Dottie & Dice: Panleukopenia Survivors!

NOTES FROM RESCUE LIFE is a blog series where we will be sharing some of our rescue stories and our day-to-day challenges & successes at the Midland Humane Coalition Adoption Center(inside PetSmart) and The Joe and Van Mabee Animal Rescue Center (our new rescue facility). ​​​

Depending on how you look at this, this could either be a sad or happy rescue tale. We choose to look on the bright side (and use this as a cautionary tale for pet owners with young kittens).

​We were able to save 2 little kittens. Their names are Dottie & Dice. 

​In mid-July, we rescued a cat and her litter of six from the City shelter. 

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The momma cat and her kittens all looked and behaved as normal and healthy cats should.  ​

We set them up in a foster home for their safety until we can get them all vaccinated and fully vetted. Everything seemed to be going well for the bunch. 

However, after a while, they started showing signs of illness. We immediately took them to Legacy Animal Emergency Hospital to get them checked.  They were diagnosed with FPV -- Feline Panleukopenia Virus, a highly contagious, life-threatening infectious disease in cats.

They were treated and prescribed meds to help them fight the disease.  There is no cure or medications capable of killing the virus. Intensive care and treatment are critical to support the cat’s health until its own body and immune system can fight off the virus. Without this, most  (90%) afflicted would not survive. 

The fact that they were stray, unvaccinated young cats made them susceptible and  increased their risk of catching this deadly illness.  Kittens have high mortality rates.  

Fortunately, in this case, two kittens  managed to survive.  Though we lost the other four, we are grateful that all our efforts to help this group did not end in vain. 

​Dottie & Dice are now happy, healthy and extremely playful little kittens. We will get them fully vetted and ready for adoption. 

The only way to ensure cats are protected is to  get them vaccinated for FPV.  This is a nasty but preventable disease. PLEASE GET YOUR CATS VACCINATED.   Consult a vet. ​

WE APPRECIATE DONATIONS
​With rescue work, we never know what situations we will have to deal with each day. Having a steady flow of funds enables us to be ready for whatever challenges we may encounter as we help cats & dogs out of desperate situations.  Help us continue to help more pets like Dottie and Dice! Thank you! 

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