Save Twice the Number of Lives

At Heartland, our mission is to help the most vulnerable animals that may not survive without us. But the number of sick and injured animals we can save depends on your support. If you have your own pets, you know the cost of veterinarian care has skyrocketed. Over the past ten years, according to a recent New York Times article, it has increased more than 60 percent, compared to 30 percent for other costs.

Increasing costs make helping animals so much harder. But thanks to a generous donation from Sharon and Jerry Rush, all donations we receive during October up to $7,500 will be matched. That means if you donate toward helping our senior cats or our puppy suffering from the deadly Parvovirus, we will be able to help twice as many animals.

This is a great time to give to Heartland’s Dr. Do More medical fund because your donation will help twice as many sick or injured animals.

Give to the Dr. Do More Medical Fund

Helping Theodora

We rescued five-year-old Theodora from Chicago’s municipal shelter and placed her in a wonderful foster home. Theo knew her new surroundings well, but she started having episodes of bumping into furniture and losing her way around the house. We immediately sent Theo to the vet, where, after numerous tests, they diagnosed her with Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration, a sudden loss of vision. Thea went back to her foster and adapted to her new life, but her story caught the attention of someone looking to adopt a specia dog. When Theo was finally available for adoption, she and her new mom met at the Special Adoption Saturday event, and it was love at first sight!

 

Caring for Senior Cats

Frank

Our senior “rough-rider” cat, Frank, suffers from chronic kidney stones. After a flare-up, the vet removed a yellow stone the size of a peanut M&M. When Frank showed signs of another urinary blockage; we opted to do life-changing but expensive Perineal Urethrostomy (PU) surgery. Frank recovered well and is now the resident trouble maker at Meeow Chicago.

Chester;

Twelve-year-old Chester spent two months at the city shelter after his owner passed away. He suffered from severe dental disease, which is expensive to treat. Still, we decided to welcome Chester to Heartland, where he got a complete dental cleaning with full mouth extractions. Chester is now living his best life with a foster who likes to take him on walks in a pet stroller while he waits for adoption.

 

Fighting the Deadly Parvovirus

Three-month-old puppies Arlo, Deadpool, and Wolverine were settling into new foster homes when they became alarmingly lethargic, with severe vomiting and diarrhea. These are the classic signs of Canine Parvovirus. We started treating them with Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody, the first USDA-conditionally approved treatment for Parvovirus. This infusion is expensive and still in short supply but it increases an animal’s chances of survival. We are so happy to report that all three puppies are now in their forever homes, healthy and happy!