Save Cortez's Life and Leg
Our furry family member, Cortez almost disappeared from our lives forever. Cortez desperately needs financial help for medical treatment and surgery.
All because of a series of egregious neglect and mistakes by San Antonio Animal Care Services staff and their veterinarian. Through great persistence and networking I got him back home. He now needs an urgent surgery and our family is asking for support so he doesn’t have to have his leg amputated, or worse, put to sleep because we are unable to afford the cost on our own.
The estimate for the surgery is $2991.00 and after care is estimated at $150.00.
The photo you’re looking at on the main page is the San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS) intake photo for him posted on their web site on May 6, 2015. The information listed with the photo by ACS stated this cat was a female.
On May 6th I and my husband, JohnTolbert could not find our boy Cortez. We did exactly what a lost pet owner is supposed to do; post public lost notices, check the ACS impounded animal web page, and other rescue sites for our cat.
What we found online is this photo of a cat that looked identical to Cortez. However Cortez was listed as a female by ACS. Regardless, the very next morning we went to ACS in person along with vet records, microchip records and photos in hand to positively ID our pet at the shelter. We knew this was our baby.
On May 7th we arrived at ACS 20 minutes before they opened. We eventually were directed to the cat kennel, but we couldn’t find him. We asked an ACS employee in the cat kennels where ID # A330407 was as this was our cat . The employee went into the computer and pulled up the number. First we were told that the cat was still on the ACS truck!
Remember, he was impounded on the 6th and this was the 7th. As bizarre as that may sound, the response by the employee when the we asked when the truck would be “in” was that she just couldn’t tell us, she didn’t know. No further assistance was offered.
We asked if we could leave our information with someone so that we could be notified when the truck came in. Instead of actually assisting us we were simply told to go to the adoptions office at the dog kennels and talk to a worker there for help.
At the adoptions office at the dog kennel we explained our plight and what other employees had responded with thus far. A woman there was helpful and said it didn’t make any sense that the cat would still be on the truck a day later.
She started making calls and finally found out the cat was in the clinic. We insisted that we wanted to still view the cat with their our eyes as we just absolutely believed that the photo in their listing was of Cortez.
John, the employee, and I walked over to the clinic and she told us that we couldn't go in right away. She needed to make sure everything was "clear" as she didn't want us to see anything nasty since some of the animals come in pretty messed up.
We patiently waited in the area right outside the clinic door.
After some time passed the employee leaned out the door and asked if our cat was declawed. We said no. She said this cat was declawed. We asked if that cat was chipped. She said no chip.
So given that the cat was "female", "declawed" and “not chipped” we were wanting to view this cat and were still denied this simple request that every citizen has the right to do. Which is the right to view any animal in the custody of the city shelter.
Not knowing what else to do and feeling helpless we just asked if we could leave our contact information in case any cat fitting that description came in. We were directed to a kiosk in the main building. Remember, we had all of our information, vet records, microchip number, and photos.
Instead of assisting us with taking our information we were instead directed to go to the lobby and “get on the kiosk.” We weren’t sure why but we just went to where we were directed with the hopes of being able to leave our information.
When we got to the computer/kiosk area the computer wasn’t even logged on and all the employees were just too busy to stop what they were doing to help us. So we left, very depressed.
Every day afterwards I was still looking at that “female, unchippped, declawed” cat’s impounded photo while looking through all the ACS web photos. However, five days after our horrible experience at ACS I noticed that the information listed on #A330407 had changed from female to male. And “domestic mediumhair” was changed to “Maine Coon,” both matching Cortez!
Animals at ACS have a 72 hour hold and then are disposed of by the shelter by allowing a rescue to pull, adopt out, or euthanize. If the animal is tagged or microchipped then they may allow a 5 day hold to allow more time for the owner to be contacted and recover their impounded pet.
Whether or not Cortez had identification with a chip, the hold time had expired. He could have been killed like so many others as ACS is not a "no kill" shelter.
Luckily I was posting about our situation on a Facebook lost and found page. I then contacted someone to inquire into the ACS impounded data where it was confirmed that the sex and breed information was changed 6 days later! Also we later discovered that they had "found" Cortez's microchip (which was registered with current contact information with two microchip registrys, one being HomeAgain as the chip would show upon scanning as a HomeAgain chip). Yet NO ONE at ACS bothered to contact me. They obviously knew there was some mistake. Some “changing” of information.
To add further evidence of the ACS and their veterinarian making mistakes it was insisted to me that Cortez was declawed right until the moment I had in my arms and was able to show them his claws.
I asked for copies of any medical records they had for him since I knew that he had been in the clinic of the 7th. I recieved one print out that did not indicate any severe injuries, definately not a pelvic issue or detailing any treatment.
When I got home and got him out of his carrier I noticed that he was limping quite severely. I immediately became concerned and found a vet who could see him that day.
The veterinary determined that Cortez would need an x-ray. Here is where the real nightmare began. Cortez's left pelvis and hip were shattered, and ligaments/tendons in his left back knee were all torn.
My daughters and I were devestated, and I had to seriously consider putting him down. Many of the Facebook lost and found pets page that had been supporting me were inquiring about what was going on with Cortez, and I had to share the horrible news.
They begged me to not put him down and urged me to persue help to save both his life and his leg. This is what has brought me here.
Seven valuable treatment days have passed due to ACS's mistakes, a vet specialists agrees that any delay that resulted in treatment can impact recovery and healing.
If you are not already aware a news story was done on this. You can view the interview or read it at this link:
~Update~ Also this story has since been featured in the San Antonio Express News: http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressnews.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Farticle%2FResident-alleges-shelter-neglected-her-pet-6269684.php&h=FAQFZLdmF&enc=AZP1tGvdRqkp4UenudPL7ZymIVcTK6YxtJUL9X_jOJUjCBmjtUF70z5UvvOYTFcHWxpLNDTJ9Py6-qp762QmHadQHLAHg1LR2eIsy1wyIbSYu9Im5OpLCd88qzTGiCSCxLHkzuoFBd7yYrTzPzmtEPCzz-3nmc0MgZgzeNUx45FvV57Es8WLUA9H8BSMUZbHu8c&s=1&skip_shim_verification=1
And the San Antonio Current: http://www.sacurrent.com/Blogs/archives/2015/05/18/family-raising-funds-for-injured-cat-after-sa-animal-care-services-misidentified-the-feline
I have managed since then to secure Cortez's Vet records from ACS and it shows that they were aware that Cortez came in injured with a pelvic injury. However no x-ray was performed, and while they gave him pain medication they only gave it to him for 3 days. That means Cortez went without meaningful treatment for the injury and also went without pain relief for 5 days!
Furthermore it now has come to light that he had not abrasions, but burns/road rash on his right shoulder. In the medical records I recieved the day I picked him up the only notation on such was "two old wounds/scars". Nothing detailing treatment of such or even that they would need further care. Only yesterday (May 19th) was the extent of the damage found out. A patch of skin roughly 3" by 4" is damaged and was seperating from the new skin underneath (it has been almost two weeks now since this wound occured). Had it not been caught in another day or two it would have sloughed off and left a very open raw wound on Cortez's shoulder.
In the records I recieved later it appears little treatment was given to Cortez for this wound! There is also no notation of any application of topical medicine or daily treatment given to him for this injury!
And again, one of the more outrageous aspects of this is that no one at ACS bothered to inform me of the extent of this injury, if they even knew, and a veterinary should have the capacity to know the extent of this injury if they thoroughly looked over the animal upon intake, which they claim to have done!
In comparing the medical records I recieved on the day I reclaimed Cortez to the medical records I have since secured on the 15th we have some questions and will be sending iquiries. This is something that will have to be sorted out later.
I am asking you now to please help me save the life and leg of my cat, Cortez. I cannot do this alone and I desperately need your help.
It is my hope that with your help we can not only get Cortez the surgery he will need, but that we can also highlight this issue and get the mistakes at ACS investigated and hopefully corrected so this never happens to anyone else and their pet again.
Thank you on behalf of my husband, my daughters, Cortez, and from the bottom of my heart.
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Some have asked and I was finally able to speak with the vet and get it worked out. If you don't want to donate online and instead wish to donate directly to the veterinary here is the information you will need.
Veterinary is - South Texas Veterinary Specialists - Phone number: (210) [phone redacted]
You will need my name - Danika Tolbert
You will need Cortez's name - Cortez!
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I am also including a couple pictures of Cortez since he has come home. While in pain he seems in good spirits.
