Animals pat life

“Just hold on, little guy. You can do it.” An Animal Friends vet tech is holding a small bundle of fur in her hand – no more than a few days old – named Billy. Frequently called “bottle babies,” this neonatal kitten has just been brought to Animal Friends and is in dire need of medical attention. His breathing is shallow and his body is cool to the touch. Billy’s needs help immediately so the kitten is rushed to the trusted emergency vet clinic. He recovers, slowly but surely, there for a few days. It’s the crucial first step that began the journey to his second chance. Animal Friends’ staff veterinarian fell in love with Billy and is currently fostering the little gray ball of fluff. She dubbed him such his unique-sounding meow was reminiscent of a billy goat when he was being fed. Now that Billy’s of sound health, he must learn another important part of growing up for a kitten – socialization. Animal Friends’ medical staff matched Billy up with Ken, another underweight kitten that n

“Here you go Patches. There’s yummy treats in there.” An Animal Friends’ volunteer sat with the 6-year-old Calico, feeding her from a cup. Each time she took food, the volunteer would click, thus beginning Patches’ clicker training. Each click catches or marks the desired behavior that the animal should repeat. Patches was surrendered to Animal Friends this past January and has since been through the respiratory ringer. Twice our staff rushed her to the emergency vet because of severe asthma attacks. She wasn’t responding well to oral medication and even underwent oxygen chamber treatments. She needed something more manageable and immediate in event of another emergency. She was prescribed an inhaler to help her get through her asthma attacks. But Patches needed to get used to it so she didn’t refuse when she needed it most. That’s when our medical staff and volunteers teamed up. Together they devised a plan to desensitize Patches to her inhaler. And of course the best way to do this

“What are you doing here fella,” murmurs a Good Samaritan. He found a 10-year-old Chow Chow mix, Teddy, on his porch on a frigid, winter evening. Teddy was wearing a collar without tags and dragging some-20 feet of cable. This fluffy, little guy was someone’s dog. Without identification the man had no choice but to set out to find the owners. Alas, his search was fruitless – so he turned to Animal Friends. Upon Teddy’s arrival, it didn’t take long for staff to notice he was alarmingly head-shy. So much so, he needed to be muzzled to complete his physical exam. The medical team found his ear canals to be in terrible shape – it’s no wonder he was incredibly sensitive to touching on and near his ears. Despite knowing the origin of his sensitivity, his chances of being available for adoption didn’t look good. Before all animals (dogs, cats and rabbits alike) can be available for adoption at Animal Friends, their behavior must be assessed by our behavior team. This includes a few tests to

Snip, snip, snip … Cerulean’s foster mom is in her front yard snipping clover. Doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary, except it’s 1 a.m. and she’s worried sick that the young rabbit was refusing new food. In her first year of life, Cerulean had already been to the ICU twice and seen by no less than six veterinarians. Her medical challenges proved to be a bit of an enigma but Animal Friends wouldn’t give up. Normally, Cerulean responded well to her favorite foods (she’s even been known to beg for a banana!) but with every treat refusal, her foster mom’s worry only grew. Cerulean needed to eat. Her foster mom even ran to her local supermarket several times – an apple here, dandelion greens there – leading up to her 1-a.m. harvest. Then it dawned on her – clover! The veterinary staff that cared for Cerulean during her ICU stay reported her love for fresh clover. Holding her breath with cautious optimism, foster mom offered her freshly picked, homegrown clover to Cerulean. And she ate ever

A little face poked out of a carrier. A face covered in open wounds and sores. Little did Violet know but being brought to Animal Friends was the one of the best things that could’ve happened to her. The couple that had her couldn’t care for her. They didn’t want to deal with her medical issues. Animal Friends staff sees these situations all the time, but this one was different. The mange that plagued Violet was one of the worst cases Animal Friends’ medical staff had seen. Despite being in as much pain as she was, her tail just wouldn’t stop wagging. While there were many components to Violet’s medical needs, she wasn’t just another case to be treated. She was so much more than that! She was a puppy that didn’t know how to be a puppy. And Animal Friends was there to teach Violet that too. In between diluted bleach baths (it helps to kill the mites) and shots of antibiotics and special vitamins, Violet learned to sit and give paw with some practice. And one day, Violet’s favorite staff