Bucks for Bones!
SNIPSA removes abandoned and unwanted animals from high kill shelters on a weekly basis. Many of the animals are injured and have serious medical conditions. While city shelters would like to help such animals, resources are limited and other rescue groups are needed to offer more in depth medical care. SNIPSA is one of these key players and recently removed two wonderful dogs both requiring orthopedic attention.
Sarge is a beautiful 5 year old male yellow lab, with a fractured tibia. While volunteers were visiting the shelter, they couldn’t help but notice him holding up a leg and resting quietly in the back of his run. They knew they couldn’t leave him there to become another statistic. His three day hold expired and still no owner came. He had to be owned, he was too nice of a dog, but why his owner didn’t show, we will never know. SNIPSA volunteers took him to the veterinary hospital to asses the damage- a fractured tibia and heartworms. We had to begin to tackle one problem at a time. There was no time for fundraisers and/or careful financial planning, Sarge’s leg had to be fixed. A dedicated surgeon and his staff carefully put Sarge back together again. With an orthopedic plate, screws, and a pin, he was discharged from the hospital. He would begin to convalesce in his foster home, putting more and more weight on his leg every day. Despite his injuries, Sarge continued to reveal his lab like qualities. He took the heads off of dolls, the filling out of stuffed animals, and food off of the table. We knew he would settle into a family just fine once he had recovered. His heartworms were treated and a wonderful family saw his sweet face and drove all the way from Temple to adopt him. Sarge has settled in and is the light of their lives. They are waiting for the water to warm up so Sarge can enjoy the lakes nearby. Without SNIPSA rescuing Sarge from the shelter, he would have never gotten to enjoy his new life, that he so greatly deserves!
Bismark was SNIPSA’s second orthopedic injury to treat this year. He is a gorgeous German Shepherd who sat at the local shelter for weeks on end, waiting to be adopted. Although people were interested in adopting him, when they discovered he had an injured hip, they changed their minds. This must have happened to Bismark on many occasions, and as the weeks passed, so did his tolerance of being in a small kennel. Once again, another SNIPSA volunteer happened to be at the shelter and noticed that Bismark had been impounded for almost a month. She knew something had to be done. He wasn’t going to get the medical attention he needed there. Bismark was taken to a veterinary clinic and x-rayed. It was discovered that his hip joint was hardly recognizable, obviously the reason for the bad limp. Bismark was immediately scheduled for surgery, where he received a femoral head osteotomy, a salvage procedure to provide relief for his badly injured hip. Bismark is recovering like a champ. He is already putting weight on his leg. He continues to amaze his foster mom with the strides he is making every day. He is truly an incredible example of second chances.
SNIPSA cannot save lives without the financial resources to pay for the often times very expensive veterinary care. Orthopedic surgery is extremely costly. If you would like to help, please click on Bucks for Bones Your donation is greatly appreciated and will help us serve more injured animals in our community. Without generous donors such as you, SNIPSA could not continue in our mission to save adoptable animals!
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A Video Story of Tessa  A large part of the rescues taken in by SPIPSA are dogs and cats that are severly neglected, ill, or injured. Tessa is one such dog. She came to SNIPSA in August of 2007. Severely matted and malnourished, She had to be taught how to eat, being without food for so long, she had forgotten how. Tess never gave up. This is her story in video  |
