Indie’s Heartbeat ❤️

Earlier this year, Best Friends Animal Society  generously awarded Planned PEThood of Georgia $36,000 to assist medically fragile cats and kittens from three rural counties in Georgia (Newton, Walton, and Barrow). This incredible grant through the Rachael Ray Save Them All program is awarded to fund projects that increase the lifesaving of cats and dogs in shelters across the country.

Thanks to this grant, Planned PEThood has been able to provide crucial help to 35 animals. County shelters often lack the resources and ability to care for these special cases, leaving medically fragile animals without the care they desperately need. Some of these animals find themselves on the euthanasia list, the unfortunate reality many shelters face. Because of this grant, Planned PEThood is able to step in and offer medical support to these medically fragile animals while shelters can direct their focus toward adoptable animals and work to save more lives. 

Meet Indie, one kitten whose life has been touched by the extraordinary grant. Indie came to Planned PEThood from Newton County, a rural county south of Atlanta. She was part of a group we took in from a hoarding situation. Indie and the other kittens were battling upper respiratory infections, but with the right medical treatment and some TLC, they recovered. 

When Indie went in for her spay surgery, she received some upsetting news. She was diagnosed with a grade 6 heart murmur during her pre-operative exam. This is the loudest heart murmur, heard even before a stethoscope touches the chest. Unfortunately, Indie needed care from an outside veterinarian for further evaluation of her heart. After reviewing her echocardiogram, the cardiologist made recommendations for a protocol to be used during her spay surgery. 

While Planned PEThood lacks the specialized equipment needed to safely perform Indie’s spay surgery, Tiger Tails was happy to help and ensure Indie received the care she needed. The wonderful veterinary team at Tiger Tails performed her spay surgery and reported that Indie did very well throughout the procedure. Indie’s progress and recovery will continue to be closely monitored to determine what the future may hold for her thanks to this generous grant. No matter what Indie’s future holds, she is loved and cared for in a foster home as she awaits her next steps.

This remarkable grant from Best Friends Animal Society allows us to continue to make a profound difference in the lives of medically fragile cats and kittens, like Indie, providing vital medical care and unending love.