It is well known among animal rescue groups in Moscow that there is a large community of animal-loving pensioners in the city, affectionately known as the “babushki”. The babushki regularly feed the strays and many of them also share their homes with animals from the street. It is not unusual to find a lone pensioner living in a one-bedroom flat with twenty dogs/cats or more. As we have seen time and time again in our work, the challenges of animal welfare and social welfare are inextricably linked.
Mayhew International currently runs a spay & neuter programme for the dogs and cats in the care of the babushki community. Our contacts in the city, including the Moscow Animals group, provide us with access to a long list of animal carers needing our help. Dr Natalia Potapochkina, an experienced veterinary surgeon with an interest in animal welfare, performs the operations in the homes of the babushki. She keeps a full record of the operations she has performed; we reimburse her for her costs.
Dr Potapochkina attended The Mayhew International Veterinary Training Programme in February this year to receive further training from our vets, specifically to learn advanced sterilisation techniques and the use of gas anaesthesia. It is important for her to learn to use gas anaesthesia as we have occasional access to IFAW’s gas anaesthesia machine. Gas anaesthesia is much safer for the animals, allowing for more and quicker operations than anaesthesia by injection. Click here to read more about Dr Potapochkina’s training at The Mayhew.
In the long term, Mayhew International is looking to set up a registered entity in Moscow in order to offer low-cost veterinary care to the community through a charitable clinic. For now, however, we are happy to be working with Dr Potapochkina. Only recently, we were contacted by Moscow Rabbi Nelly Shulman regarding an elderly lady with 25+ cats in her flat, several of which were already pregnant! Thankfully, the cats have all been neutered now.
With demand for our services growing, we will always strive to help, but equipment, drugs and veterinary materials all cost money. Please help us continue this vital work, to help more carers and animals in Moscow.