Description
Donate and support towards animal vet bills.
The Island Project relies on donations to help its non-profit organization thrive and give its animals, who are usually rescued an environment to thrive in.
£70 could pay for a months worth of smallholder vet bills
To allow the projects animals to receive the best possible care, The Island Project subscribes to a smaller holder farm service. Local vets provide the project with expert advice and onsite support. Several Island Project staff are trained to assist vets and understand what our animals need to be fit and healthy.
The vets provide the farm with any drugs or injectable supplements that the projects animals need as well as provide basic surgery onsite. In the event of an emergency, our animals have access to surgery rooms as well. Vet fees are costing the project around £70 a month on average, and for 2018 vet costs were an estimated £1500.
Why the vets are important
The Island Project Farming & Education Centre currently houses 5 chickens, 3 sheep, 1 llama, 2 donkeys, 2 pigs, 5 rabbits, 1 guinea pig, 2 cats and 3 goats.
Providing for all of the projects animals is not cheap. Alot of the projects animals have been rescued or rehomed because of a wide range of reasons. This leads to many health complications as it is not uncommon for an animal to come with no medical history.
Rehoming and rescuing examples:
- Chickens: The project has rehomed chickens on several occasions with the help of Ashbourne Welfare. Chickens slow down their egg production when they reach the age of 2 or 3 and this means egg companies want to get in younger, faster-laying chickens. This leaves a lot of chickens needs a new home, or they may go to slaughter. Because of the conditions battery hens have endured, they often require intensive care and rehabilitation before they truely enjoy free-range life at the project.

The Island Project – Re-homed Chickens
- Pig: Mr. Pig was also re-homed at the project because he was thought to be a micro-pig (Which is a pig porkie!) and he essentially outgrew his home and wasn’t an ideal indoor pet. Pig’s eat a fair amount, and Mr. Pig is no different! Mr Pig has regular booster vaccines, worming treatments as well as suffering from dry skin.

The Island Project – Mr. Pig
- Ducks: The projects ducks came to the farm as an emergency foster arrangement. This is because the ducks had become orphaned, leaving them without a mother to protect them. Domesticated ducks have their wings clipped so they can’t fly away. The project decided to not clip the duck’s wings, giving them the opportunity to stay or leave once they were strong enough. Of course, they love the farm and have decided to stay forever! So the young people decided to give them all names, Deefer, Zoltan, Donald, Roast and Francis.

The Island Project – Ducks
Thank you
Thank you for reading. Please donate and support towards the projects vet bills.