Galgo News

Life is hard on the streets

This is a podenca living on the streets of Cordoba. She has had a litter and the pups have now been taken, by whom? She has gained her trust in a lady nearby, and this lady is the only one who can touch the little dog.

She is being sterilised today and needed a foster home for that reason, as she has nowhere to go to recuperate, other than the streets again. She is living in the park and there is a hunter who has a place for podencos, who interested in catching her and keeping her for breeding. His place is not suitable - not difficult to imagine - and it is hoped that, at least by sterilising her, it will deter his interest.

Poor girl! Contact

Noemi Gonzalez
Mail: info@adoptanos.org
Web: www.adoptanos.org

Living with Leishmaniosis

There seem to be many misconceptions about dogs with leishmaniosis, and living with a dog who has tested positive with the disease.

Flora's adoptant, June, took the galga on knowing she has tested very positive. Here she explains what is involved in looking after Flora.

By the way, to see Flora, one would not know she had any disease! She is an absolute picture of good health!

Filaria - what is it?

The third disease which galgos and podencos leaving Spain are tested for is filaria, or heart worm. As this is a far more serious disease than leishmania and ehrlichia, it is rare for a dog testing positive to be accepted into the adoption programme.

The blood test is done on the dogs as part of the vaccination and microchipping programme prior to the dog obtaining its Pets Passport. As well as the passport, the dog also leaves with the results of the blood test, so prospective owners know if there are any further tests to be carried out.

To read more about filaria, visit www.menandpets.com/en_filaria.htm

Leishmaniasis

Before galgos and podencos leave Spain for fostering and adoption abroad, they are blood tested for three diseases, Leishmaniosis, Ehrlichia and Filaria.

For full information about Leishmaniosis, www.leishmaniasis.info which is the canine leishmaniosis website. This website also gives details of the medicinal products needed to treat the disease.

I have asked someone who adopted a galgo with leishmaniosis to write about their experience with it.

Ehrlichia - what is it?

Before galgos and podencos leave Spain for fostering and adoption, they have a blood test for three diseases, Leishmaniosis, Ehrlichiosis and Filaria.

Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne rickettsial infectious blood disease. The organism is called Ehrlichia, the disease is called Ehrlichiosis.

Brown Dog Tick (must feed a minimum of 2 -3 days to transmit). The tick can come from horse manure and other unknown sources.

Also transmitted from the deer tick, blood transfusion, contaminated needles/instruments, transplacental.

Visit www.workingdog.com/doc0045.htm to learn more.

Let's Make Our Voices Heard for those who suffer in silence

We all try and do our bit to help the plight of the galgos and podencos in Spain. What I'd like to do now is have a MASS letter-writing campaign to the Spanish Prime Minister. Together with Charl, we've put together the following letter.

Please print off a copy of the letter and send it to the Spanish Prime Minister.

Please tell all your friends to do the same, and ask other animal rescue/welfare associations to run this appeal on their websites.

I'm getting a copy of it translated into Spanish too, and I'm checking, as I think there are elections due to be held in Spain on 9th March and it may be that Senor Zapatero is not re-elected.

Also an email address, although I think letters through the post will have more chance of arriving on someone's desk! gabinete@presidencia.gob.es

And the vet's bill keeps growing - 14,000 euros

This is the amount of the vet bill now owed by the Pedro Munoz refuge, in Castilla La Mancha, the heart of the galgo hunting area.

With 3 - 4 galgos on average arriving every day at the doors of the refuge, there is pneumonia to treat, broken feet or legs, bad wounds, some dogs needing hospitalisation. Some of the puppies are in such a bad way when they arrive that they can't be saved.

Not forgetting the Podencos......

Through helping with galgo rescue, I've been introduced to podencos, or Ibizan Hounds. We've fostered one, Jazmin, an absolutely delightful character.

Some of the podencos have had their beautiful pink noses mutilated to make them look like a pig, as with Joy, which apparently is supposed to improve their 'ratting' capabilities!

These dogs also suffer the same degree of indescribable cruelty as the galgos.

You can read about the breed on www.ibizanhoundrescue.com.

In the meantime, meet Violetta, a little character looking for her forever family.

Remember Innocente?

His story was the first one I ran. He had been saved from hanging. I've been trying to find out how he's doing. Here's an update. Good News!

Innocente was taken over to America in the middle of February, by GRIN - Galgo Rescue International Network. He is in a wonderful foster home in Florida and he will be adopted out through a friend of GRIN’s Greyhound group in Florida called Elite Greyhounds.

He is doing great and learning quickly how to live in a home and is even cat safe.

Here's the article on GRIN: http://www.galgorescue.org/content/view/91/55/

Good News for little Noa

You may remember little Noa, a black galga puppy who was knocked down on the road and both front legs were broken.

Luckily she was found and received excellent veterinary treatment, and has now found a forever home in America.

You can read Noa's full story on Baas Galgo.