Sundown Surgery

HISTORY
Sunny Sundown was a magnificant black and white cat who was basically sweet but just a tad bad.  He was so named because his high-pitched panther-like call came through loud and clear along about sundown.  During that time he was seeking a home. 
Sunny found his new home which he enjoyed immensely for four years before he died of cancer.  During the ordeal of last ditch surgery before his death, Sunny's people gave much thought to the impact of the animal/human bond factor as it relates to the lives of so many people and their companion animals.  From this big tomcat and the sequence of events that followed, Sundown Surgery had its beginning.

PURPOSE
SUNDOWN SURGERY is a privately-funded program to provide an alternative to euthanasia in life-or-death situations.  This program provides financial support to people whose pets are in need of medical or surgical treatment but who cannot afford those services.

ORGANIZATION
The SUNDOWN SURGERY program is a charitable entity of the College of Veterinary Medicine at The University of Georgia, where it is administered through the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.  It serves to alleviate as much human grief and animal misery as funding permits.  In addition, it exposes many senior veterinary students to a real world of circumstances which they otherwise would not experience until after graduation.

                                         SUPPORT
Neither practicing veterinarians or the animal hospital of a veterinary institution can afford to play the part of eternal good samaritan.  Although many do what they can afford under dire circumstances, providing care at no charge would bankrupt even the best of veterinary practices and exhaust all of its resources.  The only source of funding for this program is through the private sector.

REFLECTIONS
Harry Welsh of Chamblee, Georgia frequently spends time in his backyard with his 5-year old white German Shepherd, Lucky.  Lucky is a playful and loving companion for Mr. Welsh, who is 59 years old and permanently disabled with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Because the disease prevents him from exerting himself too strenuously, Mr. Welsh is often home alone and is grateful for Lucky's company.

About a year ago, Lucky developed a tooth abscess.  The infection spread, involving her upper jaw and causing the development of a "fistula" (a large open, draining wound) under her eye.  Mr. Welsh and his family spent about $2,500.00 in an attempt to find out exactly what was wrong with Lucky.  Mr. Welsh is on a fixed income and eventually, the financial burden of Lucky's veterinary bills became too much.  Throughout her ordeal and despite being in severe pain, Lucky remained upbeat.  Unfortunately, her condition continued to worsen and Mr. Welsh was faced with the agonizing proposition of euthanasia.

In a last ditch effort to save Lucky, Mr. Welsh wrote a letter to the director of the Atlanta Humane Society.  The director sent two veterinarians out to Mr. Welsh's home to examine Lucky.  The consensus seemed to be that Lucky could not be saved.  But the Humane Society veterinarians offered Mr. Welsh one last hope--the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.

At the University of Georgia, Mr. Welsh's case was evaluted by a program called the Sundown Surgery Program ("Program").  The Program is a privately funded program which provides an alternative to euthanasia to pets in life-or-death situations whose owners are unable to afford necessary medical treatment.  Individual cases are carefully screened and must meet certain medical and financial criteria before acceptance.  The Program allows senior veterianary students at the University of Georgia to experience "real world" circumstances in the field of veterinary medicine that they otherwise would not be exposed to until after graduation, and at the same time offers hope to people like Mr. Welsh, who have exhausted other options and simply cannot afford the treatment it would take to make a beloved pet healthy again.

The Program funded Lucky's subsequent surgeries and therapy, which spanned several months and would have been impossible for Mr. Welsh to afford.  The Program has helped hundreds of others in similar desperate situations.   The Program provides more than just funding to those who cannot afford treatment for their sick pets; it provides years of companionship for an elderly person on a fixed income who may be isolated or ill, and it restores the faith of a child when he is told his pet will not be taken from him after all.

Research has documented the beneficial effects that a loving companion pet can have on the emotional health and well-being of the elderly, who are frequently isolated and dealing with the burden of chronic and/or terminal illness.  Their pets keep them company and make them feel needed, and pets in return receive a loving home.   Children also develop very strong bonds with their pets, and are profoundly impacted by the loss of a pet.  To lose a pet because of inadequate funds to pay for necessary and available medical treatment is tragic.  When pets become gravely ill and their owners cannot afford necessary treatment, the Program is there to save pets who otherwise would not have a chance at life.