Stray Thoughts 2018 Volume 2 Stray Thoughts_Spring 2018_Digital

Stray Thoughts Spring 2018 Inside Page 2: General Information Ways to Give Page 3 Ready for a Home Page 4: Ask the Trainer Page 5: Emails & Letters Page 6: Pet Watch with Dr. Childs Volunteer Spotlight Page 7: Hearty Thanks! Page 8: Petals for Pets Stray Thoughts is an official publication of the West Suburban Humane Society, a not-for-profit, volunteer- based animal shelter. No city, state, or federal funds support WSHS. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please call (630) 960-9600, ext. 25 to submit articles or receive donation information. Adoption Center: 1901 W. Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515 E-mail Address: [email protected] Phone: (630) 960-9600 Fax: (630) 960-9604 News, Events & Adoption Information www.WSHS-DG.org Thanks to the Loving Angel Fund, Sadie Gets the Care She Needs W hen our rescue partners in Oklahoma contacted us about an older flat coated retriever that needed rescue we immediately said yes. One look into those beautiful brown eyes and we were hooked. Poor Sadie has been without a home for over 5 years. She was originally found as a stray In Oklahoma. She lived there for a few years and was transferred to another rescue in the Chicago area when space became available. That shelter kept her for about a year and then returned her because she needed training. The rescue in Oklahoma loved Sadie but wanted her to have the best chance of finding a home and that’s where we came in. When Sadie arrived, we took her to our vet for a checkup. She had skin allergies, a horrible ear infection and a urinary tract infection. She also has arthritis. We started her on a special diet for the allergies and medications to deal with the other issues. After a few weeks, Sadie was feeling better and was on the road to recovery. It was about that time that we noticed Sadie had several lumps on her legs and abdomen. The vet did needle aspirates of all of the lumps and one of them came back as a mast cell tumor. We could have given up on Sadie but that is not what we do. At West Suburban we are committed to making sure every animal gets what they need to make them adoptable. Sadie had the mast cell tumor removed and biopsied. The results came back with the best news possible. The tumor was a low grade, non-aggressive type of mast cell tumor. The margins were clean and adequate. Sadie’s long term prognosis is good. She healed nicely and is now waiting to find her forever home. Sadie will need to be on a special diet, medications and supplements for the rest of her life to take care of her allergies and arthritis. She will also need regular grooming. We know it is going to take a special person to take on a dog with ongoing medical issues. That is why we developed the Loving Angel Fund. The Loving Angel Fund was developed in honor of our commitment to long term care and support of all animals saved by WSHS. The Loving Angel Fund will provide support and treatment for those animals afflicted with medical conditions that require long term care. In addition, the fund will provide support to those homeless animals that are in long term foster care as well as cost share funds for adoptable animals that require long term care. Continued on page 2