All About Rescue and Fixin, Inc.: Emergency Medical Grant Report

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

This money went directly to pay for surgical services needed for Abu, the dog with multiple broken legs that we wrote about in our grant request.

This grant helped bridge the gap between what we needed to pay and what we had fundraised. This is by far the most expensive surgery we have ever agreed to cover. This grant made helping Abu possible.

How many pets did this grant help?

One very special dog: Abu

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

We received a call one June morning from one of the rural municipal shelters that we support in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. They had picked up a dog on Friday who had been hit by a car and could not use his front legs. They brought the dog to their emergency vet to keep him comfortable while they tried to track down his owner. They could not locate one. They contacted AARF and asked if we could assist the dog. We arranged for the pickup of Abu, as he was so lovingly named by the ER vet, and transported him to one of our orthopedic veterinarians.

X-rays revealed that his right front leg was a mess. He had a dislocated elbow, a fracture of the radius, a fracture of the ulna and an infected wound. His left front leg had a severe fracture of the elbow. Three surgeries later, all of these issues were corrected and we were given a $4,500 bill. Our supporters on Facebook really stepped up, and we raised more than $3,000 towards his care.

The Petfinder Foundation bridged the gap between our fundraising efforts and the amount we needed to cover his initial bills. Knowing his bills would be covered, we could then fully focus on his recovery versus worrying about how we would raise the funds needed to pay for his surgeries.

Abu is a goofy boy — he loves his life and it’s as if he knows he was given a second chance at it. He is always happy and always ready to offer love to anyone who will accept it. While Abu is not yet ready for adoption, we expect that, after his Aug. 1 appointment, we will continue to get good news on how he is healing and get an estimated date on when he will be able to start looking for his forever home.

Tennessee summers are hot and sticky. Abu and his foster mom are both pleased that part of his recovery is water therapy! The last two photos show him enjoying that part of his recovery!