In times of devastation and agony, generosity has the opportunity to shine.
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The full extent of the damage from the Carrai East fire west of Kempsey is still not known, but Kempsey Veterinary Clinic are committed to helping locals as they are offering free treatment for pets injured by the blaze.
"People go out and fight the fires and I can't do that because I have a small business to run," Kempsey Veterinary Clinic owner Mark Lee told the Argus.
"But in times of need, we need to do our party to help and this is something my team and I can do to help.
"We have treated dogs and cats who have been burned and suffered from smoke inhalation."
The offer will continue for the next couple of weeks and it will be extended if there are more bushfires throughout the summer.
Mr Lee has treated the pets of families who have lost everything in the fires, which caused havoc in small country towns west of Kempsey.
"Families have came in who have lost their homes and to add the additional stress of a vet bill to treat their pet wouldn't be nice at all," Mr Lee said.
"It means a lot to the families and especially for the children."
Mark has treated half a dozen pets since last Friday and has shared the stories behind their treatment.
Catness the cat
Catness was caught in the fire storm that happened on the property of the owner. The owners thought that Catness had perished in the fire. However, to their surprise they found that Catness had survived the fire storm by taking refuge in an abandoned car. Unfortunately, Catness still suffered severe burns and singeing to the face and ears, as well as burns to the paws. Catness is currently in a serious condition having the burns treated. The cat is on intravenous fluids, antibiotics and pain relievers. She is also in an oxygen cage due to smoke inhalation.
Ridge the dog
Ridge was brought to the hospital with severe third degree (full skin thickness) burns to all four feet. He will need to spend many days in our veterinary hospital and remains heavily sedated on pain relieving intravenous fluids and medications. Ridge needs general anesthesia when ever the wounds are cleaned and re-bandaged. Unfortunately, when it is time for Ridge to go home, there will be no home to go to as the owner has lost their home in the fires.
Scooby the dog
The owners of Scooby have lost many possessions. When they returned to their house, they found Scooby hobbling around with severe burns to the pads of the paws. Scooby was also coughing due to smoke inhalation. Scooby is being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
The Kempsey Veterinary Clinic has also started a Go Fund Me page to cover ongoing treatment: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kempsey-fire-victim-cats-and-dogs
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