Toronto Humane Society faces costly uptick in emergency care cases

Torontosun.com
Sept. 14, 2020
Kevin Connor

During a recent 30-day period, 20 animals at the Toronto Humane Society required costly emergency vet care, resulting in a bill of more than $100,000.

Now the shelter is looking for financial help as some pet owners struggle to keep and care for their pets during the pandemic.

“We average out at well over $100,000 per month for medical care; however, in just the last 30 days, this $100K has been spent on emergency cases, alone,” said THS spokesperson Hannah Sotrops.

“The average monthly cost of emergency medical care varies so greatly dependent on the cases that come in. We go above and beyond for the animals who enter our facility or into our care.”

The animals that needed recent care include kittens, dogs, and a budgie.

“As more and more pet parents can expect to be hit by hard times due to economic troubles, this level of care will likely become a more regular occurrence,” Sotrops said.

“Toronto Humane Society has seen a remarkable surge in the number of emergency surrenders to the shelter. To support the many animals we’ve seen in urgent need and to continue extending our life-saving capacity to more animals, we have started a fundraising page.”

One recent surrender to the THS -- Mimi, the cat -- was brought to the shelter July 25 with diarrhea, a mass, anorexia, and a slower than normal heart rate. In addition, she was pregnant.

She is now starting to get stronger in a foster home, but the cost of her care for the THS was $6,500.

It cost $2,700 to tend to Garfield the cat which was brought to the humane society’s River St. shelter on July 27 to be treated for a lower urinary tract disease, vomiting, obesity, constipation and blood in the urine.

On July 30, a Good Samaritan saw a two-month-old kitten, Chello, running across Hwy. 401. Chello had a large neck wound and ear mites, diarrhea and was underweight. He has since found his forever home but the cost of Chello’s care was $1,800.