Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello all, 

10 Lives Rescue NY (10LivesNYC on insta) the rescue I work with, recently took in a little of tabby kittens that were born inside. Of the 6 kittens, 3 seem to have some type of deformity - One has a very flat face, one has severe limb deformities in 2 legs (front and back), and one appeared to be very constipated (this kitten is named Dune). They are all about 5-6 weeks old. Dune went to the vet over 3 days and received 5 enemas which alleviated some of the constipation but not all. He was then taken to the major animal hospital here and he is suspected to have Anal Atresia Type 1 where he has a rectum opening but it is very small. We are being quoted $7,000 just for the diagnostic CT Scan to confirm the diagnosis and that is before the surgery. He is otherwise playing and a happy kitten and eating but he is unable to defecate. We are concerned about a few things:

1. The costs of this surgery - we are a small/new rescue and spending 10,000$+ on one kitten even with fundraising is out of our abilities at this time. The animal Hospital denied our grant application. We are working on an application to be a partner org with The Orphan Kitten Club, but are not sure about if we will hear back
2. The long term outcomes - apparently this surgery is relatively new and the outcomes in general are better with female kittens (this kitten is male). Long term effects can be mega colon and possible permanent incontinence
3. Timeline to surgery besides daily enemas we have no current timeline to the surgery and it is possible the kitten will decline..

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Does anyone have any outcomes they can share?

#Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization

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Farrah Goff
President
10 Lives Rescue NY Inc
NY
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Farrah,

As far as I know, our shelter has not come across any kitten or puppy litters with deformities such as those- I can't help you there, but I am a grant writer in Northern Minnesota, and I did some digging into New York and national resources that might help you afford this massive vet bill you're looking at. 

Please look into BowWow Buddies emergency funds (will cover emergency care),  your local VCA animal hospitals (if there are any they will be able to provide medical care through grants), and Red Rover Animal Relief fund- they will cover up to $250 in medical costs. 

Petfinder and PetcoLove have annual and quarterly grant cycles but you might want to contact your local stores and see if they can provide monetary assistance.

The Onyx and Breezy Foundation offers financial assistance for a large number of medical procedures.

The Pet Fund offers financial assistance to vets and individuals but doesn't say they won't help nonprofits who are struggling. 

The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program offers help.

Frankie's Friends is a great resource to check out. 

Check out grants from the ASPCA. 

The New York Vet Med Society "provides funds for emergency care and/or serious illness or injury when owners have exhausted all other avenues for financial support. Vets aid in the effort by reducing their normal fees to provide life-saving treatment."

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC animals website provides resources to low cost vet services, emergency funds,  payment plans etc. 

Check out the Pet Emergency Fund.

Check out the Banfield Foundation.

The PositiveTails Foundation can offer monetary assistance to those who live in the 5 boroughs of New York. 

This is just a short list of the resources that might be able to help you and your rescue. I hope this helps you and I hope those kittens grow to be healthy, amazing cats!

Best of luck!

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Bailey Evans
Grant Writer
Animal Allies Humane Society
MN
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Hi! Unfortunately, situations like these are not uncommon. Queens (or bitches) that find themselves pregnant with an unplanned litter rarely receive appropriate preventative care or nutrition during their pregnancies and are often under chronic stress so, even if they give birth in the safety of a rescue, their offspring often still have extra challenges. Additionally, the reproductive model of litter-bearing mammals never really expects all of the offspring to survive...that model tends to follow "quantity over quality"...so fetal developmental abnormalities are not uncommon.

While it is heartbreaking to consider euthanizing this kitten, or other animals with these types of serious neonatal challenges, I encourage you to consider this from both the standpoint of best use of your organization's resources, as well as this individual's needs, prognosis, and QOL. If you choose to pursue advanced care for this particular kitten (with a very guarded prognosis), how many other cats and kittens would those thousands of dollars have been able to help and now cannot? Even if treatment is successful, you are facing months of treatment and recovery, during which he will continue to drain human and financial resources from your rescue. The flip side is that, sometimes, taking on these really challenging cases and winning(!) is so energizing for the stakeholders and reminds us all why we do this work. The deciding factors (IMO) are a realistic assessment of your organization's capacity for care and a very honest conversation with a veterinarian that you trust regarding his prognosis and the chances for success. Then you have to decide what is best for this kitten and your organization.

We face these decisions nearly every day in my shelter and they are always difficult and emotional, especially for those who have been directly providing care. When it stops being difficult, that is a warning sign. 

Good luck and know that you are not alone!

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

We had a female kitten with this. The outcome was euthanasia but we loved her while she was here and comfortable (a very few short weeks prior to diagnosis, and a few days post diagnosis). 

Hello! I know this was a few months ago, so unlikely to help with your situation.

I had a foster kitten with a level I/II atresia ani that we discovered around 6 weeks when she started eating on her own. My partner is a veterinarian so we initially were able to do some enemas at home, followed by a few more sedated enemas and X-rays. We then took her to the surgeon at our local specialist who recommended the surgery you mentioned. After we dropped her off for surgery, the specialist called to suggest an alternative treatment after he heard back from the internist. He did a digital Bougienage, which is basically stretching out the stricture with his finger under sedation. He then had my partner repeat the procedure two more times at weekly intervals and he put her on a week of Prednisone to reduce inflammation and hopefully prevent scar tissue. She was totally normal after the first procedure and is living a normal, happy life with her wonderful adopters. 

Last week my foster coordinator reached out to me about a kitten she had in foster who hadn't pooped for days. My partner was able to see the kitten after hours at the clinic he works at, and did a sedated enema, X-ray to confirm the stricture, then did a digital bouigenage. The kitten is now pooping, eating normally, and gaining weight. 

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Maggie Peschek
Volunteer
WA
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