At Heartland, every day brings animals in crisis through our doors—sick, scared, and in desperate need of medical care. We never know who will arrive next, but we do know one thing: their survival depends on us being ready to act, no matter the cost.
It’s been a season of sickness, survival, and second chances.
Over the past month, dogs have arrived at Heartland with no vaccines, no medical history, and weakened immunity from the stress of overcrowded shelters. Many broke this summer with a new strain of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia, and had to be hospitalized, including Audrey and Earl (see below).
At the same time, many shelter kittens and cats have been battling panleukopenia—a ruthless virus that attacks their immune systems and too often proves fatal. In just the past month, we lost five cats: Captain Kidd, Goldtooth, and Captain Hook—three orange kittens from CACC weighing less than a pound—succumbed between August 25 and September 7. On August 30, our 3-month-old buff kitten, Morrigan, passed away. Then, on September 13, Garlic, a 1-year-old cat rescued by the local fire department, lost his fight while at the emergency room.
We can often provide treatment for these dogs and cats through Heartland—thanks to our isolation space and the tireless work of our medical staff, as well as the dedication of our foster care team. Of the dogs who suffered in the past month with pneumonia, Marysol and Edward did not need hospitalization and bounced back in their foster home with rest, TLC, and dedicated care. Our cats Jimmy (see below), Chicken, Henry, and Hecate are all doing well and will be available for adoption soon!
While we do our best on-site, we are not a 24-hour hospital. When animals need oxygen, IV antibiotics, nutritional support, or even blood transfusions, the only option is costly emergency hospitalization. In the past four weeks alone, three dogs and four cats required hospital care. Each bill ranged from $3,000–$4,000 per animal. This comes on top of the $40,000 already spent earlier this summer treating pneumonia cases like Priscilla, Terintino, Q-Tip, and Emily.
Our resources are stretched thin, but we refuse to let money decide who gets to live. That’s why we created the Dr. Do More Medical Fund—so we can always say yes when a sick or injured animal needs us. Your donation to Dr. Do More is more than a gift—it’s oxygen for a struggling dog, medicine for a kitten with panleuk, and hope for the next life hanging in the balance.
Please, help us keep saying yes.
With gratitude,
The Heartland Team
Stories of Survival
Queen ClementineAudrey
Two weeks ago, Audrey was bouncing around playgroup, her goofy self. Hours later, she could barely lift her head, trembling and vomiting bile. Pneumonia had struck. Our team tried everything—IV fluids, antibiotics, even rotisserie chicken from Jewel—but Audrey continued to decline, losing 4 pounds and dropping to 88% blood oxygen. We rushed her to VEG Buffalo Grove, where she spent two days on oxygen with a nasogastric tube. Audrey came back to us a brand-new dog, full of spunk again. Her recovery was a miracle—but one with a steep price tag.
Earl
Earl is a sweet southern gentleman who’s been through a lot. and is now thriving. He came to us from Kentucky in July, arriving underweight and without any vaccine history. After a tough battle with pneumonia that landed him in the ICU twice, Earl bounced back stronger than ever and hasn’t stopped spreading joy.
Jimmy
Transferred from Chicago Animal Care and Control, Jimmy was showing signs of an upper respiratory infection that quickly escalated to panleukopenia. After spending time at the hospital and receiving syringe feeding and round-the-clock care, Jimmy has turned a corner. He’s getting stronger every day and will soon be ready for adoption.
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