We wanted to share an update with you on the progress of the HopeStreet Animal Welfare Outreach Program and the lives you have helped change.

In Memoriam

Since the very start of our program in 2016, many of you will have read updates on one of our most cherished regular patients, and long-standing beneficiary of your donations, the elderly Chihuahua dog, Chi Chi. It is with very heavy hearts that we inform you the beloved Chi Chi passed away earlier this year. His loss was felt deeply by all who came in contact with the gorgeous little dog, and our sympathies are with his owner. Over the past four years treating Chi Chi, your gift enabled us to perform dental work, chest radiographs, pathology tests and provide ongoing medications that made a huge difference to Chi Chi and his owner. Thank you.

An update on the program

It was a busy start to 2020 for our HopeStreet Animal Welfare Outreach Program. We saw over 20 pets at our Woolloomooloo on-site service during February and March. We were able to provide important vaccinations, parasite control and health checks that led to further investigations at UVTHS, including pathology tests, investigation of masses, limb lameness exams, heart murmur investigations and dental work-ups. Thanks to your generous support, this year we were also able to introduce compulsory desexing of all patients that join the program, ensuring their optimal health.

In late March, as with the rest of our country and the world, the service was impacted by COVID-19. We unfortunately had to temporarily suspend on site visits at Woolloomooloo. Despite our sadness, we have ensured that any pets that were in, or new to the program, requiring medical attention are still being seen at our UVTHS clinic. We have utilised teleconsulting and organised a number of important procedures for our patients and clients. With the support you have generously provided, our wonderful staff at UVTHS have been able to ensure our patients in need continue to be treated during these challenging times.

We wanted to share some of our patients' stories with you: Some of the patients who have visited UVTHS this year include

• Tom and Keike, two cats from the same family who each underwent dental procedures
• Harlee, a Staffordshire Terrier who required dental surgery to treat a tooth root abscess.
• Blacky, a Terrier cross and beloved member of the HopeStreet community, was diagnosed with a Melanoma in his right eye. The affected eye has been removed and he is recovering well.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your ongoing support of our program. It really does make a huge difference to the health and welfare of the pets we see, and is a beneficial and memorable experience for our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students who attend the clinic.With the easing of restrictions we look forward to recommencing our on-site work at Woolloomooloo sometime soon.

We are excited to announce we will be increasing our clinics from monthly to fortnightly visits. In the future, and with your continued support, we hope to expand the program to assist other Sydney community areas in need. If you are able to, please consider renewing your support for the program by making a 100% tax-deductible gift. We are so grateful for your generosity. We really cannot thank you enough.

Sincerely,

The HopeStreet Animal Welfare Outreach Program team

Thanks to your support, 2019 has been another busy and successful year for Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital's (UVTHS) monthly HopeStreet Pet Clinic.  

This year we have treated many animals through the service, seeing an average of 12 animals per pop-up clinic. Treatments range from parasite prevention, routine vaccinations, treating acute injuries and managing ongoing illnesses.   

We frequently refer patients to UVTHS for further evaluation and to perform any required health procedures. Some notable patients that have relied upon your generosity to the HopeStreet fund to receive these services include:  

Maxwell - Maxwell is an English Staffordshire terrier who was referred to the UVTHS oncology and surgery teams after cancerous cells were identified in a mass. A mast cell tumour was diagnosed which was removed surgically. Maxwell visited UVTHS regularly after surgery for bandage changes with the surgery team until he recovered fully.   

Shelby - Shelby is a Griffon who visited the UVTHS surgery team recently for an airway exam followed by a laparoscopic desexing procedure. We encourage our HopeStreet clients to desex their pets and will often refer them to our highly skilled surgery team.  

Chi Chi - Chi Chi the Chihuahua is a regular HopeStreet patient who attends HopeStreet every month. Chi Chi relies on our services to manage his heart disease. Recently, Chi Chi visited UVTHS for diagnostic imaging and blood testing to further evaluate and manage his illness.   

In December, we celebrated Christmas at HopeStreet. Through the generosity of our clients, we collected many donations of toys and treats which we handed out on the day.   

We are incredibly excited to announce that from February 2020, our service to the area will expand with the introduction of fortnightly pop-up clinics to regularly support our pets and their owners in need at Woolloomooloo.

Your support of our clinic has made this possible. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to your continued support in 2020.

P.S Click here to learn about how you can keep your pet safe this festive season.

We wanted to share an update with you to let you know that your gift is changing lives.

For someone like Janine, your donation means the difference between her beloved pet dog Lobby receiving life-saving surgery, or not.

When Janine found out Lobby’s surgery would cost over $5,000, she didn’t think she would ever be able to afford it.  

“Some people have to make horrible decisions to give up their pets or take out loans,” Janine shared.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, the HopeStreet Veterinary Clinic were able to offer Janine the surgery for just $300. She couldn’t believe her luck.

“It was an absolute blessing. I couldn’t believe it, I was so lucky. They were so good with Lobby.” said Janine.

See more of Janine and Lobby’s story here.

Thank you for keeping Lobby’s tail wagging.

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From everyone at the University of Sydney, we would like to thank everyone who supported our Animal Welfare Outreach Program. Your generosity means that the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Sydney can continue to run their monthly pop up clinic and treat even more beloved pets.

Thank you again for your support.