by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know Wikipedia says that an animal shelter is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed? Basically animal shelters provide temporary homes for pets. Although that is our main function, our shelter also happens to be in some cases, an emergency clinic for triage before transporting the animal to a veterinary hospital and shelter staff often become nurses administering medications and support care following veterinary prescriptions and instructions. It’s not just cleaning, feeding and socializing which is more than enough on any given day.
Mira is a very senior cat whose owner passed away and for far too long went without veterinary care. She was emaciated and losing fur when found. She has had to be treated for skin issues, an upper respiratory infection and thyroid. She now requires force feeding, antibiotic medications and nebulization twice daily, thyroid and allergy relief tablets. She is not happy with all of the fussing but we hope to get her in better health so she can rest comfortably in our care.
We had quite a scare with one of the senior dogs recently. Weighing in at 123 lbs. this big boy began vomiting and not wanting to eat. Despite his reluctance to get up, we managed to get him to the vet and two x-rays later showed that he has pneumonia and a belly full of gas, making him very uncomfortable. Being an older dog, he was previously diagnosed with arthritis and taking joint supplements. Cold, wet weather affects his joints like humans, so he was laying down more often than not. A shot of cerenia curbed his vomiting and relieved his stomach discomfort, but pneumonia is his big issue. Due to his XL size, the vet hospital did not have an oxygen setup big enough for him. I called three 24 hour hospitals to find out if they could help him and at what cost. All three said yes for $10,000 plus a night! Knowing this was an impossibility for our not for profit organization, our vet suggested caring for him at the shelter with twice daily antibiotic and ear flush medications along with nebulizing him three times a day followed by coupage, a technique to loosen the secretions in the lungs by cupping the hand and patting the side of the dog’s chest with the dog in a sternal position. Two days have passed and already this dog appears brighter, is eating and getting up for walks!
We were so afraid of the alternative but diligence has thus far paid off. We only had three choices to make for him. 1. Get him to a 24 hour veterinary hospital for $10,000+; 2. Euthanize him; 3. Follow veterinary instructions and pray. We chose number 3 because the shelter animals are our day pets and deserve our love and our care while in shelter.
There are many more shelter animals that require some sort of special care during their stay and we are ready, willing and able to make sure they get it. It’s what we do. It’s who we are.
Pets of the Week
Ira and Mira are elderly pets left behind when their owner passed away who had been without care for far too long. Ira is a neutered male Pekinese mix who is blind, needs eye medications, uses wee wee pads and alerts you when its time to eat. Mira is a frail black short hair female who loves gentle stroking. She can be vocal when she wants your attention. Both sleep a lot and are in need of hospice homes due to their ages and medical issues.
Adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473
