Aiding 2 Adoption Rescue: Emergency Medical Grant Report

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

This grant helped with a beautiful and deserving 1-year-old cat named Nugget. Nugget has a skin disorder that causes her to scratch herself until she is bleeding. There have been many appointments to try and figure out what exactly the medical condition is and how to treat it.

This grant made it possible for Nugget to have an appointment out of state with a feline dermatologist and for us to provide medicated cream, anxiety medication, and special food.

We are confident Nugget's skin condition can be cleared up or managed and a new adopter found. Nugget is not currently listed on Petfinder, as we want to figure out her skin disorder so that she does not have another failed placement.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

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

Nugget was surrendered to A2A in April of 2022 because of her skin issues. She had scabs all over her body that she could not stop scratching. Her owners had taken her to multiple vets, but none had been able to help Nugget. Her owners did not know what to do, and surrendering Nugget was their final option.

A2A immediately took Nugget to the vet and she was treated for multiple possible skin conditions: mites, infection, and allergies. This treatment combination seemed to help Nugget, and for the first time in her life, her skin began to clear up.

She was eventually ready for adoption. Nugget was adopted in July 2022 by a wonderful adopter.

After Nugget had settled into her new home, her skin issues began to arise again. Nugget’s owner took Nugget to her personal vet, where she was immediately put on multiple prescriptions to treat the symptoms. Nugget’s owner was unfortunately unable to continue to afford to care for Nugget and her medical needs. Nugget was again surrendered in December 2022.

Nugget’s skin issues have seemed to fluctuate since she came back into A2A’s care. She wears a soft collar 24/7 to help prevent scratching and licking. Most recently, Nugget has been placed on a special allergy diet. She is also taking prescription anxiety medication to help alleviate her need to lick and scratch her skin. None of these treatments have made a significant difference with her condition.

A referral to a feline dermatologist was discussed to help further diagnose and treat Nugget’s condition.

A couple of weeks ago, Nugget began furiously licking her skin, particularly her hind legs. Her e-collar was not able to prevent her from licking. Nugget was taken to the vet on March 29, 2023, because her legs were bleeding so badly that they looked infected. She had stopped eating and her activity level had dropped.

Nugget was in so much pain that she had to be sedated for the vet to clean her wounds. Samples were collected, bloodwork was drawn, and her legs were cleaned. Nugget is now sporting a hard e-collar while her legs heal. She is eating again and her activity level has increased.

A2A is awaiting the results of the labs. Nugget’s treatment journey is far from over. It is likely that she will soon need to be evaluated by a dermatologist to determine possible treatment options for her condition.

Despite her pain and discomfort, Nugget is a friendly and outgoing 1-year-old cat. Her favorite thing to do is cuddle with her foster mom and snuggle under blankets. She is constantly curious and chirps to communicate.