Operation Fuzzy Mice Needs YOUR help!

Posted in: General Pets In Need | Comments (0)

Hello Handipets! This is Michelle Lyon, of Operation Fuzzy Mice. I have received a copy of the email from @FelineUnit.

YOU CAN DONATE HERE:  http://pledgie.com/campaigns/10799

My mission with Operation Fuzzy Mice is to provide vet care and other pet-related resources, either by paying for it directly or by referral and networking, to low-income families who own pets, and who would otherwise have to relinquish, abandon, or euthanize their pets for inability to provide care financially. Nearly all of these families have fallen on hard times due to illness, injury, family disaster, or national economic recession resulting in loss of jobs or homes. Pets are given up tearfully and reluctantly by owners, because families see no other choice. This of course does no justice to the pets, nor to California’s already-struggling economy when the state must support overcrowded shelters as well as euthanize and dispose of so many homeless animals. I have only known one case where an owner gave a pet up in coldhearted fashion. All others were tearful and reluctant, not just “dumping.” Even in abandonment cases, animals are purposefully left in places where someone else may find and care for them, and this happens because the owners can’t afford to pay the relinquishment fee at a shelter.

On the flipside to those who relinquish pets, are folks who have gone as far as moving to tent-cities or living in cars before giving up their pets, refusing to turn their back on a fellow member of the family. I have also met a lot of lifelong homeless folks who do things like attend mission meal lines, and take an extra plate home to the pet, or give their whole meal and themselves go hungry before that pet goes without, the way many parents would do for their children. For a lot of these folks, with no money, family, home, health or future, that pet is the only thing they’ve got. I’ve even met one man who believes if he didn’t have his dog, he would have no reason to stay sober.

I believe that these folks, with such love and devotion to their pets, deserve a chance, and their pets deserve to keep their homes and humans. This public assistance is our primary mission.

We do have some cats in our care, as we got started by taking in abandoned pregnant strays so that kittens would not be born feral. (It is mostly female cats who are abandoned, because owners cannot afford spaying them nor feeding more kittens.) Most of those cats are adoptable, but still live here, because in Bakersfield culture, no one wants to go through adoption proceedings when a neighbor or a newspaper ad is giving kittens away for free with no strings attatched. There’s a major cultural mindset of apathy towards cats that must change if Bakersfield is to reduce staggering cat overpopulations, and Operation Fuzzy Mice would like to take some small step in making that change.

Conan, who FelineUnit mentioned, is one of these foster cats. He and three littermates were bottle fed orphans. Conan sustained an injury at an interested adoptive home, and was reclaimed. It has been almost two months, and the paw has still not healed. The vet suggested irrigation surgery, but all we could pay for at the time was lancing. There have been other pets; Tiger was stepped on by accident, suffered head trauma, and was making a turnaround before dying. We await necropsy results, but there is no doubt that if Tiger received full IV meds and diagnostics immediately, his chances would have been far better. Tiger’s sister, Tina, was a runt, and diagnostic testing might have led to surgery to improve her chances. Survivor succumbed to flea anemia, which might have been reversed with a blood transfusion. Middy2 died of septic shock, avoidable if his giardia were diagnosed and treated immediately rather than waiting for funding. His sister, Nymph, carries the giardia and shows stunted growth among other health problems, waiting for funding. Buttercup is a terrior mix who has an unidentified skin fungus, the shampoo alone costing the elderly owner $25 per month. There are countless other pets in homes dealing with flea infestations, respiratory viruses, worms, unwanted pregnancies, and many other very treatable conditions, but the families, many homeless, unemployed, or on social benefits, have choose between providing this care or putting food in their stomaches.

There is a CareCredit account for Operation Fuzzy Mice, but it is maxed. The pets who were vetted in full on this credit line are thriving now. Those who had to wait for fundraising and then get minimal vetting have done poorly or have died. Our request to you is to drive to pay off or pay down the CareCredit, or, start up a fund for supplies or for spay and neuter assistance to families. Even more in need than money, are volunteers to serve on our executive board so we can apply for nonprofit status.

I hope your organization can help us, and I look forward to working together.

Michelle
http://fuzzymice.typepad.com/

Handipets @ July 20, 2010

Chihuahua in need of help!

Posted in: Uncategorized | Comments (0)

My little 4 pound chihuahua is 2 years old and has seizures. It has been controlled with medication but he went in for his bi yearly Phenobarbital level check today and had complications. The vet could not get him settled enough to draw his blood and gave him a light sedative then a reverse to bring him out.

I took him home but he slept for several hours. Upon waking he could not stand on his front right leg. I called the vet and they finally agreed to see him. I feared they hurt his tiny leg trying to draw blood before the sedative.

Needless to say they cant find out whats wrong and are talking of a specialist. They are thinking either Hydrocephalus or Atlanto-Occitital Luxation. He needs to see a specialist immediately as he is in severe pain. If I cannot afford the specialist they are talking of an economic euthanization and I cannot bear this!

I am a nursing student who was working as a nurses aide but recently lost my job due to downsizing. I’m in the middle of a divorce and cannot afford all this extra expense. My little boy is my heart and soul right now I desperately need financial assistance. Thank you!!!

Elizabeth Warner
Findlay, Ohio 45840
567-525-5545

Handipets @ July 20, 2010

Snickers is sick and needs funds to continue treatment

Posted in: Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Our baby is very ill and after trip after trip and test after test at our vet, then the emerg. specialist, we need to take her to a neurologist, the tests alone will be $800-$2000 not to mention if she needs surgery. The specialist thinks it is either Meningitis, A Tumor or A Spinal/Disc issue. She is not able to use her back legs nor use the restroom without our help. If you would like me to email you the full timeline, meds she is on and symptoms to maybe give us some more insight, please send us a email.

Any Donation Amount Will Help! If we have anything left after she is better we will donate it to another group or fund to help other animals in need of medical help.

NOTE!  This family has been completely investigated and verified through MicroGiving Foundation.  Their verified profile and donation link is here:

http://www.microgiving.com/profile/SaveOurSnickers

Handipets @ June 16, 2010

Please help Barney have the surgery to prolong his life

Posted in: In Need of Surgery | Comments (0)

My Barney

I was looking for a second dog for me and my yorkie when I first met Barney in a shelter. Someone handed him to me and unlike any other dog I have ever met or held he held onto me with all four legs – as if he was pleading to be taken from this place and given a home, pleading to have his life saved.

I went home that day but could not forget him – I nicknamed him “Velcro boy” because he held on for life –his life. The following weekend I went back to get him and take him home – but that was short lived because as soon as I took him home – he defecated blood. It took me an entire year of vet appointments to get him healthy.

Over the years my Barney has aided the elderly downstairs and walking (this was done on pure instinct) – was gentle and protective around children and newborn babies and sat on the ground, sidewalk and sometimes street when I fractured my vertebrae in two places and would fall as I was losing my ability to stand and walk – always being there to help teach a new puppy to walk up and down stairs, or help train them – he was always there to offer help to those who needed him.

Now it is his turn. My Barney is dying of a very aggressive cancer – he has a mass on his anal gland, a mass on his bladder and an enlarged lymph node on his stomach and other areas. Only surgery can prolong his life – without it he has a very short time left – a few weeks or months, if lucky.

I have been unemployed for over one year, require a second spine surgery, have had 6 laser surgeries on my eyes and am in severe financial hardship. I am selling my couch and TV but that is not enough – I need help. Please, please, help me to be able to get Barney surgery to prolong his life.

Contributions can be made directly to his vet:

Handipets @ May 20, 2010

Shadow Needs Surgery for Aural Hematoma

Posted in: In Need of Surgery | Comments Off

More images here: http://picasaweb.google.com/handipets/ShadowFundraiser

We do not have a paypal link set up for Shadow but donations can be made directly to the vet the information is below on the vet estimate.

His Family says:

Becky McMullen

Shadow did indeed go to the vet and the vet wrote to Handipets Personally.
This is what Dr. Amanda Hurley from Shiloh Veterinary Hospital had to say:

Handipets @ May 1, 2010

Operation Fuzzy Mice Needs YOUR help!

Hello Handipets! This is Michelle Lyon, of Operation Fuzzy Mice. I have received a copy of the email from @FelineUnit.
YOU CAN DONATE HERE:  http://pledgie.com/campaigns/10799
My mission with Operation Fuzzy Mice is to provide vet care and other pet-related resources, either by paying for it directly or by referral and networking, to low-income families who own pets, [...]

More on page 1213

Chihuahua in need of help!

My little 4 pound chihuahua is 2 years old and has seizures. It has been controlled with medication but he went in for his bi yearly Phenobarbital level check today and had complications. The vet could not get him settled enough to draw his blood and gave him a light sedative then a reverse [...]

More on page 1211

Snickers is sick and needs funds to continue treatment

Our baby is very ill and after trip after trip and test after test at our vet, then the emerg. specialist, we need to take her to a neurologist, the tests alone will be $800-$2000 not to mention if she needs surgery. The specialist thinks it is either Meningitis, A Tumor or A Spinal/Disc issue. [...]

More on page 1209