Today is the day

The Cosmutt goes in for surgery to repair her torn CCL today.  It's always tough when a pet has to be hospitalized, even though we have a great vet.

UPDATE 12:40 PM: 

Cosmo is out of surgery. Doc said the implant went well, they got all of the pieces of the torn tissue cleaned out of the joint, and that she didn't have a meniscus injury.

She stays overnight at the vet and then we bring her home for a loooong twelve week recovery process before she can slowly start doing her normal stuff again.

Even with a torn ligament, this dog wanted to play every morning. It's gonna be rough on her.

UPDATE 12/22 8:15 AM:
Our regular vet called this morning after he checked on Cozzie. He said she's doing really well - her incision looks good and she doesn't have a fever. We should be able to bring her home this afternoon. Yay!

UPDATE 12/22 4:30 PM:
COSMO IS HOME!!!! Pics below the cut...

Triple the fun

I've been to the vet each day for the past three days.

Cosmo developed a limp just before Thanksgiving. She was getting better, but then she just...plateaued. Got her checked on Tuesday and took her back for x-rays today. Turns out the poor pup has a torn ACL, so she goes in for surgery next week.

PeeWee the snot master had an appointment sandwiched in on Wednesday. More antibiotics for him, plus his kidney values were off, so he gets to go on K/D food now.

The joys of a fur family.

Kittens! Kittens Everywhere!

The KC Star visited the shelter last week to report on the kitten explosion. The article features photos of adorably sweet Minion & super-cutie tripod Lina, but it also includes a photo of Felix Thunder Paws, a seven-year-old FIV+ cat.

In some states (like our neighbor, Kansas), shelters cannot adopt out FIV+ cats. It's a law that is based on fear, not science, and the Great Plains SPCA CEO has worked with legislators to repeal it multiple times. As is typical with governing bodies in the US, however, they always tack the repeal onto another bill and it ends up not passing.

Saving lives, one snip at a time

Quick - guess how many animals are euthanized each year in the United States.

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2.7 million. Yes, each year nearly 3 million cats and dogs lose their lives because of pet overpopulation. For perspective, that's the population of Chicago. It's twice that of San Diego.

Dead.

Each. Year.

Here's an easy one - what is the single most effective way to reduce that number?