Meet the vets providing critical care from a backpack for homeless dogs across London.
Dexter the Shitzu was found sofa surfing with his owner in South West London last week before vet, Jade Statt, found the pup.
Dexter was found with bladder stones, which meant he had difficulty urinating and was suffering in a lot of pain.
Vet and co-founder of the organisation, Miss Statt said: “The thing about animals is they just get on with things, if we had that situation we would be screaming in pain.”
She examined the dog with his owner and decided that he needed to be taken in for surgery.
He was referred to a practice and had four stones removed from his bladder.
StreetVet is a UK charity offering free veterinary care to dogs on the street with a team of over 400 volunteers.
Miss Statt said: “StreetVet is about getting to know people in an environment in which they feel safe.
“We have teams that go out on a regular basis that offer vet care essentially from a backpack.”
The organisation has found one of the central problems around homlessness and pets is that less than 10% of hostels accept dogs.
As a result, StreetVet have now accredited 20 UK hostels and are hoping to have accredited 30 more by the end of the year.
The charity is funded by the generosity of donations and veterinary competitions that the organisation have won since they started in 2016.
Miss Statt said: “We do not have anybody who’s full-time job is to fundraise.
“It has been a whole lot of kindness and a whole lot of belief in what we are doing.”
StreetVet helps with all kinds of health issues but something they see repeatedly in dogs is arthritis.
One of the ways they tackle this is to give out buggies to the owners of the struggling pups, making it easier for them to transport.
With the help of donations, they also provide all the necessities owners need for their dogs including dog food, leads, blankets, collars and toys.
Miss Statt said: “The public are just permanently doing awesome stuff to donate money to us.”
You can take a look at their website here.
Featured image credit: StreetVet
