Paws Animal Shelter: Emergency Medical Grant Report

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

Paws Animal Shelter received an Emergency Medical Grant to cover required surgery for Blue. The veterinarian for our shelter determined that he had a past break which was never treated and did not heal properly. To a layman, it sounds as though his femur was smashed into the hip joint and they fused together. This prohibited normal back-leg movement, and it definitely caused him pain when he walked. He needed a femoral head ostectomy to fix his damaged hip. This surgery was performed on Feb. 19, and the grant money covered a majority of the cost of this surgery.

This grant made a tremendous difference in the quality of life for Blue, and it made him adoptable (we had multiple people interested in him, but the prospect of paying more than $1,000 for surgery put all of them off). Blue’s surgery went extremely well, and his recovery was everything we could have hoped for. He stayed overnight at the veterinary hospital, and his foster mom picked him up the next day and took him home. He made a remarkable recovery and is running around today and playing like a perfectly healthy young cat. We couldn’t be more pleased that we were able to get this sweet cat the surgery he needed. It has resulted in a complete change in his life.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

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

Paws Animal Shelter received an emergency medical grant to cover required surgery for Blue. He needed a femoral head ostectomy to fix his damaged hip. As Blue was going to require extra care after his surgery, we decided to seek a foster family to care for him. In order to minimize the stress and trauma to Blue, we thought it would be ideal if this family could foster him for a couple of weeks before his surgery, so he would get used to them and their home ahead of time. His foster family took him home on Jan. 24, and his surgery occurred on Feb. 19. This strategy turned out great, as Blue didn’t have the stress of surgery along with stress of a new environment and new people.

Blue’s surgery went extremely well, and his recovery was everything we could have hoped for. He stayed overnight at the veterinary hospital, and his foster mom picked him up the next day and took him home. He had to wear an Elizabethan collar (commonly called a “cone of shame”!) for two weeks, but he did very well with it. He obviously didn’t like it, but he didn’t react as negatively as most cats do. On the 25th of February, his foster mom reported: “He doesn’t like it but is tolerating it much better than I thought he would. His movement improves every day.”

We received another update from his foster mom on March 7, when she wrote: “A picture of Blue’s boo-boo. He’s doing great. The cone is off and he’s a happy boy. He’s been running and playing like nothing has ever happened.”

During this time frame, the sister of Blue’s former mom (his former mom was in hospice care when we took Blue in; she has since passed away) stopped by the shelter to visit Blue. We filled her in on his surgery and the fact that he was in foster care. She gave us more background that explains Blue’s original injury. Blue’s mom rescued him from a neighbor’s house. These people were drug users, and they had an 8-year old son who abused animals. When she witnessed him swinging Blue around by one of his legs, she took Blue and adopted him. She had subsequently noticed him limping but didn’t think he was in pain.

Though Blue’s start in life was certainly awful, it has totally turned around. His injuries have been fixed thanks to the generous support of the Petfinder Foundation, and best of all, his foster family has fallen in love with him and is adopting him. His foster mom told us, “I fell in love with him instantly and he really adjusted well to our home. This picture is before his surgery; he thinks he’s hiding from me. This is a happy ending for Blue and me. I’m thankful for the opportunity to care for such a beautiful gift from God.”

Thanks to a string of caring people, from the woman who initially rescued him, to the people at Paws Animal Shelter who cared for him and investigated his injuries, to the Petfinder Foundation which helped fund his surgery, to the veterinarian and his staff who performed the surgery, and to his wonderful new adoptive family, life has turned around for this sweet young cat. This is why we’re all involved in animal rescue: to help save gentle souls like his!

Attached are multiple photos showing Blue in his foster home (now his forever home!), after his surgery, and with his new family.