31/05/2026
***Trigger warning - death and grief***
Photos in comments
We are sad to announce that Ringo was still poorly after 2 blood transfusions and vets told us the kindest thing to do would be to let him go 💔
Thank you to Dr Charlie, Dr Ania, and all the other vets, nurses and receptionists at Animal Referral Hospital - Essendon. Your job is so hard and yet you do it with such kindness and compassion for the animals, all while dealing with the likes of our founder Dan being a blubbering mess. You never signed up to be a counsellor, yet you become one by default. Your empathy at such a difficult time is appreciated and you know how much it is appreciated because you all foster too and know this feeling of loss and grief on a personal level. We all know we cannot save them all, but that doesn't stop us trying!
We are stiĺl piecing together what happened to make our sweet baby so sick. What we do know is he had IMHA (his body was attacking his red blood cells causing anaemia), but we do not know if this was primary autoimmune disease or secondary to another issue like cancer, a congenital bone marrow issue or some other disease/infection. Ringo's siblings are a picture of chubby and cheeky health, and are a daily reminder of how unfair life can be.
Ringo may not be with us anymore, but we know he would want his brothers and sister to have a home of their own soon. If you are looking for a super affectionate new furry family member, please consider Paul, John or Matilda. Check their profiles out on PetRescue: https://www.petrescue.com.au/groups/12054/Oscars-Rescue--Rehabilitation
To Ryanne Stuart-Huff and Ian Hoad - thank you for your donations! It was literally the difference of being able to afford treatment or not. We may be in debt now, but we know we did everything we could.
Thankfully, our FIP kitty Astrid did well in surgery and is a little less wobbly each day in her journey to beat FIP. And beat it, she will 💪
It is hard to be in a celebratory mood when you lose a beautiful soul like Ringo, who has been in care since only days old, but we will give you all an update on Astrid's progress soon!
The vet bills this week amount to $7,685. We are $5,835 in debt as a result. We have closed intake again because we have no funds left. If you can afford to donate or help in some way, please do. The sooner we clear this debt, the sooner we can help the community and cats again. If you cannot help physically or financially, you can still share this post! Every effort made makes a difference ❤️
Thank you everyone for your compassion during one of our hardest weeks to date x
Animal Referral Hospital Essendon Fields (ARH)
is a purpose-built animal emergency centre open 24/7
