Fuzzy Pawz Rescue: Emergency Medical Grant Report

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

Fuzzy Pawz Rescue is so grateful to be the recipient of the Emergency Medical Grant. The $1,000 grant award would be used to offset the cost of medical bills associated with the identification and treatment of what has now been diagnosed as a rare case of sialadenosis [chronic swelling of the salivary glands].

At the time of the original grant request, Fuzzy Pawz Rescue had spent $6,418.53 on the hospitalization, assessment and treatment of Diesel. Thanks to the support of amazing veterinarians, Diesel is now making a full recovery in his foster home and is healthy enough to be neutered next week.

Because we are a small, foster-based, private, non-profit rescue, finances are often the limiting factor when it comes to the number of animals that can be served. Medical costs are the largest financial burden for the rescue and can dictate what future animals can and cannot be brought into the rescue.

Because this condition is so hard to diagnose (often only diagnosed after significant funds have been spent ruling out other diagnoses), it is under-researched and not often observed in the veterinary community. This grant helped make diagnosis and recovery an option for such a unique case.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

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

Diesel was surrendered to Fuzzy Pawz Rescue by his owners after they ran out of funds to provide him with the medical care needed to diagnose and treat an unidentified ailment. Diesel’s previous owners indicated that he has been struggling with food intake, severe pain and vomiting on and off for almost five years.

Diesel came into the rescue presenting with bizarre symptoms: extreme stomach pain/cramping, excessive drooling, no appetite, vomiting, inconsistent soft poop, and neck spasms. He was also underweight and dehydrated. When he first came to his foster home, he was in dire need of medical care, in visible pain, and had pain responses with gentle touch anywhere in the abdominal area.

Due to his significant lethargy, pain, and other alarming symptoms, he was immediately brought to a trusted vet clinic. This clinic did initial care and testing on Diesel and quickly determined that he needed more intensive care from a specialized internist. He was then admitted to West Vet Emergency Hospital and stayed there for specialty care for five days.

Thankfully, due to diligent research from specialists, this issue has been identified as an incredibly rare condition called sialadenosis, which is the enlargement and overactivity of the salivary glands.

Diesel is now, as of last week, healthy enough to be neutered for adoption and will be posted for adoption soon.