When their pup, Lucky, the adored "baby of the family," was recently suffering a life-threatening intestinal blockage, Lucky's family feared they may be out of luck. Lucky's guardian, a student who single-handedly supports his family, needed help. Thankfully, you were there to offer aid when it was most needed! You, Lucky's family, and our partner vets at Pacific & Santa Cruz Veterinary Specialists, banded together to provide Lucky the emergency care he needed. Thanks to you, this stylish little fella will continue to live a life that befits his auspicious name!
Ollie
Although he's only 3 years old, handsome Ollie has already suffered a series of painful and dangerous urinary blockages. His devoted mom, who found Ollie on the streets at just 3 weeks of age, repeatedly treated these blockages. When Ollie recently experienced yet another blockage and his mom was still in debt from the last one, she reached out to BirchBark. With the help of our supporters and our partner vet, Pacific & Santa Cruz Veterinary Specialists , Ollie underwent a surgery that will prevent blockages from occurring again! Ollie's mom is as relieved as Ollie is. She says of her boy:
"Ollie is my soulmate animal. I’ve never loved another pet like I love him. He’s so special to me. I couldn’t imagine my life without him."
Blossom
Today, Blossom has a hard time getting around. The-8 year-old Rottweiler recently suffered a traumatic injury, breaking both of her back legs, when she was hit by a car.
After surviving the CZU fire and loss of their home, Blossom's dad knew he had to see Blossom through this trial. He turned to BirchBark for help, and you were there.
With your assistance and our partnership with Animal Hospital of Soquel, Blossom's dad was left with only 25% of the cost of the surgical repair needed to help Blossom walk again. Although Blossom's recovery will take time, this holiday season and the New Year will be filled with the gift of hope for Blossom and her family.
P-Nut
At just 8 weeks of age, P-Nut should have had his whole life ahead of him. Instead, his life was in jeopardy. His family had acquired him from a breeder just two days earlier, not knowing that he had Parvo, an often-fatal viral infection that requires intensive medical intervention.
P-Nut was fighting for his life, but the fight was one that neither he nor his family could win alone. Thankfully, our partner vets at Pacific and Santa Cruz Veterinary Specialists encouraged the family to enlist the help of BirchBark.
Together, we were able to restore hope and health for little P-Nut.
Stoney
When Stoney became ill, her family knew something was wrong, so they took her to their vet who determined she had a mass on her spleen that needed removal right away.
When called upon, we stepped in to support, and with the help of our veterinary partner, Animal Hospital Of Soquel, Stoney is now back on her feet and back to her active lifestyle. The best news is, the mass wasn't cancerous!
Your donations help us to help families like Stoney's, stay together.
Sunshine
During her family's darkest days - dealing with the aftermath of the Santa Cruz fires and the impact of COVID - Sunshine the lab did exactly what her name suggests: brought light, warmth, and joy to each day. In turn, Sunshine's family enriched her life with twice-daily hikes in the woods, ample beach trips, and plenty of opportunity to chase balls and dig rocks.
But last week, Sunshine was critically ill with closed pyometra, a uterine infection requiring immediate and expensive surgical care. With the help of supporters like you, BirchBark was able to assist Sunshine and her family in this moment of crisis. Today, Sunshine and her family face a bright future together.
Ditto
Just over three years ago, Ditto's temporary caretaker became Ditto's forever mom when the handsome curly-haired pup's original family never came back to reclaim him. Told to "just take him to the shelter," Ditto's mom knew that Ditto deserved more than that. She was right; Ditto was meant for greater things.
Ditto and his mom have formed a tight bond. Ditto's mom, who suffers from hearing loss, says, "He is my protector, he is my ears, he is my companion. I have grown to love him so much. I can sleep in peace because I have him with me! I know the universe sent him to me. We need each other."
Recently, the bond between Ditto and his mom was at risk: Ditto had bladder stones that required treatment his mom, a disabled veteran, could not afford. In cooperation with our friends at Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, we were able to provide Ditto the treatment he needed, so that he could stay with the family who needs him.
Sugar
Sugar’s mom picked her up from the shelter when she was a little fluffy puppy, and she has been with her family for 14 years. She was her mom’s first baby and her only girl. Her mom says, “Sugar has been the very best addition to our family. She is truly the best dog I could have ever dreamed of. She is so sweet and loving, and still full of life at her old age. She means the world to me and I can't stand to see her in pain.”
When Sugar’s mom began noticing that she didn’t want to play with her toys and was laying around more than usual, she could tell something was off… but when Sugar stopped eating her crunchy food and favoring her wet food, her mom knew something was going on that needed to be figured out right away.
It’s always a good idea to take your pet straight to the vet when they are acting out of character.
Thankfully, our partners at Toro Park Animal Hospital found that all Sugar needs is to have some poor teeth pulled and she’ll be back to her old self - feeling good and full of life!
George
When George the cat badly needed dental work, you were there for him. His mom wrote:
"This is a gift to me this Christmas to have George. Every day when I look at him I think back how stuck we were. It was one of the most challenging times of our lives. We are so grateful for BirchBark."
Gratitude expressed only engenders more gratitude. Thank you for your show of love that enables pet families to stay together.
Paloma
Paloma comes from a long line of beloved Chihuahuas. Her family was intent on passing down the tradition of breeding these little doggies, but it was not to be the case for Paloma. Sadly, she ended up in the emergency hospital with a common uterine infection, called Pyometra. It was just something they (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦) hadn’t imagined would ever happen. It’s a scary situation, and although it wasn’t what they initially wanted, they knew that Paloma’s health was paramount above all their previous aspirations they had for her. Her family was quick to decide upon the surgery that would remove her uterus and ultimately save her life.
Thankfully her family got Paloma to @pacificsantacruzvetspecialists, just in the knick of time. We are thankful they reached out to us and we were able to assist in the intervention that would change Paloma’s life story.
Bella
Like many senior dogs, little Bella had some teeth that were in a bad state of decay and she had to have them removed as soon as possible. Her doggy dad is disabled and unable to work, so he didn’t think it would be possible for her to have the procedure.
When our friends at @peace_of_mind_dog_rescue called us to ask if we could assist them on the case, it was an easy answer - “Of course!”-
We have special funding from the great Grey Muzzle Organization especially for senior dogs’ dental procedures, so it was a perfect case and we were eager to see Bella get the help she desperately needed.
We are so grateful to all the loving hearts at @greymuzzleorg who help us give a new lease on life to these good old dogs.
Fig
Poor Fig had been refusing food and very lethargic for a few days. Any pet owner knows how much our furry friends LOVE to eat, so it’s always a warning sign when they refuse food. Fig’s dad did not hesitate to bring Fig to our local emergency hospital, @pacificsantacruzvetspecialists, to find out the cause of his food strike. After the X-ray revealed an unidentifiable blockage in his small intestines, the doctor explained that immediate surgery was the only option to save Fig. As a full-time student working part-time as an EMT, Fig’s dad had no hope to afford this surgery... 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺... We are so happy Fig’s dad called upon BirchBark and we got to lend a helping hand to Fig and his loving family.
“𝘍𝘪𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 "𝘰𝘶𝘳" 𝘤𝘢𝘵; 𝘍𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 "𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩" 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘱, 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 "𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘴" 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥”.
Silver
Silver out and about, enjoying a day at the beach with her family. Today she is fully recovered from her mass removal surgery that we were able to help with, along with the absolutely fabulous team at @peace_of_mind_dog_rescue.
Silver’s mom is a hard working student, studying to get her Master’s Degree and working full time. The cost of Silver’s surgery was just more than she could afford as a single mom.
Thank you to our incredible and generous donors who help us facilitate these necessary surgeries for pets like Silver and her loving family.
Manchitas
Wild Man” Manchitas, fractured his leg with a daring jump off a table. When our partners, @pacificsantacruzvetspecialists, determined that surgery was required to repair his leg, his family was frantic with worry that they just couldn’t afford it. Fortunately, our veterinary partners knew just who they should call.
When called upon, the BirchBark team was ready to comfort Manchitas’ family and walk them through the PetAid application process. It wasn’t long after that quick phone call that Manchitas received the surgery he desperately needed.
Manchitas’ family was relieved and ever so grateful for the support they received from BirchBark. Today, Manchitas is romping again, and hopefully he has grown a little more cautious with age.
Turbo
When Turbo injured his back, his family faced an incredible hardship. The surgery needed for him to be able to walk again was outside their means and they were terrified to lose him.
Thanks to our special partnership with @pacificsantacruzvetspecialists, and thanks to the love and generosity of our wonderful donors, we were able to assist.
It truly is the angels in our community who help families like Turbo’s find relief from overwhelming and heavy burdens. We are happy to be here to facilitate... and honor the human-animal bond.
Gooner
Look at this dapper pup. 𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴?! Well, this guy has recovered now, but imagine the horror when he was hit by a car! Poor Gooner was in bad shape (as was his distressed dad).
Thankfully our partners, @pacificsantacruzvetspec, took great care of Gooner and they gave his dad BirchBark’s card, so we could help support him in this most fearful (and stressful) time.
The support we get from our generous donors facilitate all of these beautiful moments of turning fear and stress to hope and gratitude. We are thankful for each and every person who supports our mission to Protect & Honor the Human-Animal Bond.
Marley
Little Frenchie pup, Marley, had just joined her new family when they realized she was in bad shape. They took her straight to her new vet @vcaallpetssalinas, where they diagnosed her with Pyometra and discussed a treatment plan with her family.
Marley’s mom was desperate for help to make it over this hurtle and have Marley back home soon. And because of our amazing donors and all of the support that BirchBark receives, we were happy to be able to reassure her mom that we could help Marley get well and back to her new home with her very loving family.
Black Cat
Meet Black Cat. He once was a feral cat in his family’s neighborhood. He was such a pretty boy and seemed like a sweet cat, so the family decided they should take him in. After trying for several months, they were finally successful in trapping him. As Black Cat began living inside with his new family, he felt right at home and was very loving.
Recently Black Cat experienced a painful urinary blockage, and while his vet determined that he needed emergency treatment, his family was experiencing financial hardship brought on by the pandemic and were afraid they just couldn’t afford to save Black Cat.
As you may know by now, urinary blockage treatment is a common issue that BirchBark assists families with. We were happy to calm their fears and have a helping hand in giving Black Cat a lifetime of comfort and love with his new family.
“Black Cat means the world to us. He brings more joy than words can describe.”
Leah
When beautiful Leah was hit by a car, her family was distraught with worry. Thankfully they acted fast and rushed Leah to the local emergency hospital, our partners, @pacificsantacruzvetspec. While Leah was being triaged, her family called BirchBark for assistance and we were eager to help them through this frightening, traumatic experience.
Floki Flower
Little Mini Pin, Floki Flower, was all his dad had left after his wife had recently passed on. When he called BirchBark in need of some help saving Floki’s broken arm, we weren’t going to let him down.
Tonight, Floki is healing well and his dad is feeling forever grateful for the extra helping hand during hard times. We are glad to be able to be that support system for those who need it. Thank you to our wonderful community and supporters who make it all possible with great generosity and pure love. We couldn’t do it without YOU!