Heartland HS Medical Expenses

We are a small but mighty private no-kill rescue and are comprised solely of foster homes.  We provide sick, unwanted, homeless/abandoned, and injured pets with a chance at finding permanent, loving homes.  We receive our foster animals from local pounds when their time is up, rescue them from life on the streets, and we also help animals that need to be rehomed because their families are no longer able or willing to care for them.  

None of our volunteers are paid which means that all donations, money from fundraisers, and adoption fees that we receive are used solely for the care of our animals.  Veterinary costs are our #1 expense and on average, we spend $8-9K per month towards medical care and treatment of our foster animals.  That's a lot for a small rescue like ours, especially since we do not receive any government funding and rely completely on private donations, adoption fees and fundraisers to operate and continue in our mission to save animals in need.  Nonetheless, we pride ourselves in providing the very best care and quality of life for our foster animals no matter the cost or effort involved because they are what is most important to us.

Recently, we have been hit very hard by unexpected and very costly veterinary expenses which, in turn, has depleted much of our savings.  While we do our best to conduct fundraisers and request grants on a regular basis to supplement our funds, support of these events and donations/grants in general have unfortunately decreased over the past year.  

We are respectfully requesting donations in any amount to help cover the cost of some of our more expensive fosters that have recently required specialized treatment and surgery to address  significant health issues.   Your donations will be helping the following animals in our care:

Piper is a darling tabby girl who was rescued 2 years ago from a high-kill rural pound.  She was recently diagnosed with stomatitis; a severe and very painful inflammation of a cat's mouth and gums. In most cases, this condition causes ulcers to form inside the mouth and can also cause bleeding in the gums as well as teeth to be reabsorbed.  Some cats can be treated with antibiotic and steroid therapy, but in her case, she was not responsive to treatment and required extraction of most of her teeth to remedy the situation.  She is now recovering from her surgery and is expected to do very well once she heals.

Pinot is a beautiful calico that came to us as a stray from the streets of St. Louis.  She is very sweet and docile and loves affection from her humans.  Since rescued, she has been experiencing severe eye issues that has caused her to have sensitivity to light, inflammation in her eyelids, and chronic discharge that is not responding to standard treatment.  A URI PCR test confirmed that her eye problems are not the result of a viral or bacterial infection.  Our next step is to consult with a veterinary ophthalmologist and run some specialized tests to determine the cause of her issues so that an appropriate treatment plan can be identified.

Abbey is a 20 year old (yes, 20!) owner-surrendered kitty.  She is just as sweet and friendly as can be and absolutely loves people.  Her owner relinquished her to us because he took a new job that requires him to travel and could no longer provide her with care.  We could not stand the thought of her dying alone in a cold shelter surrounded by strangers and decided that she deserved to live the rest of her life, no matter how long that may be, in a home where she will be loved and well cared for. She still has plenty of life left in her and does not look her age at all.   However, our main concern with cats her age is kidney and thyroid disease so she will require some rather costly blood tests to confirm her overall health status.  In turn, this will allow us to provide her with any treatment and therapy needed to keep her as healthy and happy for as long as possible.

Finally, we have Lacey - an adorable gray tabby girl who came to us from another local pound.  We recently discovered that she had been losing a bit of weight so we rushed her to our vet for exam.  They discovered a mass in her abdomen right by her liver that would most certainly kill her if not addressed.  Despite it being a risky surgery due to her age, we made the decision to remove the mass and give her the best possible chance for a long and quality life.  

Without support from donors like you, we would not be able to do what we do - help precious animals like Piper, Pinot, Abbey and Lacey who so desperately need us.   We realize that funds are tight for some but any amount, even a $1, helps tremendously.  

Thank you for your support and generosity!