Portsmouth Humane Society: COVID-19 Operation Grant Report

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

The money from this grant was used to supplement our medical-care fund, which was impacted by reduced income in the wake of COVID-19. Specifically, these funds were used to help cover the cost of a fracture repair surgery for a 9-month-old puppy named Sara. Without these funds, Sara's only financial option for treatment would have been amputation of her front leg. She is now in recovery and walking well on all four legs while wagging her tail non-stop!

This grant provided funding that allowed us to save a dog's leg rather than remove it based not on veterinary recommendation, but on the increased cost of care at a time when COVID-19 impacted our shelter budget.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

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

Sara, a 9-month-old mixed breed puppy, was brought to a local emergency vet by her owners. Sara’s family noted that she had been limping for a few days. Incredibly, radiographs revealed that Sara’s left front radius had been completely fractured. Her family didn’t wish to cover the cost of treatment and surrendered her to Portsmouth Humane Society. Our team was torn: Our medical budget is tight, and an amputation is the least-expensive surgical option with the fastest recovery. Having the fracture repaired would be costly, might fail, and could keep the pet from being adopted for weeks to months during recovery. Luckily, we received word that the Petfinder Foundation had provided us with a $500 grant! We put this toward Sara’s surgery, and the vet clinic performing the procedure agreed to perform the repair at the cost of the amputation after the $500 had been paid. Sara is recovering in a foster home which will adopt her after she has been cleared by our veterinarian.