Thank you all for visiting our blog! Today we are trying to reach out to everyone in the community as we are greatly in need of some help.
We have taken in many reptiles that are in need of medical attention and the vet bills are staggering. While some of the animals are quite small, their vet costs are still the same as any large animal you would bring in for a checkup. We are hoping to find a vet that would be kind enough to give us a discounted rate for our rescues or at the very least a discount on meds. We have not had any luck yet but if you know of a vet in Fairbanks that may be willing to help and also takes in reptiles, amphibians and exotics, would you please message us so we can contact them asap. We'd greatly appreciate it.
The unfortunate truth behind rehabbing an exotic animal is that you have to have x-rays and or take blood samples or biopsies and run tests to even know where to begin with treatment. That can get upwards around $200 or more and that's before meds and a check up. The majority of the lizards that we get in are in very rough shape and we have had to sadly euthanize several as they are so far gone and in so much pain. There is no hope for bouncing them back to good health and having any quality of life.
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This is the vet bill for diagnosing an eye infection and a mouth infection in an iguana and the examination of a blue tongue skink which lead to an x-ray to discover his horrible scoliosis and metabollic bone disease most likely due to improper housing, lighting, and diet. He had very labored breathing and we were looking for signs of pneumonia. We were ready to attack his ailments with a vengeance until the x- rays came back. His spine goes up and out to the side making his ribs very deformed looking from the exterior which explained his labored breathing. His jaw is misaligned severely and his tail is kinked all the way to the tip. He was in great pain but is no longer suffering. Unfortunately he paid the ultimate price for being cared for improperly.
We are unable to take in any more animals in critical need right now due to our lack of funds available to pay for even the initial vet visit. I feel that if we had the ability to take in any animal that required medical attention, it would greatly increase the number of animals turned over to the rescue and the number of animals that we could truly help and save. Partially due to the fact that we could encourage owners to turn over their sick animals as we would get them the medical attention they need and partially because I could search out animals that clearly are in need of medical attention and pay a small fee to adopt them and purchase their setups. So many owners cannot afford the vet costs themselves or do not know what to look for in a sick animal and their pets surely pay the price. I cannot tell you how many animals we want to help but can't because they come with re-homing fees as people are looking to get some of their initial investment in that animal and their expensive setups back. While we refuse to pay a high price for any sick animal, we are willing to pay a small fee for the animal and or the setup as we can always use more enclosures and accessories and can overlook a small fee if it's going to save an animal's life.
We are an official non-profit organization and strictly run by volunteers without any federal or state funding. We can provide receipts for any donations for tax purposes as well. You will find a Paypal link at the top right side of our blog and at the bottom of this post that you can make a donation through online using a credit card without having to setup a Paypal account. You can also mail a check made payable to Interior Alaska RAE Rescue to 1290 Gull Road, Fairbanks, AK 99712. Donations can come in any form as I know we are all struggling in this economy right now and I do understand that many of us cannot afford to donate. If you have any tanks, animal enclosures, light fixtures, bulbs, bowls, fake plants/vines, extra linoleum, extra tiles, wood of any kind, building materials, furniture (hutch's, armoire's, dressers etc) or anything you feel would contribute to the rescue, we could certainly use anything you can spare. We have plenty of 10 gallon tanks but could use 20 gallon tanks or larger as we can do more with 40 gallon and 55 gallon tanks.
We here at the rescue appreciate your support more than words can say. To those of you who have made donations whether it be via money or materials, you have made a difference in many animal's lives as well as ours. Your efforts are not taken lightly and not forgotten. My husband and I have spent over $5,000 since July 2013 out of our own pocket acquiring our non-profit status, purchasing setups and accessories, building vivariums, purchasing feeders, purchasing meds and rehabbing several animals. We also sell live feeder insects and all of those proceeds go to the rescue as well. You can find our live feeder information here
http://raerescue.org/purchase_live_feeders. We are VERY passionate about these animals and while we are still quite small and run out of our home, we have hopes of growing so we can expand our reach in helping not only rescue more animals, but educate others on how to properly care for these animals and what to look for that is cause for concern. Please help us to grow and improve the lives of these wonderful exotic animals that we hold so close to our hearts. Thank you so much for your support.
