Summer

 
 

Summer is a rescue pup who had a helping paw in healing her family’s heartache after losing a dear furry family member. But when joining her new family, she had two broken toes; one of the toes had healed so poorly that it caused open wounds and it badly needed to be amputated.

When called upon, BirchBark came to her rescue so that Summer could get back outside and do what she does best, lift her family’s spirits and play with her new sister, Guerita.

Summer's story:

“Summer came to us, by the grace of God. We recently lost a dog and our other dog, Guerita, went into a heart-aching depression. After a month of Guerita constantly moping, we decided she needed a new partner, it wasn't healthy for her to be constantly so sad. I told a few friends we were going to see if any dogs needed a forever home, and found out about Summer’s situation.

They got along great, when they met and I felt she would be a great addition to our family. The evening Summer came home, Guerita was snuggling next to her and within a week, she starting to be herself again. They are now inseparable. We were all heartbroken losing the dog we did, so unexpectedly. Summer has been healing for all of us because she has so many mannerisms of the dog we lost (Chula was also a Boxer), but she has her own adorable personality. We love our dogs (which are all rescues) and they enrich our home and lives.”

Dexter

 
 

Look at this face! This is a happy dog. Poor Dexter wasn’t feeling so happy when he had painful kidney stones.

A kidney stone is a hard object that is made from chemicals in the urine. The stone-forming chemicals are calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate. These chemicals are eliminated in the urine by the body's master chemist: the kidney. So drinking enough water usually washes them out. Kidney stones that build up and block the urinary tract can cause great pain and need urgent treatment.

Luckily, our partners @vcasantacruz were able to remove all the stones for Dexter and get him back to feeling like his regular happy-go-lucky self. We are happy his mom reached out to us for help and we had a hand in this happy ending story for this lovable boy.

Pumpkin

 
 

One of our local veterinary team members rescued this sweet kitty when she came into the hospital with a broken leg - and stole everyone’s heart. After further examination and deliberation, it was decided that for the best success, Pumpkin would need to have her leg amputated.

All hands on deck at our partner veterinary clinic, @pacificsantacruzvetspec, and another happy ending for a pet in need. Thank you to all involved in saving Pumpkin and helping her into a loving home. We are always so inspired by the great love, compassion and dedication our partners give to animals and their families.

Lucy

 
 

Lucy had an oral mass that desperately needed to go. As a vet tech who knows firsthand how dire this situation could turn for her pup, Lucy’s mom reached out to BirchBark for help in having it removed - stat!

“Lucy means the world to me, she is the smartest, greatest dog anyone could ever meet. She is truly a blessing and has been one of the most loving creatures her whole life. She watches over my toddler and that’s the best thing I could ask for.”

We agree! Our pets bring so much joy, they fit right in to our family and they can be great helpers!

Thank you to our vet partners, @pacificsantacruzvetspec, for taking such great care of Lucy and helping get her back to feeling good, so she could get right back to helping watch over her littlest family member.

Lani

 
 

Lani’s teeth were hurting badly, so her mom took her to our amazing partners’, @peace_of_mind_dog_rescue, clinic to diagnose and treat the issue. As with so many of our older pet companions, Lani’s teeth were in a state of decay that was beginning to impact her health. If left untreated, it could lead to infection, increased risk of kidney disease, heart disease, or liver disease.

Lani’s family is grateful to have a community of support to help her and thankful for the team of people who coordinated to get Lani the treatment she needed.

A very special and heartfelt thank you to @greymuzzleorg, for helping us support these elder pets with dental disease and tooth decay.

Lester

 
 

Lester’s dad noticed he was in pain and his inability to eat or drink was very unusual, so he took him to our emergency vet partner, @pacificsantacruzvetspec, where they determined that he had a gastric blockage, likely from a foreign object he swallowed.

As a student only working part time, his dad had very limited funds. To him, the cost of surgery was astronomical and it appeared that his only option was to euthanize Lester, even though Lester was very healthy otherwise. So the staff at Pacific & Santa Cruz Veterinary Specialists gave him a card for BirchBark, and to his great relief, he found that the BirchBark team was understanding, compassionate, helpful, and the process to apply was easy!

Today, Lester is doing great and his dad gives BIG THANKS to BirchBark and their donors, and to the fantastic veterinary team at Pacific & Santa Cruz Veterinary Specialists, who all worked together to save Lester’s life.

“𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 - 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩!”

Boozur

 
 

Meet our latest success story, Boozur. Fom @boozurthebloodhound:

I’m home! And alive! Thanks for everyone who prayed for me! It worked again @birchbarkfoundation saved my life! Donate to them if you can! They are a wonderful foundation that helps dogs like me, who are in life or death situations...help parents like mine, who can afford surgeries. Thank you birchbark!!!! luckily I didn’t need surgery and pooped out my obstruction this morning, but because they told mom to take me in and get the surgery I’m still alive!

Moonshine

 
 

Moonshine is 3 year old Catahoula who jumped off a 3-story balcony plummeting to the concrete below. She needed all 4 limbs reconstructed in order for her to walk again. ⠀

Thanks to her dedicated owners, Veterinary Partner Pacific & Santa Cruz Veterinary Specialists and funding from BirchBark Foundation, Moonshine was able to get the surgery she needed. She's still at the hospital recovering from surgery, but will be back home with her loving family soon. Thank you to our supporters for allowing us to be there for pets like Moonshine and their families.