Care and Protection of the Animals of Our Island

“HydraArk” is a non-profit animal welfare association (No. 4531) based in Hydra. Its action is based exclusively on the voluntary work of its members, and on their subscriptions and the donations of its friends. Ninety percent of the members of the “Ark” are foreigners and 10 percent are Greeks. All programs of the association are financially subsidized by the subscriptions and donations of its members.

The members of the association are volunteers who give their spare time for free—whenever they can and as much as they can.

For the last 15 years, “HydraArk” has managed to reduce the overpopulation of cats significantly, as well as to improve the overall picture of their health.

It has no dedicated shelter, and unfortunately there is no veterinary clinic on the island. There are 4 active volunteers on a day-to-day basis, and they already have many animals to take care of. This means that they cannot take on more. They do not have veterinary knowledge and therefore cannot offer more than you can.

Below you will find general information on how you can help our favorite animals.

First-line Assistance for Our Beloved Animal Friends

Newborn kittens

From time to time, people find abandoned kittens in rubbish bins, boxes and so on. And you are liable to find conflicting advice on how best to help when confronted with this situation.

Newborn kittens are helpless; they cannot see, hear, maintain their temperature, feed themselves, etc. They weigh a few grams and fit in the palm of your hand. They are completely dependent on their mother and sometimes solely on us.

You can roughly calculate their age as follows: If they still have the umbilical cord, they are between 1 and 4 days. If their eyes are still closed, they are between 1 and 10 days. After the 10th day their eyes should be open. If you open their mouth and see small teeth, they are about 2 weeks old. If they try to stand up, they may be 2 to 3 weeks. At about 4 weeks of age, they can stand, walk and start playing.

You need to use a box or basket and place it in a quiet place in the house. Put something soft, such as a blanket, inside before placing the kittens in it, and change or wash this every day. When washing the blankets, make sure that they are completely dry before putting them back. Because the kittens’ immune system is weak without their mother’s milk (which provides them with essential antibodies), you should always wash your hands and keep their space as clean as possible.

As very small kittens cannot regulate their temperature, it is very important during the cold months of the year to have them in a warm place. A good solution is a heat lamp, but not too close to the babies! Make sure one side is in a cooler place so they can escape the heat if needed. Alternatively, a hot-water bottle under their covers is a good solution and will be able to keep them warm for a long time.

Never give cow’s milk to newborn kittens. Specially formulated powdered milks (many include baby bottles) are available in the pet shop.

Give the milk at body temperature, never cold. When you have prepared the milk and want to feed the kitten, never place it on its back. Whenever feeding, have the kitten on its 4 legs and, lifting its head, open its mouth and give it the nipple from the bottle to start feeding.

At the age of 0 to 1 week, feed every 2 hours, and every 3 hours at 2 and 3 weeks. From the 3rd week the kittens drink much more at every meal, so gradually reduce the frequency of meals. After the 4th week 4 bottles a day is enough. Once they can feed on their own, you should always make food and water available.

Skipping meals or overfeeding can cause diarrhea, which leads to dehydration and is of course fatal to kittens. In case of severe diarrhea consult a vet.

During feeding, if the kitten rejects the bottle or milk bubbles come out of its nose, stop feeding. Likewise, a kitten that is very cold should not be fed immediately because its stomach and intestines cannot digest the food. First restore its temperature and then feed it.

If the kittens soil themselves between meals, clean them gently with a warm, damp sponge and then dry them.

Weigh newborns daily and in this way you can tell whether they are developing properly.

A newborn kitten cannot urinate or defecate on its own. This requires stimulation of the bladder and intestines after each feeding, as its mother would do. Stimulate the genital area of the animal by gently rubbing with a tissue, towel, or piece of cotton-wool. Then the kitten should be able to urinate after each meal and defecate at least once a day.

Pay attention to the color of urine and feces, as these can be a good indicator of animal health. The urine should be clear/light yellow and odorless; the stool a light-brownish yellow with the consistency of toothpaste. Any strange color in the urine or stool for more than a day is a cause for concern and the kitten should be seen by a vet as soon as possible. If a kitten is not passing either urine or stool, either one or the other or both, for 24 hours, contact a vet.

Basic Signs of an Animal’s Health, Possible Diseases, and Their Treatment (Cats and Dogs)

Mouth: The animal should eat dry food with appetite. If it refuses to eat or if, when chewing dry food, it cries out in pain or puts its paws on its face as if it wants to get something out of its mouth or is drooling, check the oral cavity. Open the mouth with your hands and (A) check for possible foreign bodies such as: fishbones, any kind of bone, thorns, dry twigs, etc. If there is a foreign body, try to remove it. If you cannot, it will need a vet. (B) Check the teeth and gums. If you find spots in the mouth with a gray color, bad breath and/or the absence of teeth or rotten teeth, then the animal will need a vet. (C) Check the color of the mucous membranes (gums and oral tissues). They should be pink and healthy. Any change in color to fiery red indicates pain in the animal. Until you can get to the vet, you can give brown algae to the food (Plaque Off powder).

Coat: The animal’s coat should be shiny and clean without clumps. If a cat does not take care of its fur, first check its teeth and tongue. If there is no problem in this area, contact a vet. Once a month, apply an antiparasite ampule, e.g. Stronghold or Advocate

Eyes: If the animal’s eyes are constantly weeping but the animal does not have breathing problems, if the eyes are half open and painful, try to wash them with saline solution and put Tobrex drops in every 4 hours for 7-10 days. If the animal acts like the eye is causing pain, put tetracaine hydrochloride/cooper before any eye drops. Always inform the vet about the progress of the treatment because in addition to antibiotic eye drops, you will need eye vitamins and hydration: Vita-pos and Hyabak. If you have kittens 3-4 months old with puffy, infected eyes, give Thilocof + Tobrex eye-drops, alternating every 4 hours, and always consult with a vet to check that no additional treatment is needed.

Ears: Animals that show pain in the ears, have a foul-smelling discharge from the ears, or have intense itching or skin irritation with head-turning should be referred to a vet for examination with an otoscope. In a dog there could be a foreign body like a thorn, which only the vet can remove. In a cat there could be a polyp that needs to be surgically removed. In the case of simple otitis or scabies, until the animal can be examined by a vet, it will give relief if eardrops are applied:  Surolan coll – 5 drops in each ear and massage the area, once a day for 10 days.

Nose: If a cat has nasal secretions and runny nose without having been vaccinated, they may have a respiratory infection and should be given the antibiotic Vibramycin 100 mg at a dose of 10 mg per kg of animal, once a day for 10-20 days depending on the symptoms. E.g. For a  5 kg cat give half a Vibramycin pill once a day. For the correct administration of the pill, crush it and give it with canned food or with a multivitamin gel such as Calopet  or  Nutriplus gel. If the pill is given whole, it can cause esophagitis in the cat. Always start the treatment in consultation with a vet.

Vomiting: In case of vomiting, call a vet. If a pet eats greedily or a cat vomits hair-balls or green grass with gastric juices, remove the food and water from the animal’s vicinity for 4 hours and give it Losec 20mg capsules from the pharmacy (gastroprotection). Dose: half a capsule every 12-24 hours for 1-2 days. In some cases, an anti-emetic may be given: Primperan 10mg tablets. Dose: ¼ pill per cat, one dose only.

Diarrhea: In a cat or dog with diarrhea, do the following:

1. A) Give one of the following antiparasitic pills : Milbemax, Drontal, Dolpaac, Dosalid, Panacur.
2. B) Feed the animal strictly every 12 hours with a little less food than the recommended amount.
3. C) Give probiotics such as: Diarsanyl, Webiotic (veterinary medicines) or Ultralevure / Lactolevure caps (from the pharmacy)
4. D) If the stool is more watery than solid, with mucus and with or without blood, give: Flagyl caps 300mg (from the pharmacy). The dose will be discussed with your vet.
5. E) If the symptoms persist, give a special clinical dry food formulated for gastrointestinal issues.

Within a week there should be a gradual improvement in the composition of the stool.

Special cases

Injury with fractures: refer to a vet

Tumors and lumps in the body of the animal: report them promptly to a vet.

Jaundice: yellow skin, gums, mucous membranes: refer to a vet

Polyuria and polydipsia syndrome (drinks a lot of water and urinates a lot): refer to a vet

Abscesses in the legs or other areas: clean the area as much as possible and cut the hair away. Apply Betadine solution topically every 12 hours and give Dalacin 300mg capsules (it is the same as Zodon) by mouth. Always talk to a vet because surgical cleaning of the area and sutures may be needed.

Allergic shock from a bee or caterpillar sting accompanied by itching and swelling: make an immediate intramuscular injection of Solucortef or Solumedrol 250 mg from a pharmacy – single dose only.

Poisoning: If you suspect that an animal has been poisoned, contact a vet immediately. Time is of the essence. The animal can be possibly be saved, but every second counts.

If the animal does anything strange or unusual, talk to a vet.

Irini Resou, DVM veterinarian

Nearest vets to contact:

From non-Greek phones, add +30 before the number:

George Karatheopoulos, Kranidi, Peloponnese: 2754022348 / 6946413865

• To get there, take either Freedom to Metoxi and taxi to Kranidi clinic or take the Akliros (“Christos”) boat to Ermioni and a taxi to Kranidi

Kaikilia Sarri, Ligourio, Peloponnese: 2753022929 / 6979449263

• Freedom boat to Metoxi and taxi to clinic or hire pet taxi to take the animal unescorted  (€60 oneway)

Irini Resou, Nea Smyrni, Athens: 2109352444 / 6987575888

• Flying dolphin to Athens and pet taxi to clinic

Nikos Nikolopoulos, Poros: 6977688269

• Flying dolphin to Poros and pet taxi to clinic.