Burlington County Animal Alliance: Petfinder 20th Anniversary Grant Report

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

The stories about Panda, Opie and Bella below are the main stories we have that were expensive but gave these dogs new lives with new families who love them.

Besides all the dogs described below, BCAA pulls dogs from Southern shelters who are positive for heartworm. These dogs are always euthanized if not pulled by rescue because they are not adoptable to the general public if they are heartworm-positive. We are their only way out, so once they are in New Jersey, they immediately start the process established to rid dogs of heartworm. They are sometimes adopted out during this period, but BCAA always pays the bills for the entire treatment. We supply the new adopters with the medicines used to treat heartworm, including a six-month supply of Heartgard preventive. All adopters are given specific guidelines to follow as well as the problems which may occur after a heartworm dog is treated. At least the dogs are given a second chance at surviving an illness which is totally preventable if their original owners gave them the preventives to avoid getting heartworm infestation in the first place. In the last month alone, we have treated 15 dogs in various stages of heartworm Infestation.

How many pets did this grant help?

20

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

We used this grant for several dogs who came into our care, both just before the grant was given and after we had received it. The first dog is Panda, who came to us from an overcrowded shelter in North Carolina. Panda was an owner surrender. Luckily for her, one of the rescuers we do business with was taking out some other dogs we had earmarked for our rescue. At the very last minute, she saw Panda being taken in the back to be euthanized, as owner surrenders are always the first to be put to sleep. She stopped the animal attendant and said she would take Panda. So Panda was literally saved at the last minute. She came to New Jersey and went into one of our foster homes. We could not figure out her breed, as she was so unusual-looking. She resembled a raccoon, but we just laughed it off. Her foster mom, Mary, had her groomed and a beautiful dog emerged. We now say she is a schnoodle.

Panda was scheduled for a spay and it was discovered that she was pregnant. Four weeks later, Panda was as big as a balloon (first photo). She started labor and Mary recognized right away that Panda was having trouble, so she was taken to one of our vets, where she ended up having a C-section and delivered six little pups. Five of them lived (second photo), but Panda took a turn for the worse. Mary started nursing the pups with a baby bottle every couple of hours and Panda was under the care of the vets for a two-day stay; lucky for us, she pulled through. She came home and immediately took over the nursing job. It has been three weeks now and Mom and pups are doing great.

During this time we also rescued a puppy named Jude (third photo). Jude was only four months old. What made me want to help him was that, when I saw his photos, all of them showed Jude with his head down, showing he had lost all hope. So our rescue partner in Columbia, S.C., pulled Jude for BCAA. He was also taken to a vet to be neutered and the vet discovered why Jude kept his head down: His back was burned under the fur with a chemical. The vet shaved him down and took off the layer of burnt skin. Poor Jude spent a few days in the hospital and then in a foster home. When he arrived in New Jersey, he had a brand-new owner waiting for him who started nursing him back to health. In a week, you could see a big change in his personality: no more was his head down. He was happy and you could read it in his face. He is actually still recovering and will be neutered as soon as the vet says he is ready.

In addition, we saw another rescue partner pleading for help for an older female Chihuahua who had gigantic mammary tumor and severe dental disease. She was sent to the shelter along with another sibling because her human mom had passed away. We immediately stepped up for Chelsey (fourth photo) and had her sent to New Jersey. By the end of the week, our vet had given her a complete dental, extracting 15 teeth and cleaning up the ones she had left. In about three weeks, if Chelsey is in good shape, the vet will be removing the tumor (fifth photo). We are hoping for good results but will deal with and take care of Chelsey the best way possible. Meet Chelsey: www.petfinder.com/petdetail/37776400

Opie (sixth photo) was another male puppy who was only 3 months old came to us with a back-leg injury. We took him to one of our vets who does a lot of our orthopedic problems. He took x-rays, which showed that poor Opie’s back leg was actually broken in half and both ends were now passing one another. The repair required a long surgical procedure with a few weeks of wearing a cast and only being leash-walked. Of course this proved to be a difficult task as it was tricky trying to hold down a 3-month-old puppy from running around. However, Opie has completely recovered, was neutered and now lives in a home with his new mom and two children who worship him like the king he is.