adopt

Sometimes Surgeries Aren’t Always What They Seem

Last week, we had an incredible shelter day!

Our Go Fix Georgia Program helped 60 shelter cats and dogs with spay/neuter surgeries, vaccines, and even a couple of special surgeries. 

We wanted to highlight a very sweet, special pup we saw, Strawberry! Strawberry arrived at Planned PEThood early Thursday morning from one of our partner shelters. She was on our schedule for a straightforward spay surgery. However, upon sedation, we found a huge stick, embedded in the roof of her mouth. Ouch! Can you imagine how much pain she must have been in prior to surgery?

Our veterinary team quickly managed to remove the large stick and move forward with Strawberry’s spay surgery. We have no doubt she felt so much relief upon waking up! Now, Strawberry has headed back to Hall County Animal Shelter pain-free, ready to find her forever home! This lovable pup is available for adoption through Hall County.

This is just one of many unique cases that our vet team encounters on shelter days. This team not only provides expert medical care but also a loving touch for the dogs and cats that come to our facility. Spay/neuter, medical care, and life-saving surgeries for shelter animals are at the heart of our Go Fix Georgia Program.

Just a friendly reminder, NEVER let your dog chew on bones (chicken, steak, etc.) or sticks as they can splinter, become lodged like this, or be swallowed and puncture through the digestive tract. Let’s keep our fur babies safe!

Read more
Katie holding Bella Donna

Injured Dog Loses Eye, But Gains Loving Home

Katie and Bella Donna

A few months ago, this sweetheart 4-month-old pup, Bella Donna, arrived from Habersham County Animal Shelter through our Go Fix Georgia program. Sadly, she had been surrendered to the shelter with the most horrendous eye injury. Trust us, you really don’t want to see the image. However, Habersham knew our Go Fix Georgia program at Planned PEThood would be able to help!

Bella Donna headed to Planned PEThood on our Thursday shelter day to get her eye removed and her spay surgery, ready to start a healthier, happier life! With as much pain as she had to be in, she was begging for cuddles and belly rubs from staff both before and after surgery. 

One of our amazing vet techs, Katie, couldn’t stand the thought of her recovering alone in a kennel, so she took her home for the evening for one-on-one care. Just for a few days, of course. The plan was to return her to Habersham the next morning so Bella Donna could find her forever home. But love wins and sweet Bella Donna won the lottery!

Congrats to Katie and her new puppy! We love watching happily ever after happen to our Planned PEThood family and shelter pets!

Go Fix Georgia is a program dedicated to improving spay/neuter access to rural animal shelters and their communities throughout Georgia. Starting with Newton County Animal Control in 2019, this program ensures that more animals leave these shelters sterilized, and vaccinated. There is one rule we require when working with a shelter- every animal that enters the Go Fix Georgia program is guaranteed safety! That means these animals will either be adopted or placed with a rescue group. In the four years since beginning our program, we have expanded to five county shelters and helped to provide spay and neuter surgeries for over 5,000 lucky dogs and cats in Georgia.

 Learn more about Go Fix Georgia
Read more

Calling All Cat Lovers! How To Celebrate Happy Cat Month

Calling all cat lovers! Happy Cat Month is celebrated every September. It’s a whole month dedicated to our feline friends and their well-being. CATalyst Council created this annual event to educate and inform cat owners on what they can do to ensure their pet is happy and healthy. 

Here are a few suggestions for pet parents to keep their feline fur babies happily purring:

Spend time with your cat

Cats LOVE attention and spending time with their owners. Snuggling, petting, and playing can be a fantastic way to spend time with your cat. Training your cat is another great way to spend time with your cat and help strengthen the bond between you and your fur baby. Cats are smart and food-oriented. Training them to do fun tricks or simple commands is a great physical and mental stimulation for felines. 

Keep your cat entertained

There are so many ways to do this! One of the easiest ways to make a cat happy and keep them entertained is with a new toy. Remember, not all toys have to be store-bought. Cats absolutely love a good, empty box. An empty box can entertain cats for hours. Cat scratching is not only mentally stimulating, but it is also good for their health. There are various cat scratchers you can find to set up around your home. Some cats enjoy watching TV. While it may seem silly, there are numerous videos on YouTube created to keep cats entertained. 

Keep your cat healthy

Schedule regular visits to the veterinarian to make sure your cat is healthy and free of any diseases or other health problems. Remember, a healthy cat is a happy cat. Yearly wellness visits can help catch medical issues early and ensure your cat is up-to-date on vaccinations. 

Give your cat a buddy

Most felines love the company of another kitty. Cats are social animals and enjoy having a playmate. Pet parents can visit a local animal shelter or rescue organization to find a feline friend for their fur baby. Having another cat can improve their quality of life.

View the adoptable cats at Planned PEThood

Microchip your cat

Microchipping provides permanent identification in case your cat becomes lost. When scanned at a local shelter or vet, a microchip can show all your contact information to help your cat be reunited with you. It’s better to be prepared in case your cat is separated from you. Even if your cat is an indoor cat and never leaves the house, it’s a good idea to have a microchip in case the unexpected happens. 

Book a microchip appointment with Planned PEThood today!

These are just a few things to do to help your cat be happy and healthy. Happy Cat Month to your furry feline friends from all of us at Planned PEThood! 

Read more

Meet Scooter, The Enviro-Cool Office Cat

This sweet, spunky girl, Scooter, was adopted from Planned PEThood back in 2014. Her story starts off terribly sad, but now she is living her best life as the official Envrio-Cool office cat. She’s kind of a big deal at Enviro-Cool. She wears many hats as President and CEO of Enviro-Cool. 

Although Scooter now lives her best life, she unfortunately came from a rough beginning. Someone found her after being hit and dragged by a car. Luckily, she had no broken bones but Scooter ended up needing skin grafts. She had a very long road to recovery involving lots of bandage changes. With lots of TLC from her foster family and medical help, she made a wonderful recovery. 

Scooter’s adoption photo from 2014

After hearing her story and seeing her heartbreaking photos, Mike and Carl, from Enviro-Cool, decided to adopt from Planned PEThood. Scooter has lived full-time as an office cat for 9 years with her 17-year-old friend, Kiwi, at Enviro-Cool. They say she is so friendly to everyone who comes into the office. Carl and Mike try to convince everyone to save a life and share an office with a shelter cat. They say having an office cat is such an icebreaker and a conversation piece with clients and customers. Scooter will lay on the table during meetings and everyone loves it. Carl and Mike believe office cats are great for morale and we have to agree! They say “If you want to succeed in business, you need an office cat”.

Scooter’s very own office
Scooter’s cat trees in the meeting room

We’re thrilled to hear that Scooter is living such a wonderful life in such a caring office! If your business is interested in adopting an office cat, check out our cats currently available for adoption.

ADOPTABLE CATS

See this story on TikTok and follow us there as well!

Read more

Injured Kitty Loses Eye, but Gains Hope

Meet Coco! 

We recently received a frantic call about a kitten with a bulging eye. The Good Samaritan calling found Coco after he wandered onto their porch. They immediately noticed his eye and wanted to get him the help he desperately needed.

Despite the busy surgery schedule, we were able to squeeze Coco into our day. Our very skilled veterinarian, Dr. A, performed an eye enucleation surgery, where the eye was removed. 

Coco still has some time to go before making a full recovery, but he is progressing well and on the path to healing. The kind family who saved him took him home after his surgery to help him during his recovery. 

Two weeks after his surgery, Coco is doing fantastic. The family has decided to keep him and make him a part of their family! Coco will have several sibling kitties in his new home and we are working with the family to get a few of their kitties spayed/neutered. The family also cares for several feral kitties. What a purr-fect family for Coco!

What a brave little kitten. We are rooting for you Coco! We are so grateful the Good Samaritan brought little Coco into our clinic for help. 

Read more

Two Special Needs Kitties Find Their Forever Home Together

After overcoming life-threatening medical issues and spending over a year in foster care, we are excited to share that Haze and Roger have found their forever home -TOGETHER! 

These loveable boys have spent over a year with their dedicated foster moms waiting to find their forever homes. Haze and Roger are some of the friendliest cats, but due to their variety of medical issues, they have struggled to find an adoptive home. That all changed when Haze attended the Cat Extravaganza show with his foster mom in early May. 

Haze came to Planned PEThood in June of 2022 when the nice lady caring for Haze noticed he desperately needed help. After he was rescued from an outdoor life, it was determined that he might not survive. He was barely a year old but already incredibly sick. Haze tested positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), a common infectious disease that affects cats’ immune systems, had an upper respiratory infection, a possible heart issue, very bad teeth, and more. However, with good vet care and extra TLC from his foster mom, Patti, Haze proved he was a fighter and became a thriving, healthy cat. He may be FIV positive, have a few allergies, and have no teeth, but he is a lovable kitty with a great personality. 

Roger came to Planned PEThood in September of 2021 as a kitten with all kinds of medical issues. He struggled through calicivirus, a highly contagious respiratory infection, and chronic rhinitis, a common complication of upper respiratory infections that can cause permanent damage to the nasal passageways and result in frequent infections and ongoing issues. He almost didn’t make it as a kitten, but he was a trooper. Thanks to our medical staff and his foster mom, Karen, he is doing well. Although Roger has chronic upper respiratory issues, Roger is a very friendly kitty who loves cats, dogs, and people. 

Their new mom met Haze at the Cat Extravaganza event and fell in love. She lost her senior rescue kitty a few months earlier and was ready to adopt a new feline friend. After meeting Haze, she decided to adopt him, but she was interested in a buddy for Haze. Patti suggested Roger. These two are like brothers and have so much fun together, so it’s the perfect match. She is ready to spoil them.

It’s been a tough goodbye for Haze and Roger’s foster moms after caring for these boys for such a long time, but they are both thrilled that Haze and Roger found a forever home together. Karen and Patty will even be babysitting the boys while their new mom is on vacation.

Happy life Haze and Roger! We wish you both the best life at your new home!

Read more

Kittens Tossed From a Car Find Forever Home with Their Rescuer

As you may remember, in early April, there was a devastating story involving two neonate kittens being thrown out of a moving SUV while passing through a busy intersection featured on Southern Living, 11 Alive, USA Today, WSB-TV and more. Kittens just tossed out like trash!

Fortunately, a woman witnessed the terrible act. She was suspicious and decided to stop and check it out. She couldn’t believe what she saw! Two neonate kittens, less than 5 days old! Thankfully, the Good Samaritan was able to rescue the abandoned kittens, care for them overnight, and bring them to our Duluth clinic for medical attention the next morning.

As soon as the kittens came in and we heard the story, we called the police to file a report. The Duluth Police Department immediately sent out a compassionate cat dad to help. The incident was investigated as animal cruelty, but after lots of efforts to find the person responsible, they were ultimately unsuccessful.

Although this story started off incredibly sad, it has a happy ending. After the kittens arrived at our Duluth clinic, they went home with Jeanne and Tiffany, a mother-daughter duo, who have fostered dozens of bottle babies. 

Thanks to Jeanne and Tiffany, these two kittens, later named Case and Mazda after the Rick Case Mazda employee who rescued them, have been thriving. They’ve become such healthy kittens, growing so much in the last two months. 

Now, at about 8 weeks old and after nearly two months in foster care, they have found their forever home! The kind woman who stopped in that busy intersection to save these poor kittens decided to adopt them. While it’s only been a few days since they moved into their forever home, Case and Mazda are already settling in nicely. The purr-fect ending to a sad story!

We’re so grateful the Good Samaritan stopped to help these kittens and we are beyond thrilled she is making them a part of her family. A truly beautiful adoption story! 

Happy Case and Mazda (now named Leia and Nova)! 

Read more

Mother-Daughter Superstar Fosters Approach 100th Foster Animal

Meet Tiffany and Jeanne, the mother-daughter duo, who have fostered dozens of bottle babies! These two superstar fosters have fostered 89 animals in total. That’s incredible!

Of those 89 animals, they’ve had 2 mama cats, 8 older kittens, and 3 puppies, with the remaining 76 all being bottle babies. In addition to fostering these 89 animals, they constantly help out when other fosters are out of town. That’s a lot of fostering!

Tiffany and Jeanne learned about Planned PEThood of Georgia years ago, when Jeanne, the mom, was driving by and saw an opening sign outside our building. She stopped by to ask if we took volunteers. That’s when it all began.

One February during an extremely prolific kitten season, when Tiffany was volunteering at the front desk, someone dropped off a solo bottle baby at the front door and drove away. Elizabeth, our Executive Director, started calling all of our bottle baby fosters, desperately searching for someone to care for this bottle baby. While Elizabeth was making these calls, another staff member was showing Tiffany how to feed the bottle baby. Her mom walked in and asked, “What’s that?”. Tiffany explained the situation and her mom said, “She’ll take her.”. And so, they brought home their first bottle baby. That’s when their fostering all began. Another litter showed up the next day and their first bottle baby suddenly turned into three.

A few years later, Tiffany and Jeanne switched over to fostering bottle babies full-time. Bottle babies are a tremendous amount of work, but over the years, they have created the perfect system. Jeanne takes the day shifts and Tiffany covers the nights. This way no one loses sleep. They even have their own incubator at their home for the bottle babies.

Natsu, one of their foster fails

Not only have Tiffany and Jeanne helped dozens of animals find their forever home, but they have also adopted several animals of their own. That first kitten they ever fostered was their first foster fail and became a permanent part of their family. These two do more than fostering. Jeanne constantly helps out with our Wednesday shelter days as a part of our Go Fix Georgia program and Tiffany does bottle-feeding demonstrations at various events for Planned PEThood.We asked Tiffany a few questions about her experience fostering with Planned PEThood of Georgia. Below are her answers.

Why do you continue to foster with Planned PEThood? Planned PEThood keeps calling us with kittens!

What is your favorite part about fostering? The reward of seeing a little 80g bean grown into a lively kitten and go to a forever home.

What advice do you have for someone interested in fostering? Think of being a foster like being a Kindergarten teacher. You provide the education and nutrition until they graduate to their new homes. Yes, it is hard to let them go, but there’s a new class waiting for the same opportunity to grow! Every cat that ‘graduates’ means another you can save after that!

What do you get out of fostering with Planned PEThood? I get a lot of purpose out of fostering. I’m disabled so that limits a lot of options in employment. Working with animals gave me something meaningful to do with my time. I got inspired by some of our medical challenges with the little ones to go to Vet Tech school, so I could do better and save more kittens. Turns out that my disability is a barrier there too, but I might be able to be a Vet Assistant. Fostering has also inspired me to look into building my own neonatal nursery. I hope to continue to work through Planned PEThood if that ever comes to fruition. 

Volunteers and foster parents are vital to our success. The animals depend on our efforts to place them on solid ground. If you have even a tiny bit of time to spare, a unique talent or trade to offer, or a spare bathroom/basement to occupy, consider contacting Planned PEThood today. 

Apply to become a volunteer.

Apply to become a foster home.

If you have any questions about fostering, email foster@PEThoodGA.org

If you have any questions about volunteering, email volunteer@PEThoodGA.org

Fostering and volunteering are rewarding experiences. Your life will be filled with more hair, but your heart will be happy!

Read more

Walton County Residents and Their Pets Get the Help They Need at Our First-Ever Walton County Outreach Event

Our first Walton County Outreach event was a complete success! On January 14th, 171 pets received much-needed assistance in Walton County. Planned PEThood’s outreach team, Go Fix Georgia, teamed up with Walton County Animal Control and Best Friends Animal Society to provide free vet care and supplies to pet owners in need. In total, we were able to help 123 dogs and 48 cats and provide:

  • 137 rabies vaccines
  • 150 distemper vaccines
  • 158 microchips
  • 120 spay/neuter vouchers

These events ensure the wellness of pets in the community and reduce overpopulation through free spay/neuter. The need for outreach events like this was obvious as people lined up early in the brutally cold morning. There were two urgent medical cases mixed into the crowd. Just days after the Walton County Outreach event, our vet team was able to perform two lifesaving surgeries. These kitties and their owners would not have gotten the help needed without the outreach event. Watch the video below to hear more about their incredible stories.

So many amazing organizations and volunteers came together to help make this event successful. THANK YOU ALL! Our Go Fix Georgia team could not have done it without our event sponsor, Best Friends Animal Society, or without the assistance of Walton County Animal Control. We hope to work with Walton County Animal Control to help more pets and people in Walton County in the future.

Event Sponsor: Best Friends Animal Society

Other Assistance Provided By:

Walton County Animal Control

Atlanta Humane Society

Petco Love

Bissell Pet Foundation

GA Department of Agriculture

Fi Nano

Read more

Miracle FIP Adoption Story!

Piper, our FIP warrior kitty, found her forever home in time for the holidays! 

Piper was rescued earlier this year at 7 weeks old. It was a very typical rescue story. Her mama was an outdoor cat and by the time the family was found, there were only two kittens left. They both entered a foster home and began preparing for adoption. Then in August, Piper was finally adopted and was off to start her new life at her forever home. Everything started out perfect until her tummy started to grow and she became very ill. Her adopters were extremely concerned and reached out for help. Once Jess, our Adoption Manager, laid eyes on her, she knew something was wrong. 

Piper’s abdomen was filled with fluid and she was losing weight rapidly. Her adopters decided to surrender Piper back, as that was the best option to get Piper the care she desperately needed.

Our medical team examined her and diagnosed Piper with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of the feline coronavirus. There is no test or prevention for this disease. Once a cat develops symptoms of FIP, the disease is usually progressive and results in death in nearly every case. 

Until recently, FIP was considered to be a non-treatable disease. However, there is a newly developed treatment that is having success. We have seen it with our own eyes. Inky, another cat in our foster care, went through the treatment and is thriving today. The treatment is very expensive and difficult to find. Luckily, with the generous support of our donors and supports and a $3,000 grant thanks to Kitten Lady and Orphan Kitten Club, our vet team was able to get their hands on the treatment for Piper. Without that treatment, Piper might not have survived. 

Piper went through 80 days of injection treatment and was a champ the whole time (as long as she had some churu tubes). Within 40 days of treatment, the fluid in her abdomen dissolved and she was starting to get back to her playful, spunky self. Her amazing foster mom and our dedicated vet team continued to monitor her, checking her weight and blood work, throughout the 80 days. 

At the end of her 80 treatment period, Piper was doing fantastic and healthy and she still is! Today, Piper is about halfway through her 80-day observation period just to make sure everything continues to go great. Her journey has been a true miracle! 

Piper found her forever home in time for the holidays. Her new adoptive family had recently lost their cat to kidney disease and the younger daughter was longing for another cat. The mom, dad, and older sister adopted Piper as a Christmas surprise for the younger sister. Piper has a zest for life and this family totally gets her. She’ll be spoiled rotten and receive LOTS of love and attention. 

Happy life Piper! We wish you the best life at your new home!

Read more

About Planned PEThood

2860 Buford Highway
Bldg F, Suite 2
Duluth, GA 30096
678.561.3491
info@pethoodga.org

Planned PEThood of Georgia, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 90-0516757

 

Our Mission

Helping pets and the people who care for them by providing innovative programs and affordable services that save lives.

 

Guidestar Seal of Transparency 2019 Platinum

Join our community

Subscribe today for the latest updates, stories, and upcoming events.

© 2023 Planned PEThood of Georgia   All Rights Reserved