Emergency Veterinary Care for Pets of the Homeless

Pets of the Homeless is proud to be the go-to organization for information on pets that belong to the homeless.  We receive calls and emails from reporters, writers, TV, radio and students from around the world.  The human/animal bond, and the how and why of the organization are the most requested information.  As advocates for the pets that happen to belong to a homeless person, we are delighted to share what we have learned.

When Pets of the Homeless was founded, in 2008, the first priority of the organization was to supply homeless and low income with pet food.  The mission evolved over the last ten years and we now offer three additional unique programs that are funded with your help.  Words cannot express our appreciation.

One of our programs is a project on GlobalGiving - Emergency Veterinary Care.

Gizmo

Pets of the Homeless received a call for help from a homeless family living in a campground in Jamul, CA.  Gizmo is three years old and the emotional support dog for a young woman.  Gizmo had been congested and sneezing for about a month so we approved an exam.  He was first prescribed Benadryl for his symptoms, which did not help.  He went back in for a second exam and he had a foxtail up his right nostril.  We approved the procedure to have the foxtail removed.  About a week later, we received another call saying he was not doing any better and now his eye was swollen and he had green discharge coming from his nostril. 

We approved a recheck at the vet.  Their diagnosis was that there were residual hairs left over from the foxtail removal and they advised us that this would require a specialty veterinarian who had a longer scope to perform a Rhinoscopy (an examination of nasal passages) in order to see what was causing the symptoms.  We approved the exam at a specialty vet. 

The vet was able to sedate Gizmo and insert a swab to get a culture of the infected area.  Gizmo was given antibiotics and sent home still presenting symptoms.  Two days later, we received a phone call from Gizmos owners stating that he had “sneezed” out a foreign body and was no longer showing the symptoms of sneezing and wheezing. However, the culture results showed there was a bacterial infection present so Gizmo will be continuing treatment with antibiotics and follow-up care.  We are continuing to work with the family and other nonprofits that can assist with the mounting costs.

Bella Boo

Pets of the Homeless received a call from a homeless advocate in Columbus, OH about a man living in a tent in the woods with his 8-month old Lab mix, Bella Boo.  Bella Boo was in bad shape.  She was vomiting, had diarrhea, white gums and was very lethargic.  A local vet had administered a parvovirus field test, which came back negative.  This dog was sick and needed help.  We were able to speak with the owner and approved an exam at an emergency vet hospital.

The advocates provided transportation to the hospital.  At the hospital, another parvovirus test was done which came back negative. The vet informed us that sometimes the parvovirus can be so bad that it will show as negative on the test.  The doctor wanted to treat the symptoms as if they were parvovirus. We approved and pledged the maximum amount that we could to help with Bella Boo.  The treatment consisted of hospitalization, IV SQ fluids and injections of medications.  She was in the hospital for six days receiving treatment and showed a significant improvement by the end of her stay.  The advocates returned a very healthy and happy Bella Boo to her owner at their home in the woods.

Links:

• http://www.petsofthehomeless.org