APAWS was contacted for information in how to care for a cat without the use of his back legs.
Our volunteers not only try to help the animals in our program, but are eager to share the knowledge they have learned. Susan's foster mom decided to offer assistance to the woman with Bear. Unfortunately when she learned of the conditions the kitten was kept in she asked the woman to release him to our group. Bear was being kept in a large storage container on her front porch unable to move around, laying in his own feces and urine and exposed to the extreme Louisiana temperatures. The woman had the best intentions, but was unable to care for him properly. She agreed to let Bear come to APAWS.

After getting Bear on Saturday, March 6, 2010 it was decided to bring him immediately to the emergency vet clinic. His stomach was distended and painful, we also wanted to make sure he was not carrying any diseases that could be spread to other fosters. The distended belly was from a large amount of feces he was having trouble passing and his enlarged bladder. The woman who had been caring for him said he was able to urinate on his own. After the examination by the vet it was determined he cannot urinate on his own, the leakage she had been cleaning up was the overflow of his bladder. He needs his bladder manually expressed several times a day. He cannot use his back legs, it appears to be a neurological problem. He also has luxating patellas meaning his knees pop in and out of joint. He is a good candidate for a wheelchair, once we get him healthy we will investigate that possibility. The vet also discovered a very large sore on his side. A picture is available here, it is disturbing if you have a weak stomach please do not look. This sore was caused by him laying in his own urine and feces on a hard surface. He needs supportive wound care for several weeks to get this under control. The woman who was caring for him did mention a small sore and provided antiobiotic ointment, unfortunately it isn't a small sore and he needs to be on oral antibiotics as well as a topical. Bear is an excellent example of someone with a good heart just not knowing what to do. The woman who had him did not have the means to get his parents fixed and did not have the means to properly care for him. Cat Haven is working with her to get her cats fixed to prevent future kittens.

Update 11/12/10: The puppies are home, eating well and playing hard!

Update 11/3/10: Unfortunately Natalie passed away. She fought very hard, but the parvo was too much for her. Ben is still doing well and has never shown any signs of parvo. Bob and Jerry are doing much better and should come home this week.

Update 10/27/10: All four pups have now broke with parvo. Ben is doing very well, he is still with his foster mom. Natalie and Bob joined Jerry at the veterinary hospital in critical condition. Jerry (the first pup to break with it) is yet eating or drinking on his own. The vet remains optimistic that all will make it!

Update 10/25/2010: After their skin cleared up and they got most of their fur back the pups broke with parvo. The smallest pup broke with it almost a week ago and is in critical condition at Sherwood South Animal Hospital. The other three pups began showing symptoms this weekend and are being treated by their foster under veterinary advisement. Please keep your paws crossed for these babies - they've narrowly escaped death once - hopefully they can do it again!

These four pups were pulled from Houma animal control on the day of their euthanasia. Houma wasn’t able to adopt them out because of their missing fur and most rescues wouldn’t even look at them. Our vet has determined it is a fungal infection causing the missing fur. With time and medication they will be healed and good as new! It is sad that many people overlooked them because they aren’t ‘perfect.’ APAWS saw their potential and have given them a chance. Their foster mom even brought two of them to a nursing home and even in their less than ideal condition they made the day of several of the residents!

March 2011 Update - Wow! Gumbo looks like a new dog! He is doing so well in his home and has a mom who loves him very much. We love hearing about all of our animals, but especially the ones who had such a rough start!

Gumbo was thrown outside when he became infested with fleas. Apparently his family thought the sun would cure the flea infestation. When it didn't he was surrendered to animal control in Shreveport, LA. He had lost almost all of his hair and will need lots of tender love and care. His lack of hair and the burning Louisiana sun caused him to have a third degree sunburn. Due to his condition he was going to be euthanized. His only hope was for a rescue to take him. APAWS stepped up to the plate and will nurse him back to health.

Ice Princess - Adopted 2010

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

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.