 Say hello to Jello, a 6-year-old Yorkie/Chihuhua mix breed dog. (For those of you who purchased a Fur Kids Foundation 2020 Pet Calendar, you probably recognize her as our December pup of the month!) Jello’s mom could tell that something was wrong with her beloved pup, so she was rushed to the veterinarian. Jello was an unaltered pup, meaning that she wasn’t spayed, and unfortunately that led to her to getting pyometra. Pyometra is an infection of the uterus, and is a serious and life threatening condition that must be treated promptly! This condition is often the result of hormonal changes in the reproductive tract. A dog with pyometra is an intact female who is older, and has likely just finished a heat cycle. Some pretty common signs that your dog may be ill include not want to eat, be vomiting, or be drinking a LOT of water. According to Marcy Veterinary Clinic:  Jello's infection was so bad that it had started to damage her kidneys. After an emergency spay, Jello had to stay at the clinic a few days to be monitored. Luckily, she started to perk up and her mom was able to take her home.
Jello’s mom only receives Supplemental Security Income (Social Security), and this emergency vet visit was more than she was prepared to handle. She applied to Fur Kids Foundation, and we were happy to help. Jello is starting to feel better, and was eating on her own, which is great news. Fur Kids Foundation always encourages pet owners to spay and neuter their pets. For more information, please speak with your veterinarian. About Fur Kids Foundation Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories.
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 Meet Zeus, a 1-year-old Husky/Heeler mix (boy, does that mix spell trouble with a capital T, you’ll see). Zeus’ parents were cleaning the garage one day and noticed that a towel was missing. They had hoped the other parent threw it away, but shortly after, Zeus started acting really sick. He was throwing up, not wanting to eat, and his moms knew something was very wrong with their boy. Zeus' moms love him dearly, so they took him to the vet for an exam. Zeus had to go through some x-rays, but the vets weren't sure if what they were seeing on the screen was an object that didn’t belong in his belly/intestines, or just a gas bubble. So, the vet told his moms to watch Zeus overnight and bring him in the next day if he didn’t get better. Unfortunately, he was worse the next day, so the vets did surgery where—sure enough—they found the missing towel! Zeus had what is called a bowel obstruction, which is caused when a dog ingests a foreign object such as a towel, toy, rock, stick, bone, blanket, and sock, among a host of other things. Bowel obstructions are really a very common canine issue—after all, dogs are curious critters and have the desire to eat or chew nearly everything! These objects become lodged and are not able to pass through the intestines—sometimes, the can also cause a perforation (or hole) in the stomach or intestines. Obstructions are medical emergencies for dogs. If left untreated, it could result in sever fluid loss (because the dog doesn’t want to eat or drink), intestinal rupture and even death. According to the American Kennel Club, symptoms of a bowel obstruction include:  Zeus possibly eating a towel couldn't have come at a worse time. One of his moms is waiting on Social Security Income for an injury, and his other mom had to be in two-week quarantine due to COVID-19. They applied to Fur Kids Foundation for help with their emergency veterinary visit.
If you every believe your dog has an obstruction, Fur Kids Foundation encourages you to take them to your vet immediately. Zeus is at home recovering, and his parents are working with him on what are safe toys for him to chew on. We hope for his sake he's learned that towels aren't toys! About Fur Kids Foundation Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories. Pledge Your Support Please sign our pledge form so Fur Kids Foundation can remind you to donate on July 15 for WyoGives day.  Hey pack! We have some really exciting news about our WyoGives fundraiser today. After speaking with an anonymous long-time supporter of Fur Kids Foundation, they have agreed to give us a match of $2,000 during the WyoGives event on July 15! Add that to the $500 match we had secured earlier and that's $2,500. This means that your gift will be matched until Fur Kids Foundation raises a total of $2,500. So, if you give $5; it will become $10. Every $50 will become $100. Every $100 becomes $200. (You get the idea.) Fur Kids Foundation has a goal of raising $5,000 during WyoGives on July 15, and these matching funds will help us get there. We also have a goal of getting five more volunteers to join our pack. Did you know that FKF is completely volunteer ran? That’s right! We do not pay an executive director, or anyone else who helps us, to do any of the work. Sure, volunteers with FKF love animals, but we also want to help people and we care about our community. Many of these volunteers use their professional skills to help the Foundation raise money, reach more people, and help more families afford emergency veterinary care. The amount of time volunteers give is up to them, but is usually between five to 15 hours a month—depending on the event. What does a volunteer with FKF do? They:
Fur Kids Foundation chose to be part of WyoGives so we could raise more awareness for what FKF does, and for nearly 120 other amazing nonprofits across the state of Wyoming who do so much good for their community. In Campbell County, we have eight other nonprofits that we have partnered with to help raise awareness for this event, and one another. These nonprofits include:
In Wyoming, we work together, and right now that’s what we need in our communities: we need people to come together and support one another. That’s what makes Wyoming, and WyoGives so great: We come together to support those who need it, when they need it. Stay tuned as we will provide more updates about WyoGives. If you want to learn more before our next update, please contact us at 307.363.1131 or email furkidsfoundation@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.  JUNE 22, 2020—GILLETTE, WYOMING--There are 11 nonprofits in Campbell County that have signed on to participate in WyoGives, an initiative of the Wyoming Nonprofit Network that is designed to bring the state together as one community to raise money and awareness for Wyoming’s nonprofits.
Scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, this 24-hour day of giving takes place virtually at wyogives.org. This is the first year this online fundraising day has been hosted in the state. The event is held on GiveGab, an online fundraising platform where individuals can search and donate to nonprofits across the state. The platform also allows smaller nonprofits a chance to fundraise alongside more well-known organizations, broadening their reach to a larger audience to help raise more money. Thanks to GiveGab, each nonprofit that participates can create a separate and customizable webpage for secure donations. GiveGab also provides the Wyoming Nonprofit Network a way to thoroughly vet the charities that participate to ensure donations go to worthwhile causes and good stewards of funds. A list of the Campbell County nonprofits participating in WyoGives and their goals are below:
 Meet Princess, a 10-month-old Chiweenie (a mix between a Dachshund and Chihuahua). We all know that puppies love to play, and they often get a tad crazy while they are playing! And, for little Princess, that is quite true, even though she is smaller than most pups her age. Recently, Princess was playing a little too hard, and fell—unfortunately, she also hurt her leg. Her mom had been laid off due to COVID-19, so she watched Princess for a few days hoping she would get better. But, the limping became worse, and she knew that Princess had to be seen by a vet. During her examination, the vet discovered that Princess had a slight fracture (break) in her leg. The vet suggested that a splint and restricted activity would help Princess recover. According to Pet Health Network, puppies bones are quite fragile. Dogs’ bones reach maximum strength after puberty. Less dense bones, accordingly, mean more potential for fractures. While Princess was at the vet, her mom applied to Fur Kids Foundation for emergency veterinary assistance, and we were happy to help. Now her mom is keeping a close eye on Princess, and Princess is expected to make a full recovery. It’s very important to exercise and play with your puppy—for both their mental and physical health—but please be aware of what kind of exercise is appropriate for their age and size. Your veterinarian can help you determine this during a puppy visit where vaccinations will also likely be discussed. If you have any questions or concerns about your pet, Fur Kids Foundation encourages you to visit or call your veterinarian—they are the best resource for your pet’s overall health and well-being. About Fur Kids Foundation Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories. Pledge Your Support Please sign our pledge form so Fur Kids Foundation can remind you to donate on July 15 for WyoGives day.  Big News! Fur Kids Foundation received a $500 match donation for our WyoGives campaign on July 15. You know what that means? If you donate toward this campaign on July 15, your money is essentially doubled! Remember, your donations allow us to help more Campbell County, Wyoming families afford emergency veterinary care. Many people have been laid off in Campbell County, due to changing national and worldwide energy needs and wants, and due to COVID-19 and its effects on our national and state economy. Fur Kids Foundation has seen an uptick in families with pets who need help when their pet gets hurt or ill unexpectedly. We’ve had to cancel some of our major fundraisers, and that’s how we raise money. So, WyoGives is a way we can raise some funds so we can continue to help people, as well as find other volunteers who want to help us! We have a goal to raise $5,000 and attract five new volunteers to our pack during WyoGives on July 15! We want you to know that any kind of support to/for Fur Kids Foundation really matters. If you can give us an hour a week, it matters. Four hours could help us build an email; get posters hung around town; share the story of FKF to someone who wants to help or donate. If you can give us $10 a month; it matters – $120 can help us cover the cost of a case. That's one more family and their beloved pet that we can help keep together. The little things do add up; greatly. We want you to know that we are good stewards of your money: 75% of our funds go to our mission of helping people afford emergency veterinary care. The remaining 25% go toward covering the costs of running a nonprofit: promotional materials, costs of running events (catering, locations), mailing thank you cards, board/event insurance, office supplies, etc. Check out our page on the WyoGives platform. And stay tuned for more information from FKF regarding WyoGives. If you want to learn more before our next update, please contact us at 307.363.1131 or email furkidsfoundation@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.   Meet Koda Mae, a 4-month-old German Shepherd mixed breed dog. Koda's mom is a single mom who says: “Koda is like one of my kids; she is also my youngest daughter's best friend, companion and love. She is an awesome dog and we love her so much." Like many rambunctious puppies, Koda got a little too carried away when she was playing in the backyard and got tangled up in a fence. Unfortunately the fence won that fight, and Koda’s mom took her right to the vet where she learned that Koda had a pretty gnarly broken leg. Just like humans, all bones can break, but leg fractures are quite common in dogs. If your dog has gone through trauma, like being hit by a car or fallen from the deck, it may be easy to diagnose a broken bone. However, sometimes a pet owner may be unsure what is wrong with their pet. According to PetMD: A broken bone sticking out through the dog's skin is an obvious indicator of a fracture, but any sign of pain or discomfort after an accident or injury could indicate a fracture or dislocation. Limping and whining are two other strong signs that something is wrong. It is important to note that muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries can cause similar symptoms to breaks. Other signs you should look for that your dog may have broken his leg include:
Koda’s mom visited with her vet and knew the best answer for Koda and her family was for Koda to have an amputation. The procedure was more affordable, and her mom knew she wouldn't have to worry about Koda re-injuring the broken leg, arthritis, or future issues from the surgery—so she opted to amputate Koda's leg. She applied to Fur Kids Foundation for help with the emergency veterinary visit because this visit was very unexpected. Koda is a resilient little puppy and is getting around like she never had four legs to begin with! Fur Kids Foundation wants you to know that your dog will have a better chance of healing properly from a leg break if you seek prompt veterinary care. About Fur Kids Foundation Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories.  Fur Kids Foundation is helping more families than ever due to the economy and COVID-19. And, because of this virus, we have had to call off several of our money making events such as the Spring Bazaar, Pup Crawl, and the Watermelon Eating Contest. (Please keep your fingers crossed for Pooch Plunge; we hope to have details soon.) We were able to raise $450 during Sleepy Hollow Days from some volunteers who set up a Garage Sale for the Foundation; special thanks to Marci, Crystal and Nikki for their help. We are also looking forward to participating in WyoGives, and will soon announce the dates for our Photo Contest for our annual Pet Photo Calendar! Every little bit helps out so much, so we thank you for your support. In the month of May, Fur Kids Foundation helped 10 families and had 12 applications, granting $5,238.62 in emergency veterinary care. June is proving to be busy as well, as we've already assisted four families for $1,500. For those who don't know: Applicants aren't approved for a handful of reasons: they don't qualify financially, they've met the max amount we can help a family, they have not submitted their necessary information, etc. Also, FKF does not cover 100% of the medical expense, or past due accounts. If approved, funds are paid directly to the veterinary clinic. If you ever have a question about the approval process, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are looking for people who may be interested in being volunteers. Our largest need is for those who could help on our Applications Committee. The Applications Committee works with applicants seeking assistance by reviewing their applications, following up with them to receive their information (proof of income, picture ID and a picture of the pet), and works with the vet clinic. The Case Managers alternate being "on-call." Currently case managers work cases every other month. The commitment from this committee is anywhere from a few hours a month to 20+ hours a month; it all depends on how many cases FKF receives. If you are interested in being on the Applications Committee, please contact us. We are also looking for volunteer help in the following areas:
 This handsome boy is Chopper, a 9-year-old boxer. Chopper's mom adopted him at the beginning of the year, so when Chopper had a Grand Mal Seizure five months after his adoption, his mom was shocked, scared and worried about her new family member. Knowing that this wasn’t a good thing, she reached out to the previous owner who said he had a few smaller seizures, but never anything large. Chopper's mom was worried about him and brought him to the vet to be checked out. According to PetMD, some common signs that a dog is experiencing a seizure include:
If your dog ever exhibits any of these signs, it’s important that you stay calm and keep your dog away from anything that can hurt him. Also, stay away from their head or mouth, or touch them while this is going on—your dog could unknowingly bite you. If possibly, try to time how long your dog has the seizure—if it’s beyond five minutes, it's known as a prolonged seizure, and they could overheat. When the seizure ends, please call your vet and have them examine your pup. At the vet’s office, Chopper got his blood work done, and it appears that he is healthy, and the smaller seizures stopped. Chopper's mom is the only one working in a house of five while his dad waits to receive Social Security Income (SSI). This Grand Mal Seizure took them by surprise, so they applied to Fur Kids Foundation to cover the cost of Chopper’s emergency veterinary visit. Moving forward, they have budgeted what it takes to take care of Chopper. Now his mom is prepared and knows what to look out for when Chopper has another seizure. His mom says she'll do whatever it takes to ensure he continues to have a good life, and we know she will. About Fur Kids Foundation Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories.  This is DaBuscuit, a 2.5-year-old male kitty. DaBuscuit is an indoor/outdoor cat, and over a short amount of time, he started acting like he wasn't feeling well. His mom gave him a thorough examination herself and couldn't see any wounds, but he wasn't getting any better. She was afraid he had distemper, or caught something else while roaming the streets, so she took him to the vet for an official exam. Luckily, DaBuscuit wasn't ill—but the vet did say that he had a bad UTI (urinary tract infection) and was dehydrated. It’s important to note that UTIs are usually relatively easy to diagnose and cure, but they can develop into a more serious condition if left untreated. If your cat displays any of the following signs, please make sure you visit with your vet immediately:
DaBuscuit was given some fluid and medication, and started feeling better. While DaBuscuit was getting treatment for the UTI, his mom also vaccinated him so she never had to worry about him catching anything while outside. DaBuscuit's mom had recently started a new job right as COVID-19 was entering our community. Her hours were cut very short while she was still in training, and she knew there was no way she could afford his visit. She applied to Fur Kids Foundation for help with the emergency veterinary costs and we were happy to help. About Fur Kids Foundation Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories. |
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Created in November 2011, the Fur Kids Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides education and aid to promote the well-being of animals in Campbell County.
Your donation saves lives. It goes to work helping animals in Campbell County receive adequate veterinary care during a time when their family may not be able to afford it. Please contact the Foundation to learn more or donate now using PayPal.
AuthorThe Fur Kids Foundation blog is written by board member and Founder Felicia. If you have ideas that you would like to see published in the blog such as concerns about pet-focused topics in the community or a funny story, please contact the Foundation. Enjoy! Archives
July 2020
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