Category Archives: injured animals

2021, Adoption, Bully Dogs, County Animal Control, Dogs, FOTAS, injured animals, News, surgeries

Shelter Dog Spirit Overcomes Adversity, Hopes for a Forever Home

Posted on by Bob Gordon
05
May

The 27-pound mixed breed female that hobbled out of the roadside woods to greet Patrick Miller, Animal Control Officer, was bringing a lesson to share.

Patrick suspected a hit and run with the number of cuts in her body and the skew of her bloodied jaw. Her ribs were defined under white and brown fur with the last good meal long forgotten. The left eye also seemed cloudy. It would take a vet to confirm and repair her broken hip, but Patrick knew she was in pain even without an aggressive reaction to his touch. She was one more of the many good dogs that tugged him back to work, day after day, patrolling Aiken County for the lost, abused, and injured. Each case saddened him but rewarded him as well with the chance to help and be part of a success story. And that’s what this is.

Spirit went through surgery to recover from her hit & run injuries.

Dr. Mike Wells, a veterinarian helping the Aiken County Animal Shelter and Dr. Lisa Levy, DVM for the shelter, surgically reset the broken hip and sutured the cuts. The empty sockets of teeth that had been knocked out would heal with the support of antibiotics. Dr. Levy says, “She is one of the most physically challenged dogs we have seen but her spirit has never wavered. The jaw muscles have atrophied and she can only open her mouth enough to eat canned food.”

Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Programs Coordinator, adds, “She is all love and never stopped fighting. We call her Spirit. Dogs like Spirit are the reason FOTAS is so committed to the shelter.”

When Kathy introduced me to Spirit, I knelt on one knee with my camera bag at my side. Spirit without hesitation sat on the bag of this stranger, and leaned into my leg, turning her head to look up at me, nuzzling into my hand. On the exhale of a deep breath, I murmured, “Good dog. What a sweetheart. An inspiration.”

Perhaps that is the lesson Spirit came to the shelter to share… to live for today with joy unburdened by pains and sorrows of yesterdays.

Dr. Levy estimates Spirit is 2 years old. Kathy says Spirit walks well on a leash, appears to be housetrained, but like most trauma dogs, needs personal care and time to adjust.

“Her tongue slips out occasionally through the missing teeth, but no harm, she’ll pull it back or give you kiss,” Kathy said. “Spirit will be as loyal as a pet can be to the lucky people who adopt her.”

If you want to take a short walk with Spirit or quiet get-acquainted time to consider her lesson, call now to schedule a visit: 803-979-2634. If you’re not ready to adopt, visit the County Shelter anyway to feel good, donate, and volunteer.

Their lives are in our hands.

Editor’s Note: Spirit was adopted by a wonderful Aiken family shortly after this column was published by the Aiken Standard.

— by Vince Verrecchio, FOTAS Volunteer

2020, Cats, Dr. Lisa Levy, FIV positive felines, injured animals, neglected pets, News, surgeries

A Tale of Two Kitties: Greg and Torino

Posted on by Bob Gordon
22
Dec

I often wish that animals could talk, so they could tell us what happened to them.

Greg is a complete mystery. He is a big, handsome gray cat but his feet were a disaster when he arrived at the shelter. Three of his feet had big, red fleshy areas on the underside. After sedating him to get a better look, I could see one pad on each foot had split open and what I was looking at was the inside of his pad on the outside! The pad had tried to close around it, so this had been going on for some time.

Surgery was extensive. Two of the pads were toe pads, so it was easier and a better prognosis to remove the toe. He lost a toe on one front foot and one rear foot. The real problem was the other front foot, as that was the large pad he walks on. The excess tissue was removed and the pad sewed closed.

Torino quickly recovered from his surgery and was adopted shortly after becoming available at the Aiken County Animal Shelter.

Unfortunately, pads do not heal well and I was worried about his recovery. As predicted, the surgery site opened again – twice! At that point, I just had to bandage it and let it heal on its own. This required weeks of bandage changes, but Greg was the most patient cat I have every dealt with. He is super affectionate, loves to be held and the whole staff loves him.

Greg tested positive for the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), so he needs to be an indoor-only cat. FIV positive cats can live with FIV negative cats if they get along since it is transmitted primarily by bite wounds. But since we don’t know if Greg gets along with other cats, and don’t want to take a chance of infecting another cat, we recommend he be adopted as an only cat.

Torino came into the shelter with the string from a “fuzzy dice” car ornament wrapped around his rear leg, cutting off the circulation. I had already left for the day so when Judith, my vet tech, called, I thought I would just be going in to sedate him and remove the string. But one look at his leg and I could tell the muscles of his leg were dead. Our only option was an emergency amputation. Dead muscles can quickly make an animal extremely sick.

We had no idea if Torino would be friendly and adoptable. If he was feral, he would not be a good candidate for the surgery as he would require antibiotics and follow-up care. What if we couldn’t get our hands on him the next day? I decided to give him a chance and go ahead with the surgery. The procedure went well and he recovered normally.

Young Xander Stefanakos spends time with Greg, a super affectionate FIV positive cat who needs a loving home.

The next day we could touch him but he cowered in the back of his kennel, preferring to be left alone. Amazingly, after three days, when Judith was cleaning his kennel, Torino rubbed his head against her hand and started purring. He became very loving and was adopted quickly after his recovery was complete.

Both of these cats defied the odds and will make great pets for their lucky adopters. Sometimes they just need to be given a chance. Torino is doing great in his new home and sweet Greg is still waiting to be adopted.

— By Dr. Lisa Levy, Aiken County Animal Shelter Veterinarian

2020, animal abuse, ANIMAL CRUELTY, Dogs, Dr. Lisa Levy, FOTAS, injured animals, neglected pets, News, surgeries

A Song of Survival: The Ballad of Willie Nelson

Posted on by Bob Gordon
09
Sep

I came into work one morning several months ago to find that Animal Control had brought in a medium-sized, black dog who could not stand up. After examination, I found that his back legs worked fine but he could not use either front leg. X-rays revealed that his right front leg had an old gunshot wound just above the elbow that had shattered the bone. The bone had healed as best it could and felt stable when touched. The left front leg was normal on x-ray but had nerve damage.

He was happy and not in any pain, so I planned to keep him a few days, hoping his owner would claim him. But if not, we would euthanize him.

Amazingly after two days, he started to walk on the gunshot leg, but still could not use the nerve-damaged leg. The staff fell in love with him and named him Willie Nelson (because he howls and “sings” when he wants attention). He continued to get stronger on the right leg, but his left leg would collapse every time he tried to put weight on it. We made the decision to amputate the left leg and he healed beautifully.

The day before he was to go up for adoption, he suddenly wouldn’t stand. We x-rayed the leg again and found it had fractured through the area where the gunshot wound was. Because it had not healed well, it couldn’t withstand the strain of bearing the extra weight of him being three-legged. My husband, Dr. Michael Wells, and I decided to repair the fracture with metal pins, which we planned to leave in place for stability. Two of our kennel crew, Brandon and Chase, fostered him while he healed.

Unfortunately, the bone was too soft from all the previous damage and the pins kept backing out. Despite several attempts to reset them, they finally came out completely.

Our next step was a cast, which Willie hated but learned to tolerate. Finally, the day came to remove the cast. Willie walked on his leg but after only a few minutes there was an audible crack. The leg had broken again!

Willie Nelson’s custom-made cart allows him to run and play, despite losing his front legs.

We were heartbroken and out of options. Willie went home to spend a last night with his foster family and we planned to put him to sleep the next day.

That night was pretty depressing at our house. For four months, we had worked with Willie and it was devastating to lose him. I asked my husband, “What if we buy him a custom-made cart?” I talked to Brandon and Chase the next morning and they agreed to adopt Willie if we would purchase the cart. We worked with an awesome company called, “Eddie’s Wheels,” which gave us a shelter discount and built him a cart in just two weeks.

Meanwhile, after talking to Brandon and the people at Eddie’s Wheels, we decided to amputate his broken leg as he would never use it and we didn’t want it to be a source of pain for him.

Willie is still adjusting to his cart but doing great. He is one of the happiest dogs I have ever seen, exhibiting a positive spirit every day of his trying journey.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Dr. Lisa Levy, Aiken County Animal Shelter Veterinarian

2020, ANIMAL CRUELTY, Chained dogs, County Animal Control, Dogs, Dr. Lisa Levy, FOTAS, injured animals, neglected pets, News

Animal Cruelty: If You See Something, Say Something

Posted on by Bob Gordon
12
May

Animal cruelty comes in many forms and is more common than we want to believe. It can be seen in such diverse ways as physical abuse, neglect of basic care, abandonment, dog fighting, and animal hoarding. It can be as blatant and evil as intentionally hurting or torturing an animal, or as a result of ignorance and pet owners never learning the basic needs or proper care of an animal.

Magnolia, who was tied to a tree deep in the woods and left to die, is now healthy, safe and loved by her adopter, Rachel.

Magnolia was left in the woods to die
Recently, a beautiful German Shepherd was rescued from certain death when kids playing in the woods found her tied to a tree. The collar around her neck was embedded into her skin and she was weak from lack of food and water. The kids alerted their parents, who immediately called Aiken County Animal Enforcement. Officer Patrick Miller brought the injured Shepherd to the Aiken County Animal Shelter, where she could be cared for and treated for her deep neck wounds.

The shelter’s veterinarian, Dr. Lisa Levy, had to surgically remove dead tissue to close the deep gash in her neck. The sweet dog was named Magnolia and quickly became a staff favorite. As soon as she was healthy enough, Magnolia was moved to the adoption floor. She was adopted to a young Smyrna, GA woman who drove 185 miles to get her.

“We go on a lot of walks and Magnolia likes to just chill and cuddle when we’re home,” said Rachel Zeisel. “She’s my girl.”

Lois arrived at the shelter so emaciated, she could not stand and walk on her own.

Lois arrived too weak to walk
A starving, seven-year-old hound mix was rescued by Animal Enforcement Officer Mark Graham. He had to carry her into his truck because she was so weak. She had so little muscle in her hip muscles due to lack of nutrition and exercise, she could not walk on her own. Based on pressure sores on her body, this poor dog was likely chained and slept on concrete.

The staff named her Lois and started her on a diet of at least three meals per day. She now has a soft bed in her kennel and is able to stand on her own. Lois is making great progress. But the wounds from her abuse are still healing, so she’s not quite ready for adoption.

If you see animal neglect or abuse, call the authorities
If you see something, say something. Call your local animal control agency as soon as possible if you witness suspected cruelty to animals. If you live in Aiken, call (803) 502.9000, extension 3704. Or email enforcement@aikencountysc.gov.

Lois has been through hell, but she’ll soon be ready for adoption and can look forward to a new, better life with people who will love and protect her.

Document the case as well as you can with dates, times, specific details and, if possible, video footage and photographs from a cell phone. All of these things can help appropriate agencies during an investigation they do of the suspected cruelty.

Their lives are in our hands.


— By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

2020, animal abuse, Chained dogs, County animal laws, Dogs, fostering, FOTAS, injured animals, neglected pets, News

The Discarding of Countless Litters in Our Community Is Sad and Unacceptable

Posted on by Bob Gordon
24
Mar

“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
— Immanuel Kant

Last month, a very kind couple arrived at the shelter with a litter of puppies. They explained that they had been caring for the five-week-old pups for a week or so. We were all saddened to hear that someone tied the pups in a garbage bag and left them on the side of the road, in front of the couple’s home. They would have ignored the bag, but thought they saw it moving. Carefully opening the plastic bag, the couple discovered sad, hungry, filthy puppies inside. The pups were hungry and terrified.

Who does that? Not only could the puppies have died an agonizing death but somewhere there is a mother dog mourning her missing puppies – a mama dog who likely will be having another unwanted litter in the future.

Celeste arrived at the shelter starving to death but somehow recovered completely and was adopted.

This litter was extremely lucky because the couple that found them cared. They stopped, they bathed them, and they fed them.

How often do we drive by a cardboard box or bag on the side of the road? Sadly, I now wonder how often there are puppies or kittens in that box.

As I am writing this, a nice couple walked into the shelter with a crate holding two puppies. They said they were driving and looked out their window and saw the crate with puppies in the woods. They turned their car around to investigate. Two small and social puppies sitting in a crate with a blanket looked up at them with relief in their eyes.

“I have two rescue dogs and two rescue cats…I felt bad when I saw them, they could’ve died there,” said Angela Franks.

Patty the kitten lost her eye to a bad infection because she was discarded like trash.

Every day, another homeless dog or cat arrives at the shelter “damaged”. By that, I mean they come in shot, hit by a motor vehicle, tossed out of a car, or abandoned in the woods or by the road.

Staff and volunteers are continually confused as to why people would hurt or abandon an animal when there are resources around such as the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS) and FOTAS. We have an easy to use site where we can post your pet to rehome at no charge. The County also offers vouchers to help assist those who cannot afford to fix their pets and FOTAS helps through our Fix a Pet program. There is absolutely no reason for the countless litters we see discarded and neglected in our community.

The shelter takes in 300 to 500 dogs and cats each month. The struggle is finding homes for all these pets and yet it is so very easy to prevent these high numbers. Kitten season is quickly approaching and the staff is already preparing by stocking up on formula, baby bottles and supplies. Soon we will have kittens coming in around the clock and never enough foster homes to bottle feed them.

These two puppies, left in the woods to die, were saved by a local couple and brought to the ACAS.

We are desperate for foster homes for litters of puppies and kittens as well as foster homes for those recovering from medical procedures. If you are interested in fostering or becoming a volunteer, please contact FOTAS at info@FOTASaiken.org or stop by the ACAS.

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Programs Coordinator

2019, animal abuse, Bully Dogs, Chained dogs, Dogs, Donate, Foster, FOTAS, injured animals, kennel stress, neglected pets, News, Spay/Neuter, Volunteer

Christmas Heartbreak at the County Animal Shelter

Posted on by Bob Gordon
14
Dec

Help! Strays and owner-surrenders are pouring into the county shelter — 47 animals in the first three days of December! While the good citizens of Aiken County embrace a Christmas season of festivities, family, and hope, the shelter is experiencing the kind of intake numbers normally reserved for summer—the kind that keep us up at night.

Why is this happening now? It’s a mystery—maybe it’s the longer breeding season caused by the very long summer, maybe it’s overwhelmed pet owners dumping their pets like unwanted baggage on county roads and at the shelter, maybe it’s both. We can only guess.

Jay deserves a second chance at a great life. He is going to make a wonderful pet for the lucky person who adopts him.

Even more alarming is the number of abused and neglected animals coming into the shelter. Like Red, a large, exuberant hound scarred with wire marks all over his body. He’s a big puppy who needs the company of other dogs.

Then there’s Jay, an affectionate dog who spent most of his earlier days at the end of a chain. You would think he would be angry and sullen, but he’s one of the sweetest, happiest dogs ever to arrive at the shelter. He’s a 70-pound, white and brindle Bulldog mix who just wants to be loved.

When the Animal Control officers brought in a sweet, gold with white markings hound-mix (now named Carole), she was so skinny, you could count her ribs.

Sky, a beautiful freckled pup, was so weak when she came to the shelter, she couldn’t stand. Once she was given a bed, she wouldn’t leave it except to scarf down a few treats and enjoy a little “me” time with shelter staff and volunteers.

The list goes on and on.

We are baffled and discouraged. The shelter has come so far over the past ten years, yet these abnormally high-intake numbers during a normally low-intake period feels like a setback. Unless and until rampant overpopulation of homeless pets is checked and intake numbers come down, our goal of never having to euthanize another adoptable pet will be in jeopardy.

Carole was skin and bones when she arrived at the shelter — but she was treated and recovered from her neglect –and was recently adopted.

In the meantime, shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers have shifted into hyper-drive to handle the onslaught of animals. They’ve pulled out all the stops: begging transfer partners to take extra animals, aggressively working the new Home-to-Home program, marketing animals regionally on social media, and recruiting more volunteers and fosters.

But we need your help, too.

First and foremost, if you are in a position to adopt a pet, or if you know someone who is considering adoption, now is the time. These animals urgently need responsible, loving homes. Plus, for every animal you adopt or foster, you save two lives—the animal you adopt and the animal that is moved to the adoption floor when the space opens up.

Second, be a spay/neuter ambassador—fix your animals and talk your friends and family into fixing theirs. If you or they cannot afford the cost to spay/neuter, you may be eligible for County or FOTAS financial assistance.

Finally, please make a tax-free donation at www.fotasaiken.org to help us carry on the good work. FOTAS and the county shelter save more animals than any other rescue agency in the CSRA—period.

Their lives are in our hands

— By Joanna D. Samson, FOTAS Vice President

BY THE NUMBERS

In just the first three days of December, the Aiken County Animal Shelter received 47 homeless pets. That’s more than 15 animals per day. Please spay and neuter your pets.

PETS OF THE WEEK

RUSTY: Retriever mix, male, 2 years old, brown & white, 54 pounds – $35

CRYSTAL: Domestic Shorthair cat, female, 11 months old, brown Tiger Tabby, 7 pounds – $10

2019, Adoption, Cats, Dogs, Events, FOTAS, injured animals, kittens, News

Clear the Shelter Event Results in Heartwarming Adoptions

Posted on by Bob Gordon
26
Aug

Last Saturday’s Clear the Shelter event at the Aiken County Animal Shelter was a success, with 40 unwanted pets finding loving homes in four hours.

Part of an annual national effort, the shelter’s standard adoption fees were waived on this day to encourage folks to visit the animals and give them homes, thereby “clearing the shelter” to make room for — and save the lives of — more homeless animals.

Adopted blind cat DREW sits on the lap of his new owner, Kathy Brewer.

Last month, the ACAS received 533 stray animals and surrendered pets, so the timing of this event was ideal. We needed to find these animals homes and the community rallied and responded.

“I had been looking for a cat for my family for a while, and when we saw Drew, we knew it was just meant to be,” said Erica Brewer. Erica’s mom, Kathy, recently had a stroke that severely impaired her vision – so when Erica saw the blind cat, she knew he was the right choice for them. Erica’s wife, Jessica, and their two daughters, Makayla and Makenzie, held and petted Drew while the adoption process was completed.

“Drew adjusted to his new home right away,” Erica said. It’s like he’s been living there for years. Everybody loves and spoils him rotten. There’s just something about him – he’s a special cat.”

Deke meets his new human brother.

While Drew was being put in his carrier to go home on Saturday, a kitten name Juliet was selected for adoption by Samantha Maynard. Carrying her 7-month-old son, John Keith, in her arms, she said, “I saw the shelter was having this event, so we drove out here to find him a pet. Everybody has been helpful and friendly. It’s been a great experience.”

Meanwhile, three senior dogs, a senior cat and 13 heartworm positive dogs were also adopted on this day, including black Lab mix Deke, who bonded with an autistic boy looking for a support animal. Thanks to your donations to FOTAS and its “Have a Heart, Save a Heart” program, all of the heartworm positive dogs at the shelter go home with medicine to treat and cure their condition. Thank you so much for coming out and adopting these animals in need.

Kitten JULIET gets adopted by Samantha Maynard during Clear the Shelter Day, Aug. 17.

While the shelter continues to be overwhelmed with more strays and unwanted pets received each day, your help and participation make such a difference! If you are looking to adopt, foster or volunteer, please come to the Aiken County Animal Shelter, 333 Wire Road. Or contact FOTAS at (803) 514-4313 or info@fotasaiken.org.

Their lives are in our hands.

–By Bob Gordon, FOTAS Communications Director

BY THE NUMBERS
Nationwide, the Clear the Shelters 2019 campaign, resulted in the adoption of more than 147,000 pets from nearly 2,000 participating shelters. Since it began in 2015, the Clear the Shelters initiative has resulted in nearly 400,000 pets finding their forever homes.

PETS OF THE WEEK

PRISCILLA
Mixed breed, female, 2 years old, 36 pounds – $35

KAI
Domestic Shorthair, male, 3 months old, Tabby, 2 pounds – $10

2019, Demodex, Dogs, Foster, fostering, FOTAS, injured animals, kittens, neglected pets, News, Volunteers

Fostering Medical Needs Pets Brings New Challenges, Many Rewards

Posted on by Bob Gordon
19
Aug

This has been a long summer at the Aiken County Animal Shelter (ACAS). Kittens thrown from car windows, dogs starved, puppies abandoned in the woods…we’ve seen all these scenarios come through the door again and again.

FELICITY is no long in the shelter but is instead recovering from her condition in a FOTAS volunteer’s comfy, quiet home.

Shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers work so hard to help the many pets that are surrendered or found as strays. But look at the numbers: 500 plus animals per month, forty dogs and cats in one day. Where are we expected to put them? So many of these homeless pets need time to heal properly from neglect and abuse. To save them, we need community involvement. We need foster homes.

Luckily, we have a terrific group of foster volunteers. We just need to add to our team.

Today Gary Ly is picking up Felicity. Gary is one of those special foster dads who gives our medical needs dogs a safe and happy home for a month, or even two. We never even have to ask; he will call and tell us he has time for another long-term foster. How awesome is that!

Thanks to FOTAS Foster Gary Ly, Demodex puppy FELICITY is getting the quiet environment and socializing time she needs to regain her fur.

Felicity is a one-year-old, reddish, medium-sized cutie who longs for attention. She came in mostly bald due to Demodectic Mange or “Demodex”. Demodex is very common to any shelter and we never have enough foster homes to manage all the cases. It’s not contagious, but it can worsen from stress like that caused by being in a loud, strange environment. Felicity just needs a quiet place away from the shelter to heal. When 50 other dogs are barking, it is not an ideal place to recover.

She will go home with Gary and we will provide all her food and medicine while he provides her with love and time. Felicity will come back furry, happy and home ready!

We also had a litter of seven puppies, only a few pounds each. When young puppies are scared and without vaccinations, they are susceptible to getting sick. This litter came in and received their first vaccinations but needed a foster home for two weeks, until they could get another vaccination and be ready for adoption.

Thankfully, Anne Laver was available. Anne is one of those loving people who always has a horse stall free for a litter of pups. After she took them in, they came back so happy and socialized!

When we can’t find fosters, often members of the staff step up and take care of the animals. Gibson, a sweet Tabby kitten, was brought to the shelter with a severe hip injury. His hip is expected to heal but only if he can enjoy some extra TLC in a quiet environment. ACAS Adoption Coordinator Hillary Clark-Kulis, as she has done for so many infant felines, brought Gibson home to nurse him back to health. She has been fostering him for about a week and the hope is that he’ll fully recover from his injuries by the end of the month.

Medical needs kitten GIBSON with his foster mom, ACAS Adoption Coordinator Hillary Clark-Kulis.

Because there is always demand for special needs fosters, we are asking for your help with this specific type of situation. But we also have a need for short-term fosters for healthy animals ready for adoption. If you could just try fostering one time, we think you would see how amazingly rewarding it is!

To give fostering a try, please call FOTAS at (803) 514-4313, email us at info@fotasaiken.org or stop by the ACAS located at 333 Wire Road.

Their lives are in our hands.

— By Kathy Jacobs, FOTAS Program Director

2019, Adoption, Cats, FOTAS, injured animals, kittens, neglected pets, News

Mama Jeanne: Suffering and Sacrifice Lead to Cat’s Adoption

Posted on by Bob Gordon
28
Jul

She arrived during the shelter’s cruelest season, a cat whose story of suffering and sacrifice made us all stop just to take it in. Because of all we don’t know about the cat now called Mama Jeanne, what we do know says it all.

She gave birth to four kittens as a starving stray, then got hit by a car when she left them to find food. With a crushed right leg and a broken left hip, she dragged herself back to her babies and kept nursing them anyhow. Animal Control officers found her days later and brought the little family into the Aiken County Animal Shelter. It would be their home for weeks.

Mama Jeanne could barely stand when she arrived, but pushed through excruciating pain to keep being a mom. Amazingly, her hip healed while she nursed. Her kittens grew healthy and were adopted. But Mama Jeanne’s crushed leg did not respond to treatment and had to be amputated. So, as a newly three-legged adult cat with no pedigree and little promise, she was left to compete for a home in a shelter so crowded it’ll take in 1,500 animals May through July. The shelter’s vet, Dr. Lisa Levy, was worried about Mama Jeanne’s chances and asked me to post her plight on social media.

Young cat Mama Jeanne was badly injured when a car hit her — but she kept caring for her kittens.

Meanwhile, Irene Marie Ortega was working nights as a nurse at the burn center in Augusta, GA. For several months, she spent time between shifts scrolling through websites of shelters as far away as New York looking for the right cat.

“They were cute, but I didn’t feel a connection.” Then, on July 10, she saw Mama Jeanne’s post on Facebook. “I was so touched with her story. After just one reading, I was sure she was The One.” She traded shifts with another nurse to adopt Mama Jeanne that day.

Three-legged cat Mama Jeanne with her new “mom,” Irene Marie Ortega.

Because, in many ways, Mama Jeanne’s story is hers too.

Ortega’s three children were tiny when she became a single mom. A native of the Philippines living in Chicago, she had to find the courage and persistence to make a new life. She moved to the Atlanta area and then Augusta, where she worked nights in nursing homes, spent days in nursing school, and in-between gave it all to care for her children.

“No matter how hard the struggles were, I endured everything just to give the best to my kids,” says Ortega, whose children are now grown and pursuing their own careers in nursing and medicine. “I felt the pains of Mama Jeanne. I’m a single mom, too. I want to give her the life she deserves after all she went through.”

Mama Jeanne was adopted not despite her broken story, but because of it. Social media can be a lifeline for animals otherwise lost in the crowd of overflowing kennels. Like it was for the mama cat who gave her all.

“We love Mama Jeanne so much. She’s safe now,” Ortega says.

Their lives are in our hands.

– By Martha Anne Tudor

BY THE NUMBERS

From May 1 to July 27, the County Animal Shelter received more than 1,500 strays and surrendered pets.

PETS OF THE WEEK

HECTOR

Mixed breed, male, 2 years old, 55 pounds – $35

RODRIGO

Domestic Shorthair Tuxedo, male, 2 months old, 1.5 pounds – $10

2019, Dogs, FOTAS, injured animals, kittens, neglected pets, News, Shelter staff, surgeries, surrendered pets

A Tale of Tails: A Little Bit Shorter Now

Posted on by Bob Gordon
18
Jul

We have all experienced that strange phenomenon where things seem to come in waves, or the old saying that things happen in “threes”. Well for the month of June that trend was tail surgery and it wasn’t three; it was five! I normally perform one or two tail amputations per year. But this particular month the tail injuries kept coming.

First there was Bolt. Bolt is a very energetic Pittie mix. After only a few days at the shelter he developed what we lovingly call “happy tail”. He wags his tail so much he hit it against the walls of his kennel causing the tip to bleed. Normally a wrap on his tail for several days resolves the problem. Unfortunately, Bolt was not a fan of having his tail wrapped and despite bitter apple spray and the dreaded cone of shame around his head, he still managed to get his wraps off. The tail wound kept getting worse and finally I decided to amputate his tail when it became clear that it would never heal. His facial features are a little like a Boxer’s, so we made his tail end match.

His tail healed beautifully and we may have prevented his forever home from having to deal with that exuberant tail knocking everything off the coffee table.

Scraps arrived with a badly injured tail but felt better after the dead tissue was surgically removed.

Then came the 3 kittens Scraps, Sagwa, and Ren. They came in about a week apart.

Scraps was first. About ¾ of his tail was black and hard, meaning all of the tissue was dead and had been for a while. After surgery, the poor little guy hardly had any tail left, but then again neither does a Manx cat. However, he was more playful after surgery, so I think he felt better without that dead tail.

Sagwa is a beautiful little Siamese mix. She came in with the last half of her tail just hanging on by a piece of skin and the bone exposed. She healed very quickly and was adopted within one hour of being put on the adoption floor.

Last of the kittens was Ren. He was the luckiest of the three as only about the last third of his tail was injured, so he was able to keep most of his tail.

Black kitten Ren goes home with his new family.

Finally, there was Magyver (yes, I spelled it wrong on purpose). He is one of my most challenging cases this year. He is a shepherd mix brought in by animal control with multiple areas on his body covered in maggots. In order for a dog to be that severely infested, they have to be weak enough to allow flies to stay on them long enough to lay eggs, which then hatch into maggots.

My two vet techs and I got to work and it took an hour to shave all the affected areas and flush out all those gross little things. After many years of practice there are not a lot of things that make me squeamish, but maggots are still one of them. (You’ve heard the expression “gag a maggot”. Well, I really think it’s the people who gag!)

X-rays revealed he had a fractured pelvis which is probably why he was reluctant to move to stop the flies. The next few days his skin felt like leather from all the scabs. He would not make eye contact and his eyes looked defeated.

Bolt looks better — and feels better — with a docked tail.

I wasn’t sure he was going to make it but slowly with medication he started to improve. Then his tail turned black and I knew the tissue was so damaged it could not be saved. So Magyver became my fifth tail amputation. As he healed, his spirits started to improve and after two weeks we finally got our first wag of that stump of a tail. I was so happy I almost cried. He was finally showing us he was happy to be alive.

The next day I got my first kiss on the face. His skin continued to heal and his hair is growing back. This amazing dog is in foster care and getting stronger every day. And that makes it all worthwhile.

–– By Dr. Lisa Levy, ACAS Veterinarian