News
HCF Grant Helps Animals
On a cold day in early April, a stray dog with a badly swollen leg arrived at the Animal Friends Humane Society. “After no one came to claim her, we took an x-ray and found an extreme fracture,” says Animal Friends director Meg Stephenson. Unfortunately, the leg had to be amputated. Gia, the one and a half year old Whippet/Doberman mix, has recovered well and was recently been adopted by a loving new family.
This happy ending is a result of a $35,000 grant made by the Hamilton Community Foundation for the purchase of an x-ray machine.
Animal Friends requested the grant because their old x-ray machine was no longer working and beyond repair. Injured and sick animals needing x-rays had to be transported to other facilities, causing a treatment delay and sometimes additional pain for the animal.
When the grant was awarded, Meg and her staff researched comparable models of radiography systems, made the purchase and arranged for its installation. Finally, the new equipment was inspected by the State of Ohio, and a green light was given to put it to service.
Since that day in March, the system has been used often. The ability to x- ray on site allows Animal Friends medical staff to more quickly diagnose, treat, and save animals.
Rascal is one example. The 12 year old Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix was not being well cared for and his owner was court-ordered to surrender the dog to Animal Friends. When Rascal was brought in, he was coughing and vomiting, and an x-ray was performed. It discovered that he had Collapsing Trachea Syndrome and two bladder stones. After surgery and recovery, Rascal has now been successfully adopted into a loving home.
Samantha, a black domestic short hair kitten, came to the agency as a stray with an injured leg. X-rays revealed a severe fracture, necessitating amputation. After she recovered, Samantha served as the “guest of honor” at Animal Friend’s recent Bark ‘n Purr fundraising event. According to Meg, a guest at the event was so smitten with her that she adopted Samantha.
“The x-ray machine continues to be a huge asset,” says Meg. “Thank you for helping us acquire this wonderful diagnostic tool.”