Focus NewsEdition No: 3

www.k9focus.co.uk

Dogs don’t care about the cold weather!

They just wanna have fun!

Welcome to Focus News

Contact:

lynne@k9focus.co.uk

pat@k9focus.co.uk

sue@k9focus.co.uk

Lynne Hall - General/Homing Enquiries:

Pat Admans - Foster Co-Ordinator:

Sue Read - Fund Raising Co-ordinator

If you have a smart phone you can now scan in our code opposite and go straight to our website.

Since September we have rehomed 34 dogs

finds their forever home, more are waiting to come in!

- here are just a few who adopted their own human! Sadly as soon as one

If you have room please consider rehoming or fostering a rescue dog - it is of course our favourite breed!

When Bella’s routine operation became not so routine - it was Buba to the rescue!

Fi writes:We fostered two chocolate labradors, Bella and Cocoa through K9focus in October. Ideally the pair needed to be re-homed together as they were brother and sister, 2 years old and never been separated. Having recently taken on our second rescue dog in July, we had no intention of keeping these two, however despite our best efforts these two characters won our hearts and like many others we too became ‘failed’ fosterers!

Just before Christmas Bella went in for a very routine operation, the vet phoned in the afternoon to say they would like to keep her in as she had bled a little more than they would have liked so I didn’t really think anymore about it as I knew she was in good hands. The phone rang after midnight - the late night call you dread - it was the duty vet who said Bella was bleeding and they needed to open her up again - it was late and his second comment really didn’t register that much immediately. He said ‘could you please bring one of your other ‘big’ dogs down with you, preferably the one with a quieter temperament so they could take blood from him. I woke my little boy up and loaded him and our labrador x called Bubba into the car. We arrive at the vets and handed him over and left. When I got home, I immediately ‘googled’ cannine blood donors - stupidly I hadn’t even thought about dogs and giving blood!

Bella made a very quick and full recovery thanks to all of the team at Torbridge Vets and Bubba will always be our hero and Bella’s!

Bella and Baz

www.AnimalBloodRegister.com

Advances in veterinary medicine have made it possible for vets to offer higher and higher standards of care for their patients. In human medicine, supplies of blood and blood products are available through the efforts of the National Blood Transfusion Service. Vets however must rely on their own resources which is why the Animal Blood Register was created. By becoming an animal blood donor, your dog (or cat) can help vets help other pets through the provision of life-saving blood transfusions. The service offered by the animal blood register is free to owners and vets and is a service created so that more lives can be saved. Please visit their site today and learn more about Dog and Cat Blood Donors. Your dog could help save a life - just like Buba.

Fund Raising & Finances (or lack of them!)

Our running costs continue to be a source of concern and our volunteers are fantastic, working so hard to generate much needed funds. The economic situation puts a strain on everyone’s finances and this has now started to show in the K9 world, with more and more people having to give up their four legged friends as they lose their home or sadly relationships breakdown. As we saw earlier we have rehomed a staggering 34 dogs since September but for every one that goes out we are turning more away which is heartbreaking, especially as you know many of them will be put to sleep. We cannot help all of them but with your help we can continue to help a significant number. We are constantly trying to thing of new and innovative ways to raise funds and so if you have any ideas them please do not be shy - tell us about them! You can email any ideas to lynne@k9focus.co.uk

KailaPolar

Millie

Diesel

We are launching our ‘ for 2012. This will soon be on our

website but in the meantime please email Lynne for full details. For £12 per year you will receive a K9focus T-Shirt, regular newsletters and the satisfaction of knowing that you have kept a dog safe for one night.!

Focus Supporters Club’

(lynne@k9focus.co.uk)

Do you have or know someone that has a scrap car? Check out our Giveacar Scheme - over £220 raised to July 2011!www.giveacar.co.uk/donate-a-car-to-charity/k9focus-dog-rescue

Just remember to shop via:

www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/k9focusover £1200 raised to July 2011!

Shop on line and you could raise money without it costing you a penny!

Caption Competition

Our ‘Caption Competition’ picture caused a few giggles and generated the following captions:

Can I find it? - yep, I can!It’s not only ostriches that bury their heads in the sand!It’s buried here, I am sure this is the spotHello - anyone there?Perhaps someone in Australia will adopt me!

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Our favourite however,was submitted by June & Mike Randall who will receive a K9focus Tshirt. See the back page for the current competition and don’t forget to email your entries to lynne@k9focus

Doctor Duke talks about ‘Hot Spots’

Wonder if my bum looks big doing this !

This year for some reason we have seen a lot of dogs developing ‘hot spots’ also known as wet eczema. These can easily and effectively be treated but if left are very distressing for dogs and can spread. Hot Spots can flare up very quickly, often overnight - see picture below of Jack, Lynne’s dog, who one day had nothing and the next morning had the bare patch as seen! Hot Spots start as a simple irritation to the skin which the dog then licks and licks until the fur has gone and the skin becomes raw. Whilst hot spots are relatively easy to cure, it is important to find the source of the irritation. One of the most common causes is mites which are not visible to the naked eye and also some dogs can have a severe reaction to the common flea - both of which can be easily treated with preparations from your vet. In Jack’s case it was neither of these, the vet felt that it was simply the effect of the recent mild wet weather and walking constantly in the wet - perhaps not being totally dried off (naughty Lynne!!) which had caused a minor irritation that he had then licked overnight. In Jack’s case the fur was clipped around the spot, thoroughly cleaned with Hibiscrub and treated with Fuciderm Gel from the vet. In a matter of a week the fur had starting to grow back.

Jack looking very sorry for himself!

Looking much happier!

Hot Spots can erupt overnight Treated quickly, fur starts to grown back within a week

K9focus is a charitable rescue run entirely by volunteers who give their time freely - we have no official funding. There are various ways to donate to the rescue and all funds go directly to looking after abused and abandoned dogs.1. Standing Order – these can be downloaded on our website or email: lynne@k9focus who will send one to you2. Ad Hoc donations can be made by cheque to the registered office address below, Online via our website, or direct payment

into our bank account – details below:

Please remember to complete the Gift Aid form and send to us at the address below as this will increase your donation by 28p for every £1 donated. Thank you for your support, without your help many dogs would never survive past the 7 days that many pounds give them before they are put to sleep.

K9focus

Lloyds TSB Bank plcBideford (309078) BranchSort Code: 30-90-78Account No: 19345968

Lynne Hall

Gift Aid – your donation could go even further!

The Government’s Gift Aid Scheme allows us to reclaim the income tax (or capital gains tax) you have already paid on your donations. This means another 28p for every £1 that you donate to our SOS dogs. All you need to do is tick and date below :

You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that K9focus Rescue, together with any other charities, reclaim on your donation. Please notify us if your circumstances change and we will cease to claim or if your name and address changes. If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief in your Self -Assessment tax return. Please ring us if you have any queries about Gift Aid on 01769 560928

Please tick

I agree that K9focus Rescue can treat all donations I have made in the last 6 years (prior to this year) and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify K9focus Rescue otherwise, as Gift Aid donations.

Please date

K9focus, Shepherds View, Lower Hill, St Giles, Torrington, Devon EX38 7JUTel: 01769 560928 Email:

Company No: 7345762 – Registered Charity No: 1142968lynne@k9focus.co.uk

www.k9focus.co.uk

BEST CAPTION COMPETITIONPlease send us your captions to:

lynne@k9focus.co.uk

The best ones will be featured in our next magazine and the overall winner will receive a K9focus T Shirt.

K9focus, Shepherds View, Lower Hill, St Giles, Torrington, Devon EX38 7JUTel: 01769 560928 Email:

Company No: 7345762 – Registered Charity No: 1142968lynne@k9focus.co.uk

www.k9focus.co.uk