12/24/22 – A few days ago we shared the story of Rocky (now known as Koa). You can see the healing wounds all over his body from being a probable victim of dog fighting. Heart worm positive and a severe bone infection in his leg has not destroyed his spirit. Everyone has fallen in love with him and here he is in his new foster home living the best life ever with much love, care, and safety.
May the Spirit of Christmas continue to be in the hearts of our generous and caring Village. – Diana and the Board of 4 Paws 1 Heart
12/22/22 -Andy was a TNR that was too sweet to release. He was trapped in Detroit, vetted years ago and adopted out. He was returned to the rescue because the family was “too busy” for him. When he was picked up his mouth was clearly not well. The rescue saw dry blood around his mouth. They took him to All About Animals for a full dental a few months ago and they called to say they couldn’t do it and that it would need to be done at the Flint location. Andy was taken there for the consultation and he now has appointment for December 27.
Luna was from a hoarding situation in River Rouge. The rescue took her on only to discover she had megacolon. They spent $700 on testing, blood work and meds for an ear infection and monthly meds for the megacolon. She has gained weight and is playful and doing well on the meds. But, now she also needs dental for an infected mouth.
The rescue is concerned that they won’t have the funds for future needs with this oncoming frigid weather and asked if we could cover Andy and Luna’s dental treatment. Fortunately, we could say “YES”. Luna is scheduled for January 6.
There will be so many animals facing the frightening weather that is predicted for Michigan. We will all be praying that they can find shelter and we will be available to do what we can to assist with any medical needed. – diana.
12/21/22 – Please continue your prayers for our sweet boy, Chance. He has opened his paws too so many special snd orphaned animals. He has been the fur uncle that every stray needs. – diana. [email protected]
Hey there Team, mom here with the update from Chancies appointment today. So, when we arrived they had already had several emergencies come in that would require surgeries and would not be able to do Chances mri at that time. Dr. Palma did do a thorough exam and gave us his opinions, options and estimates. We discussed leaving him overnight for them to try to do mri tomorrow or make another appt with a drop off time of early morning since there’s bloodwork, xrays and ECG that have to be done prior to mri. We also discussed the possibility of back surgery depending on findings, which I am not wanting to put Chance through.
As we continued to talk about Chances history Dr. Palma said he suspects that an mri findings would not be anything that would be surgical in nature but more going back to his original injury that paralyzed him. So, in the end he said there’s 2 paths of treatment..Surgical and medicinal. So we are going to do a 3wk trial of higher dose of steroid, pain medication, proin, and prozac. He feels that Chances incontinence is tied to pain in his T3 area, that causes him stress which triggers his Cystitis which makes it burn when he urinates so he doesn’t fully empty his bladder becuse it burns which is causing his leaking!
So, for these next 3wks he must stay completely calm. No stress. No jumping on furniture, no stairs, no playing…just rest. If he improves we should be able to keep improving with the right diet and med combo. But…Dr. Palma did say if this is indeed due to his old injury, as he ages he will continue to decline. If he does not improve then we will be back to scheduling the mri. Keeping Chance still for 3wks…that’s going to be interesting.
Make sure kitties can get out of shelters. Blizzard conditions/strong winds can blow snow, blocking entrance. Michigan colony cat caretakers, it’s time to reinforce your shelters. Thursday evening into Friday and Saturday have high winds and freezing temps swooshing in with a vengeance. It’s not so much the amount of snow, but the dangerous conditions coming with this particular cold weather snap. Weight down your shelters/feeding stations or you and the cats likely won’t find them where they’re supposed to be. Up to 60 MPH winds in Metro Detroit. If you’re relying on electricity, it may go out. If you can bring them temporarily inside (garage/mudroom), doing so before Friday is a good idea. Michigan Humane’s Pet Food Pantry offers free straw on Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 9 am to 11 am. 6175 Trumbull Ave., Detroit, MI 48208 Always feed about 15% to 20% more in the winter as outdoor animals burn more calories in the cold. Replenishing water since it freezes is important too. For links to cold weather tips and shelter building plans, check towards the bottom of the Stray Cats pagehttps://allaboutanimalsrescue.org/stray-cats/
12/20/22 – I thought I’d share this perfect Christmas Miracle update. You might remember Rocky (now known as Koa) who was found on the side of the road, an apparent victim of dog fighting. He had wounds all over his body with a tight collar around his neck. The wonderful woman who found him immediately took him to a vet hospital we work with and they treated the wounds but they could not treat what was thought to be a fractured leg. And, with everything else this poor boy must have gone through, he was found to be heart worm positive. The manager suggested that the rescuer contact us for further assistance and she did. Although it was an hour car ride for Rocky and the rescuer, she took him to one of our best vets at Orion Animal Hospital. There it was found that Rocky had a severely infected leg–not a fracture. And with that, the several months of treatment began.
While Rocky and his rescuer were still getting ready to leave, I received a call from Courtney, from Orion Animal Hospital, who also volunteers for a dog rescue. We talked about Rocky and his severe condition. Rocky was also infested with fleas and ear mites. Courtney wanted to offer to foster Rocky but was unsure as to how to approach it. I told her to speak with Rocky’s rescuer while she was still at the hospital. Well, long story short, the rescuer was so thankful she couldn’t help but cry happy tears. She knew she didn’t have the resources or expertise to give Rocky the life he deserved and was so relieved that not only would he be with an experienced dog mom but he would also have the opportunity to be under the expertise of Dr. Zalac and later be adopted out through a great rescue group. SO, that is our Christmas Miracle—all made possible with the donations of our supporters and The Detroit News Cheer for Charity contest.– diana
12/19/22 – This very sweet girl was recently rescued from a municipal shelter. Little did the adopters know that the particular shelter did not vet their animals before they were adopted out. The good people immediately brought Molly to a vet and learned she was Stage 3 heart worm positive. Fortunately, they learned of Comfort’s Place, owned by a great friend, where they started the heart worm treatment. This past Saturday I received a call from our friend and the owner of Comfort’s Place. The injection was very hard on Molly and 3 days after Molly’s injection, Molly lost her bowels and became unconscious. She was rushed to an emergency hospital where she was found to have an embolism and that is when I was called. We were going to assist with the emergency bill but adopters’ deposit took care of that. We offered to cover the rest of the heart worm treatment and associated x rays and any other medical needed in the process. The new parents gladly accepted. Molly will now be on the ‘slow’ heart worm treatment which does not require the injections and we will be there for the family. The clinic’s owner couldn’t say enough good about Molly and her new parents and thankfully, we are able to help. And, today’s update — Molly’s spirits are good and she is glad to be home. – diana.
P.S. A Huge Thank you to The Detroit News and our donors who are helping us to make cases like these happen.
12/18/22 – During this weekend of celebration I would like to recognize some of the individuals and businesses who have helped us get to where 4 Paws 1 Heart is today:
Our original creators: Gina DeLuca Jenio, Cheryl Allmacher, Pam Willer, and Jimetta Lewis.
Our Past and Current Board Members: Pam, Gina, Melissa Jeffreys, Cynthia Wojtowycz, Darlene Chiappetts, Denise Najers, Dee Gudenau, Angela Rogensues, Julie VanAmeyde, Lori Jobak, Kim Fuhrman
Our Newly Formed Fundraising Team: Debbie Nelson, Deena Terzo, Carol Nadolski, Shawn Vilk, and Jo Addington, Robert Carsley, (all amazing independent rescuers).
Veterinary Hospitals (past and present): Animal Urgent Care (past), Advanced Animal Emergency, Patterson Veterinary Hospital, Orion Animal Hospital, Center Line Animal Hospital, Five Mile Animal Clinic, Comfort’s Place, All About Animals Rescue, The Paws Clinic, Humane Society of St. Clair, Groesbeck Animal Hospital, Veterinary Medical Hospital, Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, and many more around the State who when asked will work with us but not as much on a regular basis as those that I mentioned.
Local Businesses: Pet Supplies Plus (13 Mile and Harper, SCS), Girlie Girls, Kroger, Colleens Irish Pub, Firehouse Pub and Grill, Harbor Lanes, Knotted Needle, Pleasure Zone, Java Junk, Infinity/Ovation Yacht Charters, and so many more who have helped with donated items for our amazing baskets.
AND, of course, to our many rescuers, fosters, adopters,donors, and followers. we wish you a Blessed Hanukkah and Christmas. We will be starting 2023 with a BANG. SALUTE TO OUR VILLAGE!! – diana
12/18/22 – A beautiful message from our boy Chance and his mom, Denise. We just want all of our followers to know that the love goes both ways because the many fur orphans who have been given a second chance at life would never have had that without our amazing Village.
For those who are new to 4p1h, check out Chance’s fb page. He went from certain death, paralyzed in a municipal shelter, to being the Feline voice for our organization. Proof that when we work together we can make miracles happen! – diana
CHANCE: Ummmm mom, could you please give me a hand here????
MOM: Sure Chance, what are you trying to wrap there?
CHANCE: Its my presents to 4 Paws 1 Heart & all my friends here at Team Chance, Its love mom, my present is love. I want 4 Paws 1 Heart and all my friends on my page to know how much I love them for everything they have done for me, Carla, Bridgette,Twyla, Trixie and all the other kittys & doggys that were saved and are now healthy & happy because 4 Paws & Team Chance loves us!!!!
MOM: Awww Chance, that’s beautiful. But love is not something you can wrap in tissue and put a bow on it. Love is a feeling, something that radiates from your heart. Something that shows by the things you do and the way you treat others. The best way to let people know you love them, is to tell them…and tell them often.
CHANCE: Really mom??? Are you listening 4 Paws 1 Heart??? I LOVE YOU and all the wonderful friends and supporters of 4 Paws 1 Heart…I LOVE YOU!!!!! Are you listening Team Chance & KittysHelpingKittys supporters….I LOVE YOU!!!! Love Chance
12/16/22 – We wish all of our friends could be here to celebrate 4 Paws 1 Heart’s amazing win of $20,000 in the Detroit News Cheer for Charity contest. We are speechless and blessed to be a part of such a caring community. We thank you and the many fur orphans, who aren’t as lucky as this guy, thank you. You have given a second chance at life to those who have no one. Now go out and buy your Detroit News!
P.S. The total donations made were $36,760!! With the additional $20,000 we will start 2023 with $56,760!! And just a few months ago I thought we might have to shut down. God is Good!
