10/24/23 – He will be undergoing amputation surgery today.

It was in late August when Ernie, fortunately, showed up at a kind couple’s home in late August. He was extremely malnourished and infested with fleas and ticks. He appeared anemic, with a possible deformity in right side rib cage (possibly broken or missing rib) and limped on his rear left leg. He arrived feral and had several missing teeth. He weighed about 4 lbs when he showed up but by the time the finders contacted 4 Paws 1 Heart (October 4-before our temporary HOLD) he had ‘fattened up” to 6 lbs. He quickly fell in love with head scratching. His finders took him to the vet but the finders could not afford what the vet estimated for diagnostics, vaccines, and neuter. His rescuers had already treated him for the fleas and ticks so they took Ernie home for comfort care while trying to find a rescue. But, as most of us know, most rescues and shelters are overrun. The finders finally decided that they would love to keep Ernie as their own and give him a chance at life if they could get medical help. That is where we came in.

Ernie was seen on October 9 by Dr. Blasses at Orion Animal Hospital. He had labs, x-ray, and his first distemper vaccine. Ernie was found to be an overall healthy 10-12-week-old boy. His left hind leg was broken just below the hip. Dr. Blasses recommended amputation with a prognosis of a quick recovery and the prospect of living a long, well-lived life. We agreed to cover Ernie’s amputation.

Ernie, is one of those cases that I had described as a commitment made before we thought it best to place a temporary hold on assistance because of the number of outstanding surgeries and cases pending as well as invoices that had not yet been received. Our hope is that with continued donations and the completion of those commitments, we will be in a better place to resume what we’ve been doing for over 13 years. – diana

4paws1heart.org/donations P.O. Box 84, St. Clair Shores, MI. 48080