Tabitha Tries Again - Rehab for a Sweetheart
Tax deductible
We thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers, and financial support. Due to some very generous donors, we were able to raise the $3,600 needed for all of Tabitha's pre-op and reconstructive surgery bills. We never dreamed that her journey would end with a leg amputation and the additional charges for the amputation have caught us very off guard. In order to continue rescuing as many cats as we have, over 60 so far this year, we really need help to off-set the new bill of $2,042.00. Please donate anything you can to help Tabitha heal and to assist PPAH in its mission to rescue, foster, adopt.
Many of our volunteers and supporters have been eagerly awaiting an update on Tabitha. For any of you who don't know Tabitha, she is a special cat who holds a very special place in our hearts. When we rescued her, she had an old leg injury that had healed up, but rendered her left-right leg unusable. Before she even came into our care, we felt very connected to her and made a commitment to Tabitha that we would do anything we could to improve her health and mobility. After seeing a very well-regarded surgeon, we were told that we could take one of three actions: do nothing, amputate, or reconstruct the leg. Given the high chances of success for the reconstructive surgery and the outpouring of support for Tabitha, we decided that the best course of action was to give Tabitha use of her broken leg once again.
Tabitha made it through her surgery and into the second week of recovery. That's when things took a turn for the worse. Tabitha was rushed to the vet and upon arrival had a high fever and something obviously wrong with her leg. She was in great pain and had to be sedated to remove the bandages and examine her paw. Upon examination, it was discovered that a screw had come loose, causing great pain and distress. It was also made clear that, due to the lack of bone development after her initial injury, her forearm bones were way too small and delicate to sustain the implant. It was with very emotional, heavy hearts that we accepted the only option at that point was to amputate. We are devastated that Tabitha had to go through all of this. But, we are happy to report that she is recovering very well. Since she had not had use of that leg in so long, we expect that she will be up and running on three legs as soon as her incision site heals.
Tabitha’s disposition remains sweet and we know she's anxious to get out of her crate and explore. In a few weeks we can let her out to adjust to her new situation but we think she'll do just fine. In the meantime, one of our volunteers is administering huge doses of love and affection!
Many of our volunteers and supporters have been eagerly awaiting an update on Tabitha. For any of you who don't know Tabitha, she is a special cat who holds a very special place in our hearts. When we rescued her, she had an old leg injury that had healed up, but rendered her left-right leg unusable. Before she even came into our care, we felt very connected to her and made a commitment to Tabitha that we would do anything we could to improve her health and mobility. After seeing a very well-regarded surgeon, we were told that we could take one of three actions: do nothing, amputate, or reconstruct the leg. Given the high chances of success for the reconstructive surgery and the outpouring of support for Tabitha, we decided that the best course of action was to give Tabitha use of her broken leg once again.
Tabitha made it through her surgery and into the second week of recovery. That's when things took a turn for the worse. Tabitha was rushed to the vet and upon arrival had a high fever and something obviously wrong with her leg. She was in great pain and had to be sedated to remove the bandages and examine her paw. Upon examination, it was discovered that a screw had come loose, causing great pain and distress. It was also made clear that, due to the lack of bone development after her initial injury, her forearm bones were way too small and delicate to sustain the implant. It was with very emotional, heavy hearts that we accepted the only option at that point was to amputate. We are devastated that Tabitha had to go through all of this. But, we are happy to report that she is recovering very well. Since she had not had use of that leg in so long, we expect that she will be up and running on three legs as soon as her incision site heals.
Tabitha’s disposition remains sweet and we know she's anxious to get out of her crate and explore. In a few weeks we can let her out to adjust to her new situation but we think she'll do just fine. In the meantime, one of our volunteers is administering huge doses of love and affection!
Organizer
Precious Pets Almost Home
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Precious Pets Almost Home Association
Beneficiary