Medical Fund Stories

Noah

Coming on the heels of Betty was another starvation case that deeply affected HHS staff. One afternoon, we found an emaciated and lethargic dog tied up right outside our front door. Even though we were open, someone chose to abandon this dog who desperately needed medical intervention. Not only was he malnourished, but he had an abcess on his face and healing scars all over his body. We had no idea what this dog had been through, but we knew he needed help.

We immediately rushed him to Veterinary Emergency Group Oak Brook, where they provided lifesaving care and kept him under observation until he was stable enough to be released into our care. We decided to name him Noah, after a very special dog in our past who we weren't able to save. Despite his ordeal, Noah turned out to be a gentle and loving dog who wanted to be friends with every human, dog, or cat he came across. After spending some time in foster, he was finally healthy enough to be adopted and found his forever home in June 2024.

Betty

In February 2024, we received news of a terribly abused dog named Betty. She had been placed inside a plastic container with no food or water, forcing her to consume her own excrement to survive. A small hole in the container is the only reason she didn't suffocate. Judging by her condition when she was rescued, it was estimated she was in the container for a month; she was dangerously emaciated and her coat was so severely matted that she had to be shaved down to the skin. MedVet Chicago cared for Betty until she was stable enough to be placed in our care.

Betty's survival depended on the dedication of our animal care staff, veterinary team, and foster program. Betty was sent to an experienced foster home, where her nutritional intake was strictly monitored to avoid refeeding syndrome, a fatal condition that can happen if a starved animal is fed too much too quickly. Despite her harrowing experience, Betty's spirit remained unbroken and she was a cheerful, friendly dog from the start. Eventually, Betty's kind disposition found her a forever home. Without the Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, this happy ending would never have been possible.

Marilyn

Marilyn first came to HHS in 2021 as a healthy young lady. She was quickly adopted but soon seemed to be urinating outside of the litter box. This is often a sign of bladder or kidney issues in cats, and her owners brought her to the vet several times to get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, they could never find an underlying reason for her issues, and decided to relinquish her after two years of struggle.

Thanks to our Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, we were able to bring Marilyn to our friends at VCA Aurora Animal Hospital. They deduced that Marilyn needed an episioplasty, a surgery to remove excess tissue that was partially blocking her urethra. The tissue was preventing Marilyn from urinating efficiently and made it seem like she was going outside the box as urine leaked out. The surgery allowed Marilyn to finally live comfortably with the help of medication.

Colonel Mustard

Colonel Mustard was brought in to our clinic for TNR surgery from our local partner CatVando. He had been frequenting a yard of one of their regular feral cat caretakers. On arrival to the HHS clinic for his neuter procedure, it was discovered that he had severe Feline Gingivostomatitis, similar to Stephen’s story. He was drooling blood-tinged fluid, had significant URI symptoms, and overall was not a candidate for TNR and release due to these illnesses. Luckily, Colonel Mustard was not feral and could be admitted into our adoption program where he could receive the care he needed. He was scheduled for a Full Mouth Extraction with our local boarded veterinary dentist. Unfortunately, there are a small percentage of cats for whom FME does not completely resolve the symptoms of pain and inflammation. Colonel Mustard was one of these refractory cases, so we placed him on several medications to reduce the immune response in his mouth. We are happy to announce that he found his forever home with his foster family.

Stephen

Stephen arrived at HHS from a partner shelter in Indiana, where they noticed that he was unable to eat because of a severe dental problem. He was suffering from a condition called stomatitis, a painful inflammation of the gums and mouth that essentially results from the cat being allergic to its own teeth. There is no cure and the recommended treatment is complete dental extraction. Thanks to the Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, Stephen was able to receive treatment and is now happily recovering without pain.

Davis

When Davis was neutered at Chicago Animal Care and Control, they noticed that he was having respiratory distress. X-rays revealed that he was suffering from a diaphragmatic hernia, meaning that there was a hole in the muscle separating his abdomen and chest cavities. His abdominal organs almost entirely shifted into his chest cavity, constricting his heart and compressing his lungs. He could barely breathe. Without surgery to correct his condition, Davis would not have survived for much longer. Because of the Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, we were able to immediately schedule a surgery consultation with a boarded veterinary surgeon.

Davis had his procedure on September 13, 2023, at VCA Aurora Animal Hospital. The surgeon told us that the hernia was extremely large and complicated and, based on his evaluation, he assumed that Davis was born with this defect. Davis spent two days in the hospital with a chest tube to make sure all fluids and air were removed from the space around his lungs. When Davis was discharged from the hospital, he went to an HHS staff member's home to recover, wearing a stylishly cute stockinet to protect his incision until it was healed.

Happily, it didn't take Davis long before he was adopted, and he now spends his days playing with his cat and dog siblings in his forever home.

Wyoming

Wyoming came to us from Texas where she was facing euthanasia due to massive pet overpopulation. She was with us for six weeks before being adopted. Sadly, just a few days after adoption, she was found collapsed with pale gums, unable to get up, and in critical condition. She was taken to the closest emergency clinic where she was diagnosed with anaphylactic shock. While we don’t know what caused this severe reaction (it may have been a simple bug bite), what we do know is that the Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund saved her life by allowing us to say yes to the emergency clinic when they asked if we would be able to pay for and commit to an intense process to stabilize her. Her shock was treated with multiple rounds of fluid therapy and medications to help raise her blood pressure and combat the severe reaction her body was mounting and she was hospitalized for 48 hours. While people with anaphylaxis typically have lung and breathing-related life-threatening symptoms, dogs usually present with severe blood pressure abnormalities, blood in their abdomen, and liver damage. Because of quick and thorough treatment, Wyoming made a full recovery and is now living her best life in a home, having been adopted in November 2023.

Charlie

Charlie’s previous owners reached out to HHS when he suffered a femur fracture. They were unable to afford an expensive treatment plan or commit to the rigorous physical therapy that would follow stabilization of the fracture. Because of the Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund, we were able to say yes to taking Charlie into our medical care and he quickly saw an orthopedic surgeon who created a plan for him. After a rough start to life, Charlie was adopted in November 2023 and is now living happily with his forever family.

Penny

Penny came to us in January 2023 from an Illinois animal control partner and was originally said to be only a few years old. After arriving and getting her first medical examination, it was determined that Penny was actually a senior cat. HHS runs labwork on all of our senior pets and Penny was found to have hyperthyroidism, which is an illness that can cause chronic vomiting and weight loss despite a ravenous appetite. We started her on daily medications to combat this disease, she quickly became a staff favorite, and even made an appearance as a celebrity guest at our Unleashed fundraiser event! Although Penny gained weight and her coat became shiny, follow-up labwork showed that her kidney values were slightly elevated, which can often be the case after medication is started to control hyperthyroidism. At this time, HHS determined that Penny’s treatment plan would benefit from a thorough internal medicine workup and ultrasound. The Zach Leathers Emergency Medical Fund allowed us to send her for this thorough evaluation and she is being well-managed and thriving in her new home!

Gregory

Gregory came to us as a puppy in 2022 showing symptoms of hypospadias, a birth defect in males in which the urethra forms abnormally and in the wrong spot, making urination challenging.

Our Medical Director, Dr. Kristin Tvrdik, determined the procedure was too tricky to perform in our medical clinic, so Gregory was treated at VCA Aurora clinic thanks to Zach’s Fund. Gregory’s surgeon amputated the deformity and redirected his urinary tract so he could eliminate comfortably and without issues.

Thanks to this specialized surgery, Gregory is now living his best life in his forever home!