Hello, and thank you for being here! My name is Tessa, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love animals. I was recently connected with a kindred spirit named Dana who is working to help animals in El Salvador. On February 13, she's holding a spay/neuter clinic to sterilize as many dogs and cats as possible to reduce the number of homeless animals and help with disease and infection through vaccination and treatment. So, I've started a fundraiser to collect donations for these animals and this community—and I'd love your help!

Dana owns Colocha Café in El Zonte, a beach town in El Salvador. She's a huge animal lover and grew up helping at her aunt's vet clinic. That love has manifested in her starting Colocha Clínica (@colocha_clinica_sv on Instagram if you'd like to follow!) to help provide medical services to dogs and cats on the coast of El Salvador and surrounding communities. While many are strays, some are pets of families who cannot afford to properly care for them, and most live outdoors and are allowed to roam freely, which often results in disease and injury. With only one licensed veterinarian in a 300+ km area, Dana's current focus is stabilizing the general health of these animals.

In the last year, Dana's project has sterilized 107 dogs and cats and treated another 81 with things like parasites, tick-borne illnesses, injuries from being hit by cars, and even general education, adoptions and collar and leash donations. Many of these animals are also malnourished and anemic, as most locals don't have the means to provide proper food, so any donations received also help with feeding!

Dana's project started as a free/low-cost 'pop-up' clinic, with all fundraising done by her (and out of her own pocket), but through word of mouth, there's been a massive increase in demand for her life-saving services—and she needs to raise more money to sustain this project. Pricing for services is significantly less than in the U.S., so your money goes even further in helping care for pets and stray animals who need it most. Pricing is as follows:

Food: one 50lb bag of Rufo = $30

Pre-Op Bloodwork: $30

Medications: $50

Sterilization: $150

Here are some of the animals Dana has been helping, so you can see where your money will be going!

Lassy, above, belongs to a family who loves her very much but doesn't have the means to get her sterilized, so she kept getting pregnant, resulting in a new litter every 6 months. She also had ehrlichia, a tick-borne illness, which she needed to be treated for before she could be sterilized. With treatment, spay surgery and food donations for the family, she is now a healthy and happy dog who won't get pregnant ever again!

Tigre, above, is a local dog who Dana found on the side of the highway. He has an STD tumor on his penis (another important reason to sterilize, as this disease is transmitted through mating—yes, dogs and cats can get STDs!) and has been receiving chemotherapy, which has improved his condition immensely. He needs 2 more chemo sessions, and is currently living with Dana while he recovers.

Lenny, above, was an abandoned kitten from another town who Dana was contacted about. He had an anal prolapse (poor guy!) and Dana was able to get him surgery, and he's now adopted in a forever home!

Lluvia, above, is a pup who had advanced mange which infected her skin and caused her to lose her fur. She has been treated for the mange and another bacterial infection, and now that she's healthy enough, she will be spayed at the upcoming clinic!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, for your consideration, and for your donations. I know there are so many worthy causes to put your money toward these days, so it means the world.

Love,

Tessa Trudeau