Emergency Veterinary Care for Pets of the Homeless

David has been homeless for about a year now and has been living in his vehicle with his one-year-old chihuahua named Roxi. He does not receive much help from organizations but he does receive his mail at the Arcata House Partnership Administration office.

David heard of Feeding Pets of the Homeless through a friend we had previously helped. The pair live in a town called Arcata in California.   

They were taking a walk down a familiar path in the woods.  David had realized that this area had dry grass and many fox tails laying around, which he didn’t get too bothered with since he knew Roxi was smart enough to not go near foxtails.

Upon the intake interview it was discovered that Roxi did sniff something from the ground the day they went for a walk. Roxi had been showing symptoms such as sneezing dramatically and breathing as if she had asthma. David thinks that there is something in her right nostril that is making her sneeze uncontrollably and have difficulty breathing correctly.

Roxi’s case manager was able to get an exam approved and pre-authorized with one of our network hospitals in Eureka which is a neighboring city of Arcata.

Once the exam was performed, the doctor discovered that Roxi indeed had a foxtail in her nose which caused her to sneeze so much.  Roxi was given anesthesia and surgery was performed to remove the foxtail.  Roxi is doing so much better and is no longer sneezing or having troubles breathing.

David was so thankful for Feeding Pets of the Homeless and those who donate to help them with their pets care. Feeding Pets of the Homeless provided assistance in the amount of $304 (after a hospital discount) towards Roxi’s care.

This case illustrates that even something as small as a foxtail can be expensive.  When you are homeless and your pet is injured or ill and you not have resources to get the help for your pet it is stressful for both pet and owner.   

Many of our clients call with anguish in the voice or are sobbing because they can’t stop the suffering of their beloved pet.

Your donations help dogs like Roxi and homeless like David. 

Every day we get calls asking for help... during 2021 staff called or took over 11,700 calls.   Today we have over 135 cases that are pending.  Pending because we need to verify homelessness, or we are waiting for an appointment at a hospital.   Even with over 1,260 hospitals in our network we sometimes have to find new ones in cities that we have none. 

I am reaching out to you to ask that if you know or have a veterinary hospital for your own pet, please share our mission with your veterinarian.

Links:

• Feeding Pets of the Homeless