By Kelelyn LeMay | Project Leader
Hunter was originally seized by the ASPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement department in 2005. He was soon adopted and spent many years in a loving home, but when his human (a senior himself) became ill, he found himself back at the ASPCA’s Adoption Center in January 2016, at the ripe age of 12 years.
Hunter has severe arthritis and requires joint supplements and non steroidal anti-inflammatories for the rest of his life. Typical of an older dog, the lenses of Hunter’s eyes have started to become gray-- He can see, but may have a mild trouble visually focusing, particularly at night. Sweet Hunter also had a recent episode of geriatric vestibular syndrome (vertigo), which caused him to be very dizzy. He would sometimes fall or be unable to get up. Thankfully he recovered from this, but it is likely to recur at unpredictable intervals. He still has a little left head tilt and may stumble or fall if he tries to move quickly, but it does not cause him discomfort. With every recurrence, it may take longer for him to recover, and he may eventually never recover. Our greatest wish for Hunter is to be in a loving home for whatever quality time he has left, which could be for weeks or months.
Because it typically takes a long time for senior dogs with special medical needs to find homes, the ASPCA selected Hunter as a candidate for the “fospice” care program in the home of one of our dedicated volunteers.
“Fospice” homes are part foster, part hospice. Fospice volunteers open their homes and hearts to animals who may not be medically healthy enough for adoption, but still need special care and attention in a warm and loving home. The ASPCA covers all medical expenses for foster caregivers (including medication), as well as food, equipment and supplies. Foster caregivers only need to provide their home, attention, and love. To learn more about fostering with the ASPCA, visit https://www.aspca.org/take-action/volunteer/fostering-aspca
Your donation to Marnie’s Old Pals helps support the special needs and medical care for senior dogs just like Hunter. On behalf of Marnie, the ASPCA and all of the animals in its care, THANK YOU for your generous support!
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
