I WISH for help so my ServiceDog, Zeke, Could Get A Cataract Operation

CLICK HERE to donate towards Zeke's cataract care

Zeke has had quite the life! He was an abused and abandoned dog, about
to be put down in an hour when he was rescued by a Christian
organization that trained Search and Rescue dogs. He spent two years
with them, learning obedience, agility and SAR. They say he was the
best at finding dead bodies, but then he would chase rabbits and
squirrels. Apparently that's what he ate before being placed in a
shelter.



Zeke was retrained and became my service dog. I have myasthenia gravis
and lupus. He is primarily a mobility dog, keeping me from falling,
helping me up from chairs and he tries to make me walk in a straight
line :-)



Zeke developed diabetes in 2005. I give him insulin shots twice a day
and he does well. A complication has been cataracts. He needs them
removed. I live on SSI disabilty and cannot afford that. I'm hoping
someone can help Zeke see well again. He certainly deserves it! Zeke is
a wonderful service dog, loved by all that meet him. It would probably
kill Zeke to retire him. He is an Australian shepherd with a strong
drive to work. He has many good years left.



The two pages of pictures are from when we lived in an underground
house on an organic farm in Vermont. Now Zeke, Aleka the cat and I live
in an apartment in Lakeland, Florida.

peaceandcarrots.homestead.com/ZekePics.html | peaceandcarrots.homestead.com/Zekepics2.html

Storybook Acres fund to help with the animals medical cost

CLICK HERE to donate towards medical funding at Storybook Acres

We are a non-profit rescue for disabled farm animals. Our farm is
called Storybook Acre. We are in need of funding for medical care.

In the past month we have 3 new animals. 2 suffered severe abuse and
have broken bones that will require surgery and one who is blind and
has been kept in a stall all of her life. We will teach our new blind
one how to get around and have freedom on the farm and our other two
will have surgery and we will teach them to adapt and live happy again.

Help Valentino (Rescued Chihuahua) Get His Leg Surgery

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation to Valentino

Valentino is an
adorable little 1-yr old Chihuahua who was rescued from the Harbor
Animal Shelter (San Pedro) where his was a favorite amongst the shelter
volunteers. This little guy is quite a charmer (hence the name), but he
has an old leg injury that needs to be repaired so he can walk right
again!

Before coming to the shelter, Valentino had broken his leg as a pup and
his previous owners never took him to the Vet to get it fixed (can you
imagine... who would let their puppy stay in that condition for all
those months?). Now Valentino tries to walk with a wobbly, crooked leg,
but really needs corrective surgery so he can have full use of it
again.

Thanks to a caring Vet specialist, leg surgery will only cost
$500 (a surgery that would otherwise cost $3000!). It was too good of a
deal to pass up, so we are collecting donations. So please help spread
the word :-)

If you would like to make a donation, it will all go towards Valentino's surgery .

If you do not have PayPal, you are welcome to send a check payable to 'Dogs Without Borders' to:

Dogs Without Borders

Attn: Valentino the Chi

P.o. Box 480296

Los Angeles, CA 90048

Also, please see below for our raffle prize info!!!! Thanks for reading!

Best Regards,

Roxanne

Help my Squeeker smile again!!!

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation to Squeeker

Hello,
this fundraiser is to help my cat Squeeker, aka Eurydice (because she
is so beloved by all who meet her) get her dental procedure so she can
eat, drink, and meow again. She has a fractured tooth that scratches
her tongue so she can't even clean herself now. The total procedure is
$250 and I have $100 from my savings to get her appointed in for this
Friday the 15th of February. The vet will give me 2 weeks to pay the
remainder because I have taken her there for 5 years. I lost my job of
10 years last year as they moved abroad to save money, and had to enter
a debt counseling program which froze all my credit cards. I took a job
making $5,000 less that is 30 miles from my home to make ends meet, and
it has eaten away all I had to keep things going. I would do anything
to help her, even resort to swallowing my pride and asking for help
from complete strangers. Please, if you can help me and Squeeker, I
would surely appreciate it!

Can you help Tess the Mastiff get her Surgery?

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation for Tess

WE
ARE IN NEED OF FINANCIAL HELP FOR TESS. Tess is a permanent foster of
Tiny Paws Wet Noses (a 501c rescue organization), living with the
wonderful family who rescued her.

Tess is a nine month old Old English Mastiff female. Tess is
missing her right front paw because the umbilical cord was wrapped
around it, resulting in the need to amputate the paw at six days old.
She was rescued before she could be taken to the shelter by her
breeder, who "didn't want to spend any more money on her". Tess has
amazed so many with her strong desire to do just about anything. She is
beautiful inside and out, and the most loving and happiest dog. Tess
has a way of charming her way into everyone’s heart. She plays
beautifully with dogs, from lying on the floor and gently playing with
a tiny dachshund, to rough- housing with the big dogs. She's gentle and
sweet with every person she meets, from the tiniest infant on up. She
has successfully completed the Family Manners and Intermediate classes
at the Canine Connection Dog Training, where her foster "mom" is an
instructor, and is ready for her Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog
tests.

About her surgery...

Tess first saw Dr Melvin Pond for an Orthopedic consult in August
in which several different options were discussed: amputation of the
leg, leaving things alone, and the possibility of a prosthetic implant.
As Tess grows larger every day (now over 100#), the strain on the rest
of her body (although not her attitude) has become obvious. Her stub
occasionally bleeds from walking or running too much and we try to
avoid pavement as much as we can.

Tess recently went back in to see Dr Pond and his staff to see
what they could suggest as the best option, due to the fact that she
has tripled in size since our last visit. Dr Pond and his staff were
pleasantly surprised to see good elbows and bones on her X-rays and her
strong will to make the best use of her shortened leg, so it has been
decided that Tess would be a great candidate for the implant. Plans are
currently in the works with the implant company and Dr Pond is working
out an estimate for her surgery.

1/25/07 update

Dr Pond and the implant company met this weekend the grand total
for the surgery is going to be between $6500.00- $7000.00 She will have
to be spayed before and will be getting up a cat-scan for her soon. We
have raised enough money for the CAT scan ($650)plus, but nowhere close
to the surgery cost.

2/5/07 Update

Tess had her CAT scan and charmed everyone at the vet's office. She will be spayed 2/20.

Special Animals Can Cost an Arm and a Leg

For inquiries about adopting Babygirl,
please ask to speak to Linda Hughes at 724-222-738

You will be hard-pressed to find a more amiable cat than “Babygirl” as she is now known. She relaxes in the arms of volunteers who marvel at her unusual physique. In her new digs, Babygirl has more than a “leg to stand on.” She actually has five legs to stand on, but not quite as efficiently as her four-legged roommates. Nonetheless she does get around and has no idea there is anything out of the ordinary about her … except that she has no family to care for her.
Baby Girl had her surgery on February 7th. Her overall health is good. When performing the surgery, the vet found that she also had a large hernia, only one kidney, both ovaries, but only one uterine horn. Both legs were amputated with no problems; the hernia was removed and she was spayed. We are hoping to have her back at the shelter in a day or two, Her prognosis is very good, and it is assumed that she will have a full recovery. She should be available for adoption in approximately three weeks.



We would like ot thank everyone who has contributed on behalf of Babygirl and especially to 9 Lives who pledged to cover all her medical bills.
*All donations in excess of what was necessary to treat Babygirl will be used for our other deserving shelter cats and dogs.

Help needed for rescue chihuahuas

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation to help these chihuahuas

We
recently rescued several chihuahuas from a hoarder and they all need
extensive vet care before being placed in loving homes. One poor girl
needs her knees fixed in order to even straighten her little legs out.
She walks in a crouched down position and tries so hard to run and play
but is constantly falling over. This surgery alone is going to be
upwards of $1500.00. They all need dentals, vaccinations and spayed.
Can you please find it in your heart to send as much as you can? Every
little bit helps and the chihuahuas will be very greatful!!

Cooter needs Surgery....Please Help

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation to help Cooter.

This pup has a real chance $600 has been raised so far...He still needs $1000

My
dog was hit by a car last weekend when I took my daughter to see her
grandmother, only gone for about 4 hours. A wonderful woman stopped on
the side of the road and picked her up and took her to the Hwy 34
Animal Hospital. After a week of recooperating, we have found out that
her hip is out of socket ($1500) and her right knee needs to have
surgery ($600). Cooter has always been an outside dog. She is a cross
between an Irish Wolf Hound and a Lab, she is not a small dog. She was
raised around horses and cattle. This is how she was when I got her.
She usually stays in the yard, and I have never had a problem
before.This dog is such a wonderful dog. She is a frisbee dog, and love
to go duck hunting. The only reason she was hit by a car, is she was
walking the property - and someone veered and hit her. She was not in
the road, she was just on the edge of it. There are plenty of witnesses
that saw it happen. She is only about 3 years old, and still has alot
of life left in her. Please help..... I am a single parent of 2 kids, I
do have other dogs that are inside dogs - and Cooter is their buddy,
but she is use to staying outside. She keeps the coyotes away from our
house, and just the sweetest thing. She greets me at my car everyday
when I come home with her frisbee in her mouth. Please - any amount
will be helpful.


**Please be honest - if you saw a dog on the side of the road, wouldn't you swerve NOT to hit it? I would, and have.



You can verify with Dr. Snyder at 972-524-5552



UPDATE 2/11/08



Her spirits are up. She is not in any pain right now, he is keeping
her on pain medication - but she just can't get around. She is so use
to running and playing. - When I go to see her, she wags her tail, and
since she can't use her back legs yet, she tried to scoot out the cage
to go with me. She really wants to come home. Of course that is after
about 20 mins of me patting her belly. As soon as we come up with the
money for the surgery, we can get it done. Then she will be that much
closer to coming home.


Where she is:

Hwy 34 Animal Hospital

David Snyder DVM

310 S. Virginia St

Terrell, TX 75160

972-524-5552

kitten w/neurological disorder needs your help

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation to Moki

Moki's Story:



Every now and then, cat lovers come across a truly rare find. A
kitten or cat, that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Now that
cat or kitten may not be the healthiest, cleanest, or even the
friendliest, but there is something extra special about them, something
that tugs at your heart strings, something that, well, just melts your
heart. For me, the kitten was Moki.



I first met Moki while volunteering at my local feline shelter. I
had been volunteering for a few months when Moki and his sister Java
where admitted to the shelter. It was kitten season and we had an
influx of kittens in the shelter, many of whom where feral. I like to
think that someone must have been watching out for Moki and his sister,
since we found them on the doorstep of the shelter one night, cold,
scared and hungry.



Over the next few days as I went about my business as usual at the
shelter, but as each day passed, Moki caught my attention more and
more. Perhaps at first it was because, we didn’t normally house
kittens at the shelter, but then it became something more. Moki and his
sister Java were two of six kittens that we could not place immediately
into foster homes. Most of our foster homes wanted cute cuddly kittens,
not untamed wild ones. Looking back on it, I have to admit Moki was
probably the worse one of all. Whenever one of the shelter staff would
try to take him out of his cage, he would pitch a fit something awful.
His ears would go back and he would hiss as loud as he could. When that
didn’t work, he would try hiding under his bedding, in his litter
box, behind his food and water bowls, whatever would make it most
difficult for you to get him out of his cage. His attitude however, did
not fool me. As days passed and I grew more attached to his fitful
ways, I began speaking with my boyfriend about bringing Moki home to
foster. We already had six cats so the decision to bring Moki home to
live with us, was one we had to give much consideration. After a few
days, and some long hard thought, we agreed that this extra special guy
deserved an equally special home, if only on a temporary basis…



The minute Moki meet my boyfriend was amazing. I will never forget
it. Moki and my boyfriend instantly bonded. It was as if Moki had never
been feral. The next few days and weeks went well. We had given Moki
his very own bedroom filled with toys, a scratching post, a queen-sized
bed to sleep on and all the food he could eat. He ran, jumped, played,
purred and delighted in all the attention. Unfortunately, little did we
know, that was about to all change.



Moki had suffered from what at first appear to be a mild upper
repository infection ever since I had brought him home from the
shelter. We didn’t believe it to be anything major. Over the
years I have had a number of cats with URI’s and the shelter had
treated hundreds of cases that appeared just like Moki’s at the
time. Neither of us had any reason to suspect that this would turn out
to be unlike anything either of us had every battled before.



We started Moki on a regular course of antibiotics all the while
believing his symptoms would clear up in a few days. When his symptoms
got worse, instead of better, we took him to the vet. By now Moki had
gone from a little sneezing, slight runny nose and watery eyes, to
being lethargic, and refusing to eat or drink. Along with the
antibiotics, we began force-feeding Moki. We also started him on a
daily routine of sub-q-fluids, which I administered myself at home.
When Moki’s health continued to decline, and his head started
shaking like a diabetic when their insulin level gets to low, we took
Moki back to the vet. This time he stayed over night. I will never
forget what happened next, the month was July, the exact date was
7/27/2007. Blood was drawn from Moki upon his arrival at the hospital
and the result of his blood test came back on the morning of 7/28. The
news wasn’t good. Moki’s had a temperature of 104.3 and a
white blood cell count of 0.7. The normal reference range for kitties
given the test was 3.5 – 16.0. The doctor told us at that time
that Moki wasn’t going to make it. “His white blood cell
count was lower than a cat suffering from leukemia in their final
stage.”



Despite all the odds being against Moki, I couldn’t give up
hope, I wouldn’t give up hope, so since the office where he was
currently being held at, closed on Sundays, I picked up Moki that
afternoon and moved him to an emergency vet. After taking a look at
Moki and the medical records I bought with us, the emergency doctor on
call confirmed what the first doctor had said. Before leaving Moki in
her care, she thought it was best that I say “good bye” to
the sweet little guy, since it was unlikely he would make it through
the night. It was not without much crying, telling Moki to hang in
there and that I would be back to see him again tomorrow, that I let
the doctor take Moki to the back office for the night. If Moki made it
through the night and didn’t have a drastic turn around by
morning, the doctor said she would have to recommend putting Moki to
sleep the following day. That night I just couldn’t sleep. I
cried and prayed and cried and prayed some more. Moki just had to pull
through this, despite the odds…



The next morning I received a call from a new doctor, who had taken
over Moki’s case. The new doctor asked if I could come in right
away to see Moki. She informed me that Moki’s health status
looked nothing like what was described in his medical records from the
night before, and since she was not the doctor on call when Moki was
admitted, she asked that I come take a look at Moki to verify that her
findings where correct and that there hadn’t been some kind of
mistake made.



When I got to the hospital, I to was surprised. Moki, who had been
standing at death’s door only a matter of hours ago, was now
alert and aware of his surroundings. I made the 40 min trek to visit
Moki everyday, over the next few days. While alive and obviously alert,
Moki had suffered some neurological damage. At first we where not sure
if he would ever be able to sit up or eat on his own, was our little
guy doomed to a bed ridden life?



By the end of the third day, Moki managed to sit up on his own,
although it was only for short periods of time, before he would end up
falling over on his side. His head still shook uncontrollably and he
was still unable to stand. Here stood a shadow, of the proud fierce
kitten I had brought home just weeks before. The little guy, who was
ready to take on the world, now couldn’t even manage to crawl
inside his own litter box.



On the upside, the vet techs discovered that Moki could indeed eat
on his own, but only when a plate was held up to his face, and only wet
food. Of course Moki still needed help to sit up for extended periods
of time while trying to eat, but the fact remained that Moki was making
progress!



By the end of the third day, the doctor sent Moki home. At that
time she informed us that she believed Moki had a condition known as
cerebellar hypoplasia. Although Moki tested negative for feline
distemper, the doctor said it was possible that Moki’s mother may
have suffered from the disease at the time Moki was conceived. The
severity of the condition the doctor informed us varies widely among
cats. She could not tell us to which extent Moki may recover, but she
did inform us, that Moki would never get any worse as a result of the
disease.



To be honest, I could have cared less about whatever accommodations
we would have to make on account of Moki’s new found disability.
I was just happy the little guy was alive and home at last, for I had
promised Moki on that dreadful day when I first brought him to the
emergency vet, that if he where to pull through this, he would have a
forever home with me.



Moki’s first week at home was pretty eventful. When the
doctor called to check in on Moki a week and a half after his release
from the emergency hospital we where proud to report that after much
work and lots of struggle, Moki was taking his first few steps on his
own, since recovering from the illness. He was now also able to eat on
his own from a dish placed on the ground.



As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Moki
continued to improve. Before we knew it, four months had passed and we
where able to take Moki completely, off the medicine prescribed by the
emergency vet. Within a very short period of time, after having stopped
the medication prescribed by the emergency vet, Moki had developed a
urinary tract infection. It was now mid Nov. to be more exact.



Our regular vet started Moki on a series of antibiotics to treat
the UTI. When the UTI didn’t clear up we brought Moki back to the
vet. This time Moki’s doctor decided to take an x-ray of
Moki’s bladder and to run another blood test. While waiting for
the results of Moki’s blood work to come back, Moki’s
doctor obtained all of his medical history from the other doctors who
had treated Moki in the past. In the meantime, I brought in some video
footage of Moki walking around at home, that I had recorded in the
past, to show the doctor. When the results of the new blood test came
back, Moki’s doctor found a startling surprise. Moki’s
blood work showed that Moki was FIP positive. After examining
Moki’s prior blood test, the doctor also discovered that Moki had
been testing FIP positive all along. The good news was that with each
new blood test, Moki’s FIP titers where going down. The bad news
came when the doctor examined the videos of Moki I brought in.



After examining the video of Moki, the doctor concluded that Moki
did not have cerebellar hypoplasia. Cats suffering from CH all have the
same tale-tale sign and that is a flagpole tag. Moki’s tail
instead of standing straight up in the air when he walked, fell limply
behind him. Moki was no CH kitty after all. So what was Moki suffering
from?



The new unconfirmed diagnosis was neurological FIP. Since our
regular vet could not confirm his suspected diagnosis, he thought it
best, if I wanted to pursue the issue, to refer me to a specialist at
UC Davis. The Veterinarian Teaching Hospital at UC Davis, he informed
me could do a liver biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of FIP. The doctor
went on to tell me that a FIP positive result on a blood test only
indicates that cat has been exposed to one of many coronavirsus. Most
cats will actually be exposed to a strand of a coronavirsus in their
lifetime, but few will ever come into contact with the strand that
actually mutates into FIP. Given Moki’s neurological problems,
the age at which his symptoms appeared and the positive FIP results on
his blood work, the doctor felt it best to have Moki examined further.
So off to UC Davis we went. If Moki was willing to continue to fight
the battle, who was I to stop him…?



Moki’s his first appointment at U.C. Davis was back in Dec.
There they did an ultrasound, and ruled out obvious liver disease as a
cause of Moki’s neurological symptoms. They also confirmed that
Moki’s bladder was ok, and that he was responding to the
antibiotics being used to treat his UTI. Fortunately, while they
couldn’t rule in or out FIP, they felt that Moki was not
displaying all the normal signs and symptoms, which often accompany the
disease. So now we where back to square one. UC Davis informed us that
Moki was a rare case. The doctors there had not seen many cases quite
like Moki’s so they where uncertain what was causing Moki’s
symptoms. Since Moki had even the neurologist at UC Davis puzzled, they
recommended two separate courses of action. Their first recommendation
was to have an MRI and CSF tap preformed. The problem they informed us
in doing the MRI and the CSF tap lied in the fact that since they had
no idea of what they where dealing with, both of these test might turn
up no results. The two tests where also very expensive and there was no
guarantee that either test would give us a positive answer. Both of the
tests would be used as a way of ruling out possibilities. The underline
hope would be that one of the two tests turned up an answer. The second
course of action would be to meet regularly with one of the two
neurologists that had seen Moki to record his progress. By recording
Moki’s progress and or regression over a period of time, the two
neurologists who saw Moki, might have a better idea of what they are
dealing with.



It is now Feb 6. Moki’s UTI has cleared up. He is doing well.
He still suffers from neurological damage, but it doesn’t seem to
get him down. In fact he has recently started running a little, about
four or five steps before he falls over, and taking small jumps while
he is playing. We decided not to put Moki through all the additional
testing recommended by UC Davis and instead to meet with a neurologist
on a regular basis, that is until such a time that we can raise the
additional money to cover Moki’s tests. In the meantime, Moki has
an appointment set up with the neurologist at UC Davis on March 6 to
continue to record his progress.



Moki’s love for life goes beyond anything words can describe.
He has thought us that there is nothing we cant over come, with the
help of a friend, a little support and lots of love. It is with this in
mind that I have become Moki’s voice, to share with all of you,
what he cannot, the story of his life…



If you enjoyed reading Moki’s story and would like to help,
we ask that you please make a donation. All donations will be used to
cover the on going costs of medical care and testing needed for Moki.
Together we can make a difference.

Help needed for special needs Fiji

CLICK HERE to pledge your donation to Fiji

I just recently purchased a 3 month old puppy from a pet store, she is a 3.5 pound papi-shinese and her name is Fiji. After taking her to the vet I was told she has worms, kennel cough, pneumonia, a collapsed trachea as well as minor knee problems. I saved up for this dog and I didn't think she would have all of these problems. I just don't have more money to pay her vet bills. She is a very sweet and loving dog. She is so young and has so many problems and I really wish she was in perfect condition but unfortunately she is not and I just want to make her better. I would really appreciate your generosity with helping Fiji out. Thank you so much.