Derica's story - GNHCP rescued Derica earlier in 2015. She was found half-starved on Winthrop Avenue in New Haven; turns out she was living on garbage and had ingested a plastic bag containing magnets - the vet actually saved the magnets for our President of GNHCP to see! She recovered well from her surgery, but she has now developed another veterinary issue - Derica has a polyp growing in her right ear. She was taken to a specialist, and we are preparing for possibly two procedures. She needs to have a CT Scan to determine the exact location of the polyp so that it can be removed. The doctor is hopeful this procedure will identify the polyp and that it can be easily removed. If not, Derica will need a more invasive surgical procedure, which will require more hospital and recovery time - the estimated veterinary costs for Derica are $5,500.
Captain Jack's story- several weeks ago, GNHCP received an assistance call for an injured cat in the Annex section of New Haven – our President responded to the call on her way home from work, to find a severely emaciated cat with pus pouring from his chest - he was so hungry, that he ran into the trap. In all of her years doing rescue work she has never seen such a horrific site. She named him Captain Jack as he was rescued near the ocean. After addressing the widespread infection, which was probably caused by getting caught on a spiked yard fence, Captain Jack has remained anemic. At the time of rescue, Jack's PCV (packed red cell volume, which is an indicator of red blood cell production) was 7, and he should have been dead - but he is a trooper and wants to live, not to mention he is very outgoing. GNHCP’s vet provided a blood transfusion for him, which brought his PCV closer to a normal range, but it dropped back down to a dangerous level. He is receiving hormone injections to help boost red cell production – our President took him to her house to try to give him more of a home environment, and he is receiving steroids and high protein foods. His PCV is 18 and he is gaining weight- so he is improving! Jack's bills to date are close to $2,000 at this time.
