Unfortunately, it isn't just dogs and cats who need help. December 13, 2008 one of our volunteers was shocked to see two small animal cages on the side of the road with no one around. She pulled over to see what was in the cages and in each cage sat a guinea pig. The signs on the cages said one was male and one female, both a year old. There was also a note saying the owner was moving and the guinea pigs were free. The volunteer immediately picked them up and decided to foster them until APAWS could place them. Luckily we have two people ready to adopt them once they are healthy. Both piggies have severe urine burn on their feet caused by not changing their bedding and cleaning the cage regularly. The male will have to have both urine and blood tests done to figure out why his fluid intake and output is extremely high.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that all animals deserve a healthy, happy and safe life. Acquiring any animal for your home comes with a promise to care for that animal for its entire life. If you can't care for an animal please contact a reputable rescue group for help rehoming the animal. No animal should ever be left on the side of the road.

Update October 28, 2009 - Alanis had surgery to remove the cancer from her ears on October 26, 2009. The surgery involved removing a large portion of both ears. She is still under veterinary supervision to make sure her ears heal well. Right now she is doing very well and her prognosis is good!

We received a plea from the East Baton Rouge Animal Control; they had a senior cat with a deformed front leg. She isn’t very adoptable, but something about her made everyone she came in contact with want to help her. She will not be going up for adoption due to her advanced age and the possibility she has cancer. She will remain in her foster home receiving love and attention for perhaps the first time in her life.

Update December 16, 2008 - Annie came to see Santa at PetSmart this weekend. All of our volunteers were thrilled to see her with hair and looking like the golden retriever she is. We are still paying on her vet bills, Annie has cost our group approximately $2,000. Donations were able to cover part of it, but not all. If you are looking for a way to get a tax deductible donation before the end of the year please consider donating for Annie.

Update September 22, 2008 - Annie is now in her foster home. She is doing well considering her condition. It is amazing to the vet and all of our volunteers how much love this little girl has, especially considering her health. Her tail has not stopped wagging since her rescue. Everyone expects Annie to make a complete recovery and be a beautiful, happy dog. She is a six to nine month old golden retriever mix

Annie was found at the WBRZ news station. She was in horrible shape very close to death. When found she was covered in ants and nothing more than a skeleton covered in skin. One of the people who found Annie called a vet in Baton Rouge for help, he referred her to us. He said if anyone would help her, APAWS would. By the time contact was made with APAWS someone had contacted animal control and Annie had been picked up. One of our volunteers called animal control to let them know she was on her way to get the dog. She was warned that Annie was in horrible condition and they were going to euthanize her upon arrival. Unfortunately our animal control facility does not have the funding, space or staff to provide veterinary care for animals in this condition. The Baton Rouge area relies on rescue groups with dedicated volunteers and private donations to save the unwanted and neglected. We were very fortunate animal control released her to us in hopes we could help her.

Annie is currently at Old Hammond Animal Hospital. Her initial diagnosis shows demodectic mange with secondary staphylococcus and yeast infections. Due to the severity of the infection a very aggressive treatment must be followed and she may not survive. We are dedicated to giving this sweet girl every chance at leading a healthy, happy life. Our small group is in dire need of assistance at this time. Hurricane Gustav put many of our volunteers in financial trouble as they replace lost food, animal meds and fences. Our volunteers are focusing on getting their families (human and animal) back to normal they are unable to contribute to this little girl's care.

Arabella was found dodging traffic on a busy street. A kind man saved her from being hit by a car, but could not keep her. The vet's office where Arabella was brought contacted APAWS to see if we had room for this girl. APAWS agreed to take her in, at that point the vet did an exam before she went to her foster home. The vet determined that Arabella was pregnant. She appeared to be in good shape, but did not have any tags on or a microchip. Signs were posted in an effort to find the owner, but the owner couldn't be found.

On Sunday, February 8, 2009 Arabella gave birth to six healthy puppies. We aren't sure what breeds they are, but mom and pups are doing great! We will provide a safe place for mom and pups until all can be adopted.

Unfortunately many animals don't get this happy ending. Thousands of animals are killed each year in East Baton Rouge parish due to pet overpopulation. Please get your pet spayed or neutered as early as the vet will allow. If you are not in the financial position to pay for the surgery please contact Spay Baton Rouge. This is a nonprofit group dedicated to lowering the number of pets killed each year through spay and neuter.

This guy was not only abandoned, he suffers a number of health problems. He is heartworm positive. He is also incredibly thin with a matted coat. He has a severe yeast infection in his ears. The yeast from his ears has leaked into his eyes causing an eye infection. We were able to get him into the vet's office Saturday for his initial visit. He went to his foster mom with a bag full of medication. After the hurricane we will be able to work with the veterinarian to get him healthy and ready for adoption.

One of our volunteers noticed a grey tabby in her neighborhood. He didn't come up to her and appeared well fed and healthy. Since most of her neighbors let their cats outside she figured he was an owned cat allowed to wander the neighborhood. After a year of seeing him on and off, he approached her one evening crying. His coat was rough and he had lost a lot of weight. She got him some food and he came right to her allowing her to pick him up. Many people leave their pets when they move to a new home assuming the pet will be able to 'fend for themself.' A statement that is very untrue for our domesticated animals. She brought him in and set him up in a crate, it is APAWS policy to separate new animals until vet care is received. She was able to secure the first available appointment for his checkup and neuter after the hold was up to make sure he didn't still have a family.

On the day of his appointment the vet called for authorization to perform further surgery. Caesar had been shot with a pellet gun in his side and the pellet needed to be removed. We can only speculate what this guy has been through, but it certainly wasn't good. He is a young cat, most likely around two years. In his short life he has been abandoned, shot and starved. He is now in the care of his foster mom as he gains weight and recovers from his surgery. He seems very happy to know that getting food is a daily occurance along with lots of cuddles and kisses. He is incredibly sweet and will make a great feline addition to any home.

Caesar looking for loves

After the surgery to remove the pellet

The pellet taken out of Caesar

Update 03/18-2010 - Sadly Duke passed away at the vet clinic last night. The vet isn't sure exactly what happened, but feels he had a congenital defect which made him more susceptible to the coccidia. He did experience love in his short life and we fought for him until the end.

Update 03/17/2010 - Duke is still in critical care at the vet office. The vet isn't sure if there is something else going on, or if we are just dealing with coccidia. The recommendation was made to euthanize because his liver proteins are falling and his temperature was 90 degrees. As the vet discussed euthanizing with the foster he began perking up and his temp rose to 101 degrees. The decision was made to continue fighting as long as he is willing to fight. He received an infusion of plasma today and continues to receive I/V fluids and medication.

Duke was rescued by APAWS on March 6, 2010. When he came to us he was very lethargic and needed immediate veterinary attention. Our vet diagnosed him with severe coccidia and put him on the appropriate medication. Unfortunately the medication was not enough to kill all of the coccidia. The weekend of March 13th we feared he would pass and brought him to the vet for hospitalization. He is receiving I/V fluids and double the normal medication for coccidia.

Update February 11, 2010 - Her surgery was successful! Unfortunately it was more involved
than we initially thought. The injury was older than suspected and due to the calcification of the bone more work had to be done to repair it. She cannot place any weight on her leg and must remain crated only let out to be carried to potty three times a day.

Sunday, February 7, 2010 we were contacted by a LSU vet student fostering for us about a puppy that had just come to the clinic. The puppy is a 4 - 5 month old catahoula who was hit by a car. Her family couldn't afford the necessary surgery and left her at LSU. Unless a rescue agreed to take her they were going to euthanize her that evening. Monday we took her to one of our vets for x-rays. She has multiple fractures in her rear right leg. The vet thinks he can pin the leg to save it, if that doesn't work she will need an amputation.She had surgery this morning, and we are currently awaiting the call regarding the status.

Update November 12, 2009 - Eros had surgery at LSU on November 11, 2009. Without surgery he would have died before the end of the year. With surgery there was a big chance he would not make it through surgery. Eros is a miracle puppy - he pulled through the surgery with flying colors! He could not have done any better and is on his way to a full recovery!

Update October 26, 2009 - Eros had a check up at LSU last week. He now weighs 4.4 pounds. Although the beta blockers have brought his blood pressure down a little, it is not enough. The LSU cardiologist wants to do a check up on November 10 with a potential surgery on November 11. If the surgery is not done within the month Eros will most likely die. We are trying to come up with the money for the surgery in order to save this little guy.

Update October 15, 2009 - Eros now weighs 3.2 pounds, he was 2.4 pounds when he came to APAWS. He is taking his beta blockers every day and making his foster mom work hard at keeping him from being too active. Right now we are trying to give him time to grow so he has a chance of surviving the surgery and securing funds for the surgery. If you would like to donate towards Eros' surgery please go here.

Update September, 29, 2009 - An EKG revealed the Eros' correct condition. He has a severe valvular pulmonic stenosis with secondary severe right ventricular hypertrophy. In plain English the valve going to his lungs does not open properly and forces his heart to work harder to push blood through it, this is causing him to have very high blood pressure. He is currently on blood thinners as he becomes old enough to have the necessary surgery. His prognosis is poor, but as long as he is willing to fight so are we. His surgery is estimated to cost $2,000 to $2,500. Please visit the Texas A&M Vet School site for detailed information on the condition and treatment.

Eros is the result of an irresponsible owner. The owner of his parents didn't get them spayed and neutered. They did what intact pets do and had a litter of pups. APAWS took in the pups in order for them to have the chance at a great life. Two of the three pups are healthy, Eros is not.

Eros has a congenital heart problem, Patent Ductus Arteriosus, common in small dogs. Without heart surgery he will not survive to adulthood. We realize many people feel a $1,000 is too much to spend on one dog. Fortunately for Eros we disagree! When asked how many dogs we could save with that $1,000 our president responded one!

Eros is a very happy, playful pup. His foster mom is having problems keeping him calm, which is necessary to prevent a heart attack. He isn't in any pain at this time and will make a wonderful pet for an adopter once his surgery is completed.

Frank was adopted in October of 2009. He's an eight (8) month year old, black, DSH cat.

Frank has been diagnosed with Medial Patellar Luxation (MPL) in both his back legs. A luxating patella (or trick knee, subluxation of patella, or floating patella), is a condition in which the patella, or kneecap, dislocates or moves out of its normal location. Eventually, Frank’s back legs will become too lame or cause too much pain for him to use, so surgery is needed to correct the problem.

Frank has also been diagnosed with Hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip socket that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints. The MPL and Hip dysplasia seem to be directly related to each other.

Estimated surgery costs for Frank are about $2400.

Hurricane Gustav

Ice Princess

Ice Princess was rescued from a Louisiana animal control on January, 8, 2010. We had an approved adopter looking for a siberian husky, they viewed her on the animal control's website and said they wanted to adopt her. APAWS pulled her from the animal control and immediately brought her for a health check. She appeared healthy and we assumed she would go directly from the vet's office to her new home. Unfortunately her health check revealed she had a severe case of parvo. At her estimated ten months old she should have already been vaccinated against this horrible disease, but she wasn't. She had a guarded prognosis due to the severity of the parvo and her low weight. She weighed 30 pounds which is very thin for her size.

Our volunteers worked closely with the diagnosing veterinarian providing her the necessary supportive care. At one point her fever jumped to 107.7 and we feared she wouldn't make it much longer. We are happy to report she has fully recovered! She did lose weight during her fight, her lowest weight was 22 pounds. Our volunteers are working hard to feed her food that is both tasty and easy on her recovering stomach.

Ice Princess is truly a miracle. She overcame a horrible disease, obvious abuse/neglect in her past and being dumped at a truck stop. Our volunteers are now working with the family who wanted to adopt her to get her ready for their home. They are ready to feed her the boiled chicken and liver she seems to thrive on along with her puppy kibble. They are also ready to provide her the extra attention and love she needs as a dog that was previously abused.

We are very happy Ice Princess is our first miracle of the year!

Ice Princess 1/8/2010

Ice Princess 1/27/2010

Lucky was rescued in Lafayette when a woman called animal control to report a dachschund
being attacked by two other dogs. The animal control officers immediately responded and rescued the dog. Lucky's throat was ripped open. The owner was found, but after seeing the injuries the owner surrendered Lucky to aninmal control knowing she would be euthanized. She felt she wouldn't be able to deal with cleaning the injuries. The vet at animal control felt she was too sweet and deserved a chance. She began looking for a rescue to take Lucky, APAWS stepped up and agreed to take her.

Lucky is fortunate enough to be fostered by one of our veterinarians. Her throat was ripped open and the esophogas was visible. For the first few days after the injury the wound had to be flushed out, but could not be closed because infection would in. Her throat was able to be stapled shut and is healing very well now. Even after being through trauma and pain Lucky is a very sweet dog and once healed will make an excellent addition to a family.

July 26, 2008 Update - He has put on about five pounds. He can actually stand up without falling over, he's even trying to run a little. He still has some skin issues and open wounds, but it looks like this little guy will make it! He is in a long term foster home now receiving the love and attention he has been without for so long.

A group of girls biking from Atlanta to Houston rode by what they thought was a dead dog. He opened his eyes when he heard them and they knew they needed to get him help. Their family in Atlanta was able to get in contact with APAWS. The girls brought the beagle to APAWS right before noon on Saturday, July 19, 2008. When they opened up the back of the SUV they thought he surely died in transport. He barely had the strength to open one eye and look at the APAWS volunteer. He was rushed in to the vet's office for emergency treatment. He is severly dehydrated and starving to death. On top of this he has old wounds from what appears to be a street grater. He also has a fresh wound on his back and sarcoptic mange. He is undergoing IV fluids at this time to fight the immediate need of dehydration. Once he is hydrated we will try to get him to eat and treat his various injuries. This little guy is very lucky the girls found him when they did. We hope we will be able to pull him through this trauma and find him a forever home.

Sassy was found as a stray. The person who found her could not keep her because she did not get along with her other cats and was urinating on the floor. She came into the group and was tested to find she had a urinary infection. She was given medication and was doing well for a while then started urinating on the floor of her foster home. Sassy was brought back to the vet to determine whether she had another UTI. Unfortunately what we hoped would have been a simple urinary infection turned out to be cancer. Sassy has a tumor on her kidney. The vet stated due to her age it would not be safe to remove her kidney. We will have her re-evaluated to determine our best course of action. Because of this situation Sassy cannot be adopted out and will remain in our group for the rest of her life to obtain the supportive care she needs.

Update - Susan is doing very well in her foster home. She still can't control when she eliminates and can't fully eliminate on her own. She wears a diaper, but it is a challenge to keep her diaper on her because she doesn't have hips! Susan knows she's a cutie and knows she's special. She rules the roost at her foster home and everyone who meets her falls in love instantly.

APAWS is frequently contacted by animal control facilities all over Louisiana looking for help with special needs animals. These are the animals either surrendered or found as strays that will never make it to adoption row due to health problems. Rescue is their last hope, if a rescue can't be found they will be euthanized - usually just a day or two after they come into the facility. We were contacted about a kitten with a severe birth defect that causes her legs to be bent backwards and some urinary and bowel incontinence. Our adoptions are down, our donations are down and we are trying make it through this economic downturn. Logically, we should say no, but we have decided to help this little girl. One of our cat fosters has experience with a similar birth defect in her personal cat. The difference is her cat has paralyzed back legs that are fused straight. Her cat is currently nine years old and still going strong - many of the vets she saw in her early life didn't think she would make it six months. If anyone can help little Susan, she can! We do not expect Susan to ever go up for adoption due to her special, life long needs, but we will provide her sanctuary throughout her natural life.

October 15, 2009 Update - His cast has been removed! He is having trouble walking on his rear leg because he is so used to walking with a cast. He may never be able to fully use his rear leg, but he is very sweet and loving!

September 24, 2009 Update - Timmy had his splint changed today. He only has two more splint changes and is doing extremely well. He is ready for the splint to be removed! He is extremely active and the splint is interfering with climbing the curtains.

Timmy was brought to a vet office after being hit by a car. Unfortunately the vet office didn't have the available room to house Timmy until his injuries would heal. They contact APAWS to see if we could help, if we couldn't take Timmy in they were going to call animal control. Approximately 98% of all cats going into the East Baton Rouge Parish animal control are euthanised. Sick and injured animals are euthanised as soon as the stray hold is over (or immediately if they are an owner surrender). Knowing the fate that awaited him at animal control we decided to take him into our group. His leg is severely broken, but he doesn't appear to have any other injuries. He is in a foster home and receiving splint changes weekly. He is a very sweet boy who only wants to give loves and play.

APAWS took Vinny in with his siblings. His foster mom noticed he walked funny and seemed lethargic for a puppy. An x-ray revealed the ball of his hip isn't fitting into the joint correctly. This is a birth defect and cannot be corrected until he is older and his growth has slowed. The surgery needed to fix his hip will be about $1,000. The vet expects a full recovery and an active dog once the surgery is completed.

APAWS was contacted to help with a very special kitten. Wobble is deaf and has mild cerebral hypoplasia. This causes her to do a Stevie Wonder head bob and run more like a ferret than a cat. Although she is faced with difficult problems, she doesn't seem to mind. As far as she's concerned she's normal and everyone else has a problem!