These animals recieved funding for their medical treatment through Mend a Friend Fund. Thanks to our generous sponsors, they will recieve a second chance at finding a new loving home.

Chewee

Chewee is a 4-year old, male, “Golden Doodle” (Golden Retriever/Poodle mix) who was transferred to Greenhill with 30 other dogs rescued from the L.A. County municipal shelter in California with the help of Best Friends Animal Rescue.

As soon as Chewee walked out of the transport van the Greenhill staff noticed that he was not putting any weight on his left back leg. The Greenhill veterinarian examined him and found that he had a severe case of “luxating patella”. This means that the kneecap is not positioned correctly over the knee joint, causing pain and an inability to use the leg normally. Although this is a common disease in toy breed dogs (who often can live with it), in a larger dog, it can be a more serious and painful problem.
Chewee was taken to OVRA (Oregon Veterinary Referral Associates) for a consultation with Dr. Olmstead, an orthopedic surgeon. He agreed that Chewee needed surgery to repair the knee, and should have an excellent prognosis after surgery.
 

Chewee received his surgery in October of 2009 and, after a few recovery weeks in foster care, was adopted on December 11, 2009.
 

Mona, Oscar and Mercedes

On June 9, 2009 Greenhill assisted Best Friends Animal Rescue to rescue 30 dogs from the L.A. County Municipal Animal Shelter in California. Of these dogs, there was a litter of six 12 week old German Shepherd puppies that had only recently been vaccinated by the California shelter prior to being transported to Greenhill. On the day they arrived, Greenhill staff noticed that one of the puppies had vomited. Because vomiting can be a sign of Parvovirus infection, they were immediately placed into a quarantine area where they would not be exposed to other dogs.
 

Unfortunately, 3 days later our fears were confirmed. Three of the dogs became suddenly very ill and were confirmed to have Parvo infection. The Greenhill veterinarian started them on treatment but advised that they would need intensive care with IV fluids and medications in order to survive. Such treatment would require days of hospitalization at a 24 hour hospital and even with that, the prognosis was not good. Best Friends Animal Rescue was contacted regarding the puppies’ condition. They agreed to help Greenhill financially so that enough resources could be found to try to save the puppies if we could.
 

The puppies were immediately transported to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital in Springfield. They stayed in the hospital’s quarantine unit and received 3 days of IV fluids, IV antibiotics, plasma transfusions, and supportive care. Nine days after they first came to us, three of the dogs had succumbed to the infection and did not survive. The other three, Mona (pictured left), Oscar and Mercedes, were recovering well and were able to return to Greenhill on oral medications and special diets. They remained under quarantine at Greenhill for 2 weeks until they were no longer contagious to other dogs. When they were finally available for adoption, all three of these lucky puppies were quickly adopted to their forever homes.
 

Sancho

Sancho is a 2 year old neutered male chocolate Labrador retriever who was relinquished by his owner to Greenhill. Sancho appeared to be in very good health, but upon examination by the Greenhill veterinarian, it was discovered that at some point in his past he had broken the large upper molar on the right side of his mouth. The tooth needed to be removed immediately, as it was infected and likely causing him pain. The Ark Veterinary Hospital performed the dental work and Greenhill provided antibiotics and pain medication. Sancho is now in good health and found his new home on March 22, 2009.

Chester

Chester is a 3 year old brown lop rabbit who came into Greenhill with a large lump on his neck. He was taken to Dr. Sheri Schlorman, a rabbit specialist, at Creswell Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Schlorman performed surgery to remove the lump and a regional lymph node that also appeared enlarged. Both tissues were sent to a pathologist for biopsy, to determine if the lump was cancerous. Luckily, the pathology report revealed a non-cancerous condition. Following a short stay with a Greenhill foster family to allow his skin to fully heal, Chester was adopted on June 15, 2009.

Popeye and Z

Popeye and Z, both long-hair black cats relinquished by their owner, were the first recipients of medical care thanks to the Mend a Friend fund. When they arrived at the Greenhill, the shelter veterinarian noticed that both had severe damage to their eyes. Popeye’s right eye was abnormal in color and shape, and possibly blind. Z (pictured left) had unusual, large white spots on the corneal surface of both eyes. The veterinarian recom¬mended that both cats see an ophthalmologist.  

The pair visited the veterinary ophthalmologist at the Oregon Veterinary Referral Associates. The doctor found that Popeye’s bad eye was the result of a severe viral infection (now resolved) that had damaged the cornea and eyelids so severely that the eye was partially blind. The doctor also determined that Z was born with a congenital defect that caused both corneas to form improperly, with white spots and dark lines on the corneas. Both cats’ conditions are nonpainful and only minimally affect their vision now that they have been treated.  

Popeye and Z found their new, loving home together in February 2009!

Cheeto

Cheeto is a 10 year old, well-fed, orange tabby cat who came to Greenhill after spending most of his life outdoors. He was cared for by a woman who felt she could no longer keep him. Although he was generally in good health for an outdoor stray, he did have some health issues including one ear that is scarred and shriveled, a broken off canine (fang) tooth, fleas, and worms.  

After an initial adjustment period, the Greenhill veterinarian performed a dental cleaning and extraction of the piece of tooth remaining where his canine tooth had been. Unfortunately, Cheeto developed pneumonia after the procedure, a rare but serious complication that can occur after a dental cleaning in older, overweight cats. Although initially treated at GHS for the pneumonia, the Greenhill veterinarian was concerned that he needed more intensive care than what could be provided at the shelter. He was taken to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital where he received oxygen therapy, IV fluids and IV antibiotics. X-Rays were taken which confirmed the pneumonia. The next day he returned to Greenhill on antibiotics and multiple other medications to treat his disease.  

After two more weeks on medication, Cheeto was doing great. He was breathing much better and making himself at home, enjoying naps on a stack of towels or in cubbyholes in his room. His lifestyle change from an outdoor stray to an indoor lap cat seems to suite him just fine! He will be available for adoption once he has fully recovered. On January 30, 2009 Cheeto found a new loving home to call his own!