground)
A broken wing
Blood coming out of it's mouth suggesting punctured lungs

This chick was a fledgling. It was learning to fly and ended up being tortured.
These animals feel pain and fear and this was complete unnecessary cruelty.

The only thing the rescuer could do was attempt to get it to a vet for euthanasia but it died on the way.

Adults - control your children.
Teach them respect and kindness.
If you see a group of children acting this way, step in and do the right thing.
Don't be afraid of your children.
I am childless and have stepped in many times to stop children acting up and educate them on what they were doing wrong.
In this case there were plenty of adults around discussing mundane things whilst watching on.
Take responsibility for your children.

06/06/2024

Bella update!
The news is actually quite good. But also a bit shocking!
Bella DID NOT have a mammary tumour.
The huge lump swinging away was her uterus that had come through an internal hernia.
This means that she did not have cancer and she has been given a clean bill of health. Her dental has been done too.
I have to say I've never had a dog in with that problem before so there is a first time for everything!

Nice and neat and tidy now ☺️