Poodle and Pooch Rescue of Florida: Emergency Medical Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Grant funding from organizations such as the Petfinder Foundation enables our rescue to take in critical medical cases that many other rescues are unable to accept due to the high cost of treatment.

When we receive urgent calls from our largest partner shelter—often regarding dogs that have been hit by cars and require immediate medical attention—we want to be in a position to say "yes." These funds make it possible for us to provide the life-saving care these animals need, especially when other resources are unavailable.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

One of those dogs we helped is Sally. Sally is a 2-year-old Irish wolfhound mix who was brought to our largest local shelter after being hit by a car. At intake, she couldn’t stand, had pale gums, and whimpered with movement—she required urgent care.

We agreed to take her in, and she was rushed to the emergency vet, where she was diagnosed with internal bleeding. Despite efforts to stabilize her overnight, the bleeding didn’t subside. Her abdomen was filling up with blood. Sally had to have emergency surgery hours later and her spleen was removed. The vet said her spleen was lacerated in multiple places, her bladder was ruptured and repaired, and the vet also commented that there were multiple internal contusions.

The grant funds awarded from the Petfinder Foundation were used to help cover her surgery costs, follow-up visits, and medication.

Post surgery, Sally made daily progress. At first she could only potty in place as it was very difficult for her to balance herself, but after a few weeks she was able move enough to go potty outside. Sally was on activity restriction for quite some time so she could heal. Although wobbly, she started sitting up and taking steps to move around. She also wanted to get as close as possible to her foster mom for scratches and kisses.

Sally had a few follow up appointments with her vets to make sure the surgery repairing her ruptured bladder was healing and her bladder looked great. The vets and techs who worked with Sally gushed over her cuteness and progress – they all said it was so nice to see her walking and doing so well. Next, she got her staples removed.

Sally steadily improved and did really well in her foster home. She gained strength and practiced moving and walking quite a bit. Her foster mom reported that Sally was very much a big puppy, silly and hilarious, and wanted to play all the time. When giving Sally a bath, though, her foster mom says Sally was most well-behaved dog she has ever bathed. One of Sally’s most endearing traits is she has a habit of taking everything she wants to snuggle with to her bed…she might even be considered a hoarder.

Late last month Sally got the all-clear from our vet partners and was ready to list for adoption. Her foster family put so much time, effort, and love into her recovery that when it came time to list her for adoption, they could not bear to say goodbye. She had become such a part of their family and they knew she was already home.

Sally has been doing incredibly well. She now knows basic commands, goes on daily walks, has a fenced yard to run and play with her sister and a mom and dad who love her to the moon and back. We are thrilled for this sweet and loving girl who so deserves to have a home where she will be loved and cherished for the rest of her life.