You Can Help These Abandoned and Neglected Animals Being Cared for at Prairie's Edge Humane Society

All too often there are days at the shelter when we receive in animals who have been abandoned or neglected and we find ourselves doing whatever we can to ease their pain and hope that they will heal and at some point we will be able to find them loving homes where they will be cared for and loved as they should be. 

This week has given us two abandoned kittens left in a cardboard wine box in our parking lot. We estimate their age to be approximately 3-4 weeks old.   One with a horrible soar on its side from a botfly larva, now the size of a quarter, that had implanted itself in this poor kitten’s skin.  (see photo)  Dr. Charlie, our contracted veterinarian for the shelter, happened to be at the shelter at the time these kittens were found in our parking lot so he immediately removed the botfly from the kitten.  This left a large soar in the side of the kitten which will be treated with antibiotics and watched closely for infection.  It is against the law to abandon animals in our parking lot.  The shelter was open at the time and several employees and volunteers were available and could have helped whoever abandoned the kittens.  If the person was not able to pay a turn in fee to PEHS, we would still take the kittens and care for them.  We do not turn any animal away due to financial situations.  It was a very hot day outside and one of our staff was taking items to the dumpster when he noticed a box sitting in the parking lot.  We do not know how long they had been there. 

This week also brought us two adorable rabbits that had been very neglected.  Both had claws that had never been trimmed and were over an inch long. (see photo)  Their claws had grown so long that they were curling.  One of the rabbits had fur that was so matted, causing it pain, so our staff spent hours slowly and delicately working on the tangled mess of rabbit hair, having to stop for periods of time so as not to stress the rabbit too much.  This process took place over a two day period.  When finished there was enough hair removed from the poor rabbit that the pile of hair was enough to cover another rabbit.  (see photo) Both rabbits were very stressed and our staff is working to do whatever we can to avoid further stress for them. 

These precious kittens and the rabbits will all be lovingly cared for over the next few days and weeks by our staff and volunteers until they are someday ready to go on the adoption floor. The added special attention required by these animals over the next few weeks is an added cost to the already stressed budget of the shelter.  You can help us to care for these special cases by donating to the “Animals with Special Needs Fund”.   You can donate on line by clicking on the link here.