TheHerd House

Sunset Boulevard is a nine week old Kitten born with Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) and two rear, club feet. She is a Manx; that means she was born without a tail. Sunset needs life-changing surgery. Saved from euthanasia by veterinarian she was immediately brought into Rescue. Her front end is so spicy sweet. We have to save her. Her legs are completely lame. She never developed muscles. Her bones are twisted at every joint. She walks on her twisted hocks as if they were a foot pad. She failed her sensory tests. The walking is an automatic response. She is not aware. She is aware that she has legs. She can take a few steps. She stumbles. She falls in the water bowl. She was born incontinent. She was covered in sores, a UTI and other infections. Since coming into Rescue in April, she has improved slightly. We did veterinary acupuncture and she can now urinate and have a bowel movement. There is nothing we can do to treat her conditions. They will only get worse. She is scheduled for bilateral rear amputation on June 4. I know this sounds scary, but I have done it successfully with three dogs and they thrive like a fully able dog. I have wheelchairs ready for her. Should she need them. Please support her journey for life-saving and life-changing surgery. Thank you so much. Cauda Equina Syndrome About Cauda equina eyndrome is a condition where the spinal canal narrows and puts pressure on nerves in the lumbar (low back) and sacral (part of the spine that sits in the pelvis) areas. Cauda equina syndrome is also referred to as spinal stenosis or narrowing of the spinal canal. The nerves are crushed. They may not even have had a chance to fully develop. Cauda equina syndrome is rarely found in cats. When it does occur it can caused by anything from a birth defect to a protozoa. Symptoms * Trouble walking, inability to walk, or total lameness * Pain in the low back near the hips and tail * Weakness/paralysis in the back legs and muscle wasting * Weakness/paralysis of the tail or carrying the tail abnormally low * Incontinence with urine, feces, or both (rare) Treatment Cauda equina is a progressive disease and symptoms will worsen over time. Disease Information Sites There don’t appear to be any websites devoted to this condition in cats. Support Groups I couldn’t find any groups devoted to cauda equina support, probably because this condition is so rare in cats. Bilateral Club Foot The condition (often called twisted leg syndrome or tarsal hyperextension/arthrogryposis) occurs when the tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the leg are tightened or twisted due to fetal positioning. Sunny has a severe case. Each joint from her hip to her toes is twisting a different direction. As she grows, this will only get worse. Treatment There is no corrective surgical option for Sunny B. Sores and Lesions Sunny arrived in Rescue in far worse condition when she arrived in the herd. Her wounds are severe. Her entire rear end, including her Volta and anus are infected and bloody. We suspect this was from dragging. Sunny was incontinent with both urine and bowel movements. Her infections are coming along, but they are still severe. She has sores on her legs from dragging. While they do look a little better, they will never heal completely. Right now we are battling systemic & localized infections. Treatment Antibiotic injection and petroleum jelly. Incontinence Sunny was unable to have a bowel movement or urinate on her own. She had to be physically expressed multiple times daily. We immediately got her into veterinary acupuncture to improve that situation after two sessions. She had a bowel movement on her own. A week and a half later on our way home from Florida. She peed all by herself in the car. And she peed and she peed and she peed. Which she can’t do is control it. So when she urinate, it is running down her legs. She cannot wear a diaper right now because of the sore on her bottom. So we clean and we clean and we clean. Manx A Manx is a cat that was born without a tail. Sunset does not have a tail. We don’t know if that is a genetic defect or has been caused by the CES. It’s just one more thing that makes her unique. It’s one more thing that makes her an excellent candidate to be a house shrimp. Thank you for supporting Sunset Boulevard journey, you can follow her progress on all of the socials as The Herd House : #OperationSunsetBoulevard

On March 17, 2026 we had a severe wind storm with gusts over 65 mph. My neighbor’s tree ended up on my roof. I am fortunate that it has not punctured the roof. There is some damage. The insurance company is handling that part. This has been ruled a no fault / Act of God event. The price to remove the tree is just under my deductible. I used to have my deductible in a savings account however, I have used that to help the herd dogs and my own medical expenses. It’s been a tough year. under other circumstances, I would love to have a treehouse. I would rather not have a tree on my house. Any help you can give is appreciated. Thank you in advance. Tine

Jack Russell Brown has once again selected The Herd House as the recipient of their annual Charity Pawtay! Your generous donation contributes to life-saving and life-changing m needs for extreme, special needs dogs and cats. Thank you for your support both emotional and financial. #KindnessMatters.

The HERD House is a special needs sanctuary for domestic animals. We are currently fundraising for Kiefer Sutherland’s bilateral, rear amputation and aftercare services. Kiefer joined us in 2023 with an unwitnessed back injury. With physical therapy, acupuncture, and the hyperbaric oxygen chamber he started to walk. A few weeks later, he had a stroke from a bone fragment that healed improperly. His MRI confirmed that the damage was severe. He was not expected to regain feeling below the waist. About 18 months later, I felt electricity run through his legs. A few days later, he started to push up on them. Last week he could stand while eating and was starting to move his foot for steps. He was also using all four legs to crawl. Then he began to show signs of weakness. A few days later, I felt a very large pop and his leg fell loose in my hand. His primary veterinarian diagnosed it as his leg dislocated at the hip with the other leg not far behind. She recommended amputation. I happen to have an amputation specialist and he was able to take Kiefer in immediately. Invoices are attached for those services. Kiefer will not need physical therapy. He may need acupuncture for nerve pain from surgery. He will need protective and incontinence rear gear. He has three wheelchairs to choose from when he is ready/ should he need them outdoors. There is a device called a drag bag with half a skateboard on the base if he continues to drag his rear on the floor. All donations will go directly to Kiefer. Thank you so much for your support, understanding and kindness. It matters.