Saving Them
The complete innocence and utter helplessness of dogs, cats and horses that have been injured, starved, abused, and often abandoned, is heart-rending. They cannot heal themselves. They must endure their suffering until they receive the emergency medical care, medications and food they so urgently require just to survive.
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Innocent and Helpless
Each Campaign story is about an innocent and helpless dog, cat or horse suffering from starvation, pain and fear in a medical emergency. It describes how they were found, and the urgent medical care needed to give them a chance at a complete recovery. These are inspirational stories of relief from that suffering and hope for a better life. Each story is a reminder and reaffirmation of our moral obligation to provide the simple basics of life for them as we walk this earth together. They have so much to give to us, and ask so little in return.
Emergency Med - Surg Care and Medications
Thousands of innocent and helpless dogs and cats are euthanized, and horses slaughtered, every day, because their owners cannot, or will not, pay for medical-surgical care, and related medications to treat their wounds and illnesses. Animals Abused & Abandoned makes direct payments to veterinarians for immediate medical and surgical treatments. Food, medical care and rehab decisions do not have to depend on owner or rescuer funding for emergency veterinarian services.
Food and Food Supplements for Severe Malnutrition
Starvation is not a concept most human beings are familiar with. Yet, it is tragically commonplace in the animal world. As a result, the number of requests Animals Abused & Abandoned receives for dog and cat food, and hay for horses, is stunning. We literally buy thousands of pounds of these kinds of basic sustenance foods for severely malnourished dogs, cats and horses every year. Medications and food enrichment supplements are also provided during an animal’s recovery.
Spay, Neuter, Gelding Surgeries
Over-population is the major contributing factor to animal starvation, abuse and abandonment, and spay/neuter/ gelding surgeries are the most effective response to this tragedy. Animals Abused & Abandoned makes direct payments to veterinarians to perform these procedures for young and vulnerable dogs, cats and horses. Our constant focus is to expand the availability of spay/neuter/gelding surgeries to low-income owners and small rescue teams in under-served communities.
Monique L Voelker, RN, BSN, Founder
Formerly a senior RN at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the founding of Animals Abused & Abandoned, Inc. in 2007 was the realization of her long held dream of combining her medical training and experience with her passion for caring for innocent, starving, injured and abandoned dogs, cats and horses that are unable to care for themselves.
Sophia Steckler, BS, Editor, Social Media
Sophia grew up in Dallas, attending the Greenhill School before going on to Tufts University in Boston. Majoring in psychology, with a minor in cognitive and brain science, she earned her Bachelor’s degree, but was still unsure of the next step in her young life. After returning to Dallas and spending a lot of time with her family’s pets, Gracie the cat and Cody the dog, she realized that her path forward must be helping animals. Sophia is now at DePaul University in Chicago, taking pre-veterinarian classes in their post-baccalaureate program.
Elizabeth "Liz" Walker, RN, CCRN, BSN
Liz practiced nursing with Monique, and is a reservist in the US Army. Between her nursing career, her military service, and her wedding in 2024, she somehow finds time as a volunteer to help us spread Animals Abused & Abandoned’s story to her many friends on social media. Both professionally and personally, Liz is an extraodinary care-giver of remarkable capacity.