Pima Animal Care Center: Emergency Medical Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
Your generous Emergency Medical Grant of $1,000 helped fund a lifesaving surgery for Winnie, a 2-year-old dachshund whom a good Samaritan found horribly injured next to a busy street.
As a county-run, open-admission animal shelter that takes in more than 20,000 pets each year, we do not have the resources to spend large amounts of money on any single pet. While our doctors are able to do a great deal with the resources we have, there are dozens of pets we take in each year who need specialty surgical services that are beyond what our publicly funded budget can provide. Your grant helped save the life of one of them, Winnie, who would not otherwise have had a chance. Thank you, Petfinder Foundation!
How many pets did this grant help?
1
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
It was late at night when one of our Animal Care Officers went to rescue Winnie from the side of a busy road, where a good Samaritan had found her crumpled in the bushes. The purebred dachshund was drooling, one of her front legs was dangling, and she was in excruciating pain. When Winnie was back at the shelter with our doctors, they determined she was suffering from a rare and complicated front-leg fracture caused by being hit by car.
Within our shelter, we are able to cast broken bones or amputate pets’ broken limbs. Those tools help us save many lives, but they wouldn’t work for Winnie. Because of her breed and the high likelihood for her to experience future spinal issues, a forelimb amputation could greatly shorten her life, and it should only be performed as an absolute last resort. Our doctors knew Winnie’s best shot at life would come from complicated and costly leg-pinning surgery that could only be performed by a specialist in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Your generous donation seeded an effort that was met by other donors to a local rescue group, Lil’ Bit of Love. Because of your startup gift, Winnie’s entire surgery costs were eventually covered, and she was able to be taken into that rescue group for her intensive follow-up care.
While Winnie saw an exceptional surgeon, her injury proved too serious and complex to be permanently fixed by the pinning and, unfortunately, amputation did have to eventually take place. While the end result is not exactly what we’d hoped for for Winnie, your investment in her made it possible for her to leave the shelter and have a shot at the best possible life. Now this tiny tripod lives with a family who adores her.
We are incredibly grateful for your investment in her, as well as for your team’s flexibility in delivering the grant. Because of multiple barriers within the county system, we would not have been able to turn a cash donation into a speedy-enough surgery for her. Your team was willing to pay the surgeon directly so that Winnie’s treatment would proceed without delay. Thank you, Petfinder Foundation!
