Etheridge Farm Fosters' mission to save seven foster pets

All within one week, Carl and I were saddled with a whopping seven new private fosters. We didn't intend to take them on, but they fell into our laps, and we cannot say no to animals so desperately in need. Unfortunately, because they're private fosters - that is, we're not fostering them through any organization - we're paying for everything out of our own pockets. Worse yet, all seven of the animals have had some pretty serious medical needs. I'm pretty sure our credit card is going to catch fire the next time we use it.

The first foster is Lucky, an adorable little chocolate lab mix. He showed up at a park where some unhoused friends of our spend much of their time. He was just a little puppy, and he was obviously going hungry. Fortunately, he was otherwise fairly healthy, except for some basic parasite issues. However, he's expensive because he's a puppy and thus needs all his rounds of puppy shots and his neuter surgery.

After that, our unhoused friends contacted us again because an unhoused acquaintance of theirs was trying to care for five very sick kittens, three of whom were still on the bottle, from her car. She couldn't even afford more formula for the kittens, much less to bring them to the vet for the care they desperately needed. She surrendered them to us for care, and we soon learned just how bad off these kittens were: coccidia, URIs, ringworm, and mites. We've spent over a month now trying to get all their diseases under control! They're all out of the danger zone now, but the skin of the three younger kittens is still a mess. They will still need all their basic kitten vaccinations and to be neutered.

Finally, as we headed to the vet with our other litter of foster kittens (those ones actually through a rescue organization), a dog ran into the road next to us. He was the hottest hot mess to ever get heated up. He had skin infections, an eye infection, intestinal worms, and enough fleas on him to populate every dog on Earth. He was skeletal. Worse yet, one of his front legs had been wrecked due to some previous injury, and he cannot use it. It will need to be amputated. One of his eyes will probably need to be removed, too. Most of his teeth, which are all abscessed and broken and painful, will need to be pulled. But we can only do that after he survives treatment for his end-stage heartworm infection. He's so far gone with the heartworms that he's regularly coughing up blood. He's the sweetest, happiest boy, though, and he deserves the happily ever after we're going to get for him.

We've already blown about $3750 of our own money on these seven animals. It's worth it, of course, because cats and dogs are perfect and deserve every good thing the universe can off them. However, it's making things difficult for Carl and me. We come to you now to ask humbly for your help.