Colorado Greyhound Adoption (CGA): Shelter Challenge Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

For veterinary bills.

This grant allows CGA to help the dogs in our care get the quality vet care that is needed.

How many pets did this grant help?

1 - Cricket

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Hi, my name is Cricket. Thank you for taking the time to read about me.
Let me start with I am one lucky greyhound! In May of 2012 when I was 9 months old Colorado Greyhound Adoption brought me, yes me into the adoption program! They knew I was a “special needs” puppy but that didn’t deter them. Besides, when you look at my face, how could they resist?
When I was just a youngin’ at the kennel my head got squashed a little bit. My personal veterinarians said my mama may have accidentally sat on me, or maybe I ran into something while I was playing really hard. This caused me to be blind in one eye and have limited sight in my other eye. It also made my brain squash down into my brain stem causing me to have neurological issues and to run really funny! My front end is normal but my back end goes really high in the air like I have Air Nikes on or something! People say I look like a bucking bronco or cricket. Hey, I wonder if that’s how I got my name. Anyway, I have been told I also have some congenital defects-what ever that means. When I was spayed they found out I had a banana bladder! How did a banana get in there? Oh, my foster mom just yelled over my shoulder what banana bladder means. (phew!) My bladder was supposed to be like a little balloon in my abdomen but instead mine grew funny. It was attached to my belly button and stretched out making it look like a banana. So one of my wonderful vets fixed that. One of my other birth defects is…hey ma-what is that thing I have in my nose again? Oh, ok. So my foster mama says I have nasopharyngeal webbing or stenosis. I can’t breathe through my nose and the accumulation of mucous and saliva makes it difficult for me to eat. (not to mention my horrendous snorting and snoring-so I have been told) My foster mama soaks all of my kibble, and then she pulverizes it in a food processor, then adds a lot of water so I can lap it up. I can eat really well when she does this for me. One of my other special vets said I need a nasopharyngeal stent to open up the webbing thing. So right now we are trying to find one for me because they are pretty pricey.
I know I have a lot of issues but I am one happy active greyhound. I live with 2 other greys who show me the ropes. (I show them a thing or two, as well!) I also live with 4 cats! Can you imagine, greyhounds and cats? When I am not busy seeing my ophthalmologist, neurologist, internal medicine specialist or my regular vet, I go on lots of walks, play really hard in the back yard with my sisters, and go to a lot of Colorado Greyhound Adoption events. I love meeting new people and giving kisses.
My foster mama says I am one tough greyhound, that I know no boundaries and have no idea I am disabled. All I know is I am so happy CGA found me!