Upon her arrival, we discovered that Luna Moon needed knee surgery. There was just one problem. She’s what we lovingly call a “tripod,” meaning she gets around on three legs. Veterinarians carefully made the decision to operate on her only rear leg.

Luna Moon’s surgery was a success, and she began physical therapy. Our staff and volunteers used a sling to help her walk and build up strength. Along the way, caring donors like you helped provide the food, shelter, and care she needed. After spending a month in our Veterinary Medical Center, she went into a foster home for rest and recovery. Watch video…

Lily came to the Idaho Humane Society after being referred by an emergency veterinarian. One look at her frail figure with continued vomiting, and they knew she needed emergency enterotomy surgery. Her concerned owners brought her in and made the difficult decision to surrender. They wanted Lily to have the best care she could without financial restrictions.

We performed x-rays and found a foreign object was obstructed in her intestine. We performed emergency enterotomy surgery, an exploratory surgery where we open the intestines to remove the object… in this case, a bouncy ball was the culprit. Watch Video…

One of the pets we met this year was 3-month-old Scarface, who suffered from a broken jaw and prolapsed rectum. He was swiftly transported from the Duck Valley Reservation to our Shelter Medical Center to receive emergency care. Our medical staff immediately went to work to assess the severity of his injuries and make Scarface more comfortable during his stay. We successfully repaired his prolapse and ensured that it would not recur.

Next, we addressed Scarface’s broken jaw. It was wired, monitored, and rewired until it completely healed. Our medical staff worked tirelessly to ensure young Scarface received the best care possible. Watch video…

Sassy was wandering the streets and made her way into a rural shelter that, unfortunately, was full. They noticed Sassy had striking, bowed legs, and contacted the Idaho Humane Society to see if we could take her in and provide medical care.

Our veterinarians discovered that Sassy had painful birth defects affecting both of her front legs and needed surgery. Thankfully, her procedure went well, and she went into a foster home for rest, recovery, and lots of love. Watch video…

Grumps paid a visit to our Veterinary Medical Center after his owner noticed some concerning changes in his behavior. Unfortunately, Grumps hadn’t had a bowel movement for several days and wasn’t interested in eating. The next day, he was vomiting and lethargic, so Grumps was rushed for veterinary care. There, he was diagnosed with needing emergency surgery, an enterotomy, where exploratory surgery is performed in the intestines to remove a lodged foreign body. In Grump’s case, he had swallowed a soft toy.

Grump’s owner opted to transfer him to the Idaho Humane Society to take advantage of our accommodating payment options. Read more…

We received a call from a shelter in California, desperate to send us King Vespasian, who had been living in a homeless encampment and tragically had both of his front legs intentionally broken. Mercifully, a good Samaritan wanted to help. Unsure of what to do, they brought him to the nearest shelter. Unfortunately, this shelter did not have the advanced medical resources to provide surgery to ease his pain. Thankfully, we were able to transfer six-month-old King to our shelter to give him a second chance at a new life.

Even though King had experienced unimaginable pain in his young life, he was incredibly loving and craved human attention. We jumped into action, providing pain medication and surgery. Weeks later, we removed his casts… Watch video…

Humane Officers responded to a good Samaritan’s call and found a young, injured kitten. At our veterinary hospital, doctors found that the three-month-old kitten was suffering from a fractured leg, and clearly in a lot of pain. Despite his injuries, this kitten was still purring and making biscuits with his non-injured leg, which led us to naming him Pillsbury, after the iconic doughboy.

Veterinarians provided pain medication and orthopedic surgery to repair his fractured limb to enable him to use his leg again. Just hours after his surgery was complete, Pillsbury was back to biscuit making, this time with both of his paws. Watch video…

Barley arrived at our Shelter Medical Center as a stray after sustaining severe trauma. He sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis and was suffering from horrific pain.

Our veterinary staff immediately put him on pain medication and worked to make him comfortable. Fortunately, his injuries didn’t require surgery, just a lot of time and rest. We sent him to a foster home to receive all the TLC he needed, and he made a remarkable recovery. Watch video…

Meet Bluebird, a kitten with quite the story to tell. At only 3-months-old, he somehow ended up INSIDE the Bluebird Carwash (hence the name). Thankfully, the employee who found him rushed him to our medical center.

Our vet staff quickly realized he was suffering from traumatic injuries, including a degloved hind leg, fractured tail, and a right tibia fracture. We set right to work to alleviate the pain so he could start the healing and recovery process. Watch video…

Our Humane Officers found Honk suffering horribly after sustaining severe trauma. Upon examination at our Shelter Medical Center, we discovered that he had a fractured pelvis and believe he had been struck by a car.

Unfortunately, Honk’s right femoral neck (near his hip), his left femoral neck (near his hip), as well as another part of his left femur were all fractured. We stabilized his injuries with wires and pins during surgery and sent him to a foster home to relax and be loved on while healing up.

Thankfully, Honk’s bones healed, and he made a fantastic recovery. When he was cleared for adoption, he only lasted three days before his forever family, Bri and Andy, swept him up. Watch video…

Hollie visited our Veterinary Medical Center to have a large mass on her tummy removed. Her owners had been monitoring it for several months, and it wasn’t changing. Suddenly, the tumor started growing more prominent, so they knew it was time to visit the vet.

Thankfully, we safely removed the mammary mass and sent it off for testing. Fortunately, it all came back negative. Hollie went back home and is feeling much better now! Learn more…

Lady came to us in early June from Canyon County after her former owner asked a friend to watch his pup. The friend immediately noticed that Lady was significantly injured and brought her to the Idaho Humane Society for medical intervention.

We opened a cruelty investigation and set to work providing orthopedic surgery on several breaks, some of which were older than others. We are unsure if the broken bones were due to neglect or if the injuries were inflicted, although the injuries are very suspicious of intentional harm. We have turned the case over to Canyon County to complete the investigation. Watch video…

Nine-year-old Phoebe came to us with severe infections in both eyes. It turned out that the infections were due to an underlying inability to produce tears, a condition commonly known as “dry eye.” We prescribed medication over several months, but unfortunately, Phoebe’s case was non-responsive. She remained unable to produce tears and was highly uncomfortable; copious green discharge and redness filled her eyes. Our Shelter Medical Center performed an extremely delicate surgery on both eyes in which a salivary duct was rerouted from her mouth into her eye, allowing her natural saliva to bathe her eyes and keep them comfortable. Watch video…

Liz made her way into our shelter in late May, along with five other siblings. The poor kittens were suffering from an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) and received immediate treatment. Unfortunately for Liz, her right cornea sustained damage even with the medical intervention, so we performed an eye removal (enucleation) so that she could live a pain-free life.

You can see that Liz is lovely and happy. She loves making air biscuits! We’re so happy to report that Liz and her siblings have been adopted. Watch video…

This cute little pup is Frank. At three months old, he sustained a fractured femur when he jumped off a bed at his owner’s house. They became concerned when he wasn’t bearing any weight on his right hind leg and sought medical care.

Eventually, Frank was transferred to us from another animal hospital in town so his owners could take advantage of our excellent veterinary care with financial assistance and payment plan options. Our Veterinary Medical Center completed surgery and repaired the fracture.

Thankfully, everything went well and he was sent home for TLC and recovery. Watch video…

Mandra made her way into our shelter in late April after being picked up by an Animal Control Officer. This poor girl was suffering excruciating pain and needed immediate medical intervention. Our Shelter Medical Center diagnosed her with a severely fractured pelvis, damaged tail, and large wound on her leg after suffering a traumatic injury, most likely being struck by a vehicle.

After nearly seven weeks of bandage changes, a partial tail amputation, and cage rest to allow her pelvis to heal, she has made a miraculous recovery and finally joined our adoption floor!

Overwhelmed. Hopeless. Lost. That’s how many owners feel when their pets encounter a medical emergency and are unsure how to afford care. Jill was one of those pets in need. After ingesting a nickel and metal pin, we performed an emergency enterotomy surgery in order to save her life.

This was not Jill’s first time ingesting an item that needed surgical removal… it was the 5th! It began with eating rocks in the yard which resulted in a surgery and her loving owners replacing all the landscaping with turf. She then moved on to all sorts of items and was crafty enough to slip out of muzzles in order to get in trouble. From earrings, pocketbook magnets, and watchbands, Jill tried to eat it all. Watch video…

Lemon suffered a very extensive injury to his left forepaw prior to coming to IHS. It required that his middle digits be amputated and then he had to have many, many bandage changes over several weeks. Fortunately, Lemon healed beautifully! The surgery doesn’t prevent him from using his paw to play, run and jump like any other cat, he just needs a little bit more time for it to completely heal up.

He is a friendly boy who just wants to make friends with other animals and people. He likes to cuddle up beside you, but he likes to make the first move. Lemon is still a bit shy… Learn more…

Cindy is 13 years young! She came to our shelter with dental disease and severe bilateral luxating patellas. Thanks to the veterinary staff at IHS, she received two new knees… she absolutely loves taking them out for a walk! She gets very excited when she sees the leash and will give you a little dance. Watch video…

Lulu thought she was living the good life. At first, it seemed great that her owner, who had dementia, was feeding her multiple meals a day. This sweet Hound dog, who should have been 40 lbs. had ballooned to a dangerous 90 lbs. by the time she was brought to our care. Her owner was also unaware of the severe ear infections causing Lulu to suffer.

Our medical team treated Lulu’s ears and cured her infections. Lulu was placed into a loving foster home where she is beginning to shed pounds and gain her health back. With weekly exams and weigh-ins at our Shelter Medical Center, she has a new lease on life. Watch video…

At only three months old, Rajah was found with neither of his back legs able to function. A Good Samaritan found him lying alone, clearly suffering, and rushed him to our Shelter Medical Center. We cleaned and sterilized the large abscess, and sutured it closed to create a tight seal. We then placed a drain into the smaller fistula. Our veterinarians were hopeful that emergency surgery could save both his legs.

During his recovery, he went to a foster home. While there, both of his hind legs regained strength and full function! He was deemed fully healed, but never made it to the adoption floor . . . his foster mom just couldn’t say goodbye to him and he is now a permanent family member.

Congratulations to Rajah and his new home! Watch Video.

Tinkerbell came to us, suffering from an infection. She was slowly leaking pus and needed surgery to correct the issue.

Unfortunately, her infection was deeper than we had hoped and much of her tissue had become necrotic.

Thankfully, she had a successful surgery and has recovered well! She has been adopted into her forever home. Watch video.

13-week-old Maggie came into our Veterinary Medical Center after another dog attacked her. The altercation left her with a painful and bulging eyeball—unfortunately, too damaged to be saved. We performed an enucleation surgery to remove the eye so she could live a more comfortable and pain-free life.

She went home the next day to heal up with her family and continue living her life as a happy and healthy puppy. If you need urgent veterinary care, our public veterinary hospital provides several financial programs to help, including grants, low-income discounts, and payment plans.

Leighton was surrendered to the shelter after she had been vomiting for several days and the owners couldn’t afford medical care. Our Shelter Medial Center performed x-rays and found that her intestines were obstructed with a foreign object. We performed an enterotomy surgery to remove a large tube sock that was blocking her intestines.

She recovered remarkably well and was quickly adopted after joining the adoption floor! We are so happy for her and that we were able to provide her a second chance at a happy and healthy life. Learn more.

Bennett, this adorable pup, has had a rough start to his first three months of life. He was found limping by a Good Samaritan, suffering from an injury to his hind leg.

Upon veterinary exam, we discovered that he had a femur fracture, and our Shelter Medical team performed surgery which went very well. We sent Bennett to a foster home for a couple of weeks for some much-needed TLC while he healed.

We’re happy to report that Bennet has been adopted! Watch video. 

Neymar was found as a stray cat by a Good Samaritan, clearly in distress. He was bleeding from his eyes and nose and covered in scars. His teeth were broken and chipped, his ears filled with discharge, and he had missing fur and bloody wounds on his abdomen.

We took an x-ray and discovered that Neymar had been shot and living with a bullet lodged inside his body. What Neymar had fully experienced while living outdoors, we will never know, but once we began treating Neymar, he slowly began warming up to our staff and showing affection.

We sent Neymar to our WISKR program (Women Inmate Social Kitty Retreat) so he would have a safe place to heal and receive socialization. A month later, and Neymar made his way to our adoption floor, where he met and fell in love with his new forever family. Watch Video.

Cindy traveled here all the way from Louisiana to receive life-saving and life-changing medical care before finding her new family! She arrived in mid-December needing a hernia repair, mammary masses removed, and biopsied. We then discovered that she needed bilateral MPL (Medial Patella Luxation) surgeries to relieve her knee pain and immobility.

We initially performed surgeries to repair Cindy’s hernia and remove her mammary masses. We sent them off for cancer screening, and Cindy went to foster care for some TLC while she recovered for her upcoming knee surgery.

In March, Cindy came back for her bilateral knee surgeries and went back to foster care for rehabilitation. Finally, in early April, she was completely recovered and was adopted by her foster mom!  Watch video. 

This gentle giant, Ta’ata, is a six-month-old pup who joined her forever family today!

Prior to coming to IHS, we learned that she had been shot in her right front leg. Upon her physical exam at our Shelter Medical Center, we noted healing wounds and mild swelling, but no overt limping was observed.

X-rays showed a healed fracture of the ulna, as well as metal fragments (suspected bullet particles). Fortunately, no further medical intervention, such as orthopedic surgery, was needed. The fracture healed well and hasn’t created any issues or left her in any pain.

This sweet girl was adopted within 24 hours of joining the adoption floor. We are so happy for her! Watch Video. 

Meet Naomi! She made the long journey here from Texas in search of finding her new family.

She came into the Texas shelter as a stray suffering from severe trauma to her left front leg. The injury was so bad, there was bone showing—it was irreparable.

Our Shelter Medical Center amputated the leg to give her a pain free and more comfortable life. Naomi is a little over a year old and full of puppy energy; this hasn’t slowed her down one bit. She is now living her best life in her forever home! Watch video. 

Cub is a spunky and loving 4-year-old who came to us from a shelter in Louisiana. Fortunately for Cub, our veterinary hospital was able to help provide corrective surgery to give him a new lease on life. Cub’s orthopedic surgery required a nearly 90-degree turn to align the joins. Thankfully, he rested up and he has made a complete recovery! He has now been adopted into his forever home. Watch video. 

Growler came into the shelter as a stray in late November, 2020. Upon medical exam, our staff was concerned of his excessive drooling, his thin, frail frame, and a lack of self-grooming. We ran his bloodwork, which thankfully did not show signs of organ failure or other abnormalities, but revealed that his several missing teeth indicated severe stomatitis.

Stomatitis is a condition where all the mouth tissue – gums, cheeks, tongue – can become severely inflamed and painful. The root cause is still unknown, but researchers hypothesize this could be an aberrant immune response to the bacteria on the teeth or even to the teeth themselves. Learn more.

Sweet Lenny has a new lease on life after coming to IHS in January from a small rescue in Oregon. Our veterinarians diagnosed him with cherry eye and dry eye, immense ear infections, and painful skin allergies that caused hair loss and made his paws painful to touch. We sent him into foster care for rest and TLC between medical appointments. Fortunately for Lenny, the foster family fell in love and made him a part of their permanent pack. Congratulations to Remi aka Lenny! Learn more.

Lulu came to us in December, morbidly obese weighing 90 pounds, and was suffering from an ear infection. Her ideal weight is closer to 40 pounds, but thanks to our dedicated shelter vet team and her foster parent, they are working hard to provide new chapters in life for this sweet girl.

Originally, Lulu had been overfed by her owner who had dementia. Today, Lulu receives prescription weight loss food and doesn’t get any other snacks. She gets at least one daily walk—which her foster mom said Lulu absolutely loves, but they are mindful to ensure that she doesn’t walk too far or get overheated. Learn more…

Petey had a rough start in life with an accident that injured his eye. He was suffering from an Upper Respiratory Infection as well as a skin rash. After running tests, we discovered that he was FIV+ as well. Once he recovered from his various medical needs, we provided a dental! Learn more…

Precious little Lucy was suffering from infected paws. All four were tender, and she wasn’t bearing any weight on her left hindfoot. But, even though she was in pain, she was the calmest and most loving little kitten.

We provided pain medication and oral antibiotics during her stay with us and treated her paws by washing her feet daily in warm water with diluted antibiotics. Finally, after some serious TLC and close monitoring, our veterinary staff cleared up her infection! She is now in a foster home relaxing while she finishes the last bit of healing. Watch video…

This handsome boy is Loki! He had a short stay at our Veterinary Medical Center after escaping from his owner’s backyard and getting hit by a car.

Unfortunately, Loki was injured and wouldn’t bear any weight on his right hind leg, so they brought him in immediately for veterinary care. Fortunately, we discovered he had only sustained a fracture, and thankfully there were no life-threatening injuries. Learn more…

 

You have to meet Buddy. His story sounds like an old country song. He is 13 years old. We removed one eye that was causing him pain in our Veterinary Medical Center.

We discovered that he had a heart murmur, and removed two large masses to provide comfort. He has a lot of giddy up, calm, super sweet, loving and just wants to be next to you.  Learn more…

Fern was given a second chance at life when a Good Samaritan found her in desperate need of medical care and brought her to our Shelter Medical Center. Her left hind limb had a large abscess wound that was necrotic and swelling as a result. Fern also presented multiple fistulas abnormal (the connection between two body parts) with discharge. Our veterinary team set right to work.

Fern’s fistulas were a sign that an infection was originating through the skin, and after doing X-rays, we could see the bone was “moth-eaten,” a term used to describe bones littered with small holes. Watch video…

 

Sebastion visited our Veterinary Medical Center after suffering from a ruptured abscess in his left ear, secreting bloody discharge.

Our veterinary staff cleaned the area, inspected it, and added stitches to close the rupture site and prevent infection. It wasn’t long before Sebastion returned home for some R&R with his family.

If you notice any lumps or bumps that cause any concern, please seek veterinary care to help to avoid a possible rupture in the future or allow the growth to reach an overwhelming size.

 

Nine-year-old Phoebe came to us in July with severe dry eye in both eyes. We prescribed medication over several months, but unfortunately, Phoebe’s case was non-responsive. She remained unable to produce tears and was highly uncomfortable; copious green discharge and redness filled her eyes.

Our Shelter Medical Center performed a parotid duct transposition surgery where vets rerouted a salivary duct from her mouth into her eye, allowing her natural saliva to bathe her eye and keep it comfortable—basically replacing the tears. We did the next eye after the first successful eye surgery, and with enormous success! Phoebe also received a dental and mass removal while in our care. Learn more…

This little lad, Church, came to us as a stray after suffering a severe injury to his hind end. He had been hit by a car—resulting in multiple pelvic fractures. As a result, his back legs were limp, and he could not stand.

He spent two weeks hospitalized in our Shelter Medical Center. His pelvic fractures were steadily healing, but unfortunately, his left hind leg showed no improvement. He would drag his leg and wouldn’t use it for support or balance.

Our veterinarians amputated the nonfunctioning hind leg to allow him to live a more comfortable and pain-free life. Learn more…