HOLIDAY APPEAL

When Nova, a three-year old border collie shepherd mix came to the Edmonton Humane Society not only was she fearful, she was also so emaciated she’d lost muscle mass…

Her face and muzzle were unnaturally swollen, oozing discharge from a nasty encounter with a porcupine. We found quills embedded under the skin of her chest, shoulder and leg. And during spay surgery, we removed quills embedded in her tongue and chin. More quills continued to migrate out over time and had to be tenderly removed from such sensitive areas as her eye and between her toes.

It sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it?

Thankfully, we were able to give her the treatment she needed, for as long as she needed it, to make her comfortable again. That included the surgery and the quill removals, as well as antibiotics for healing, and anti-inflammatories for relief from her pain.

Our behaviour team was also integral in her recovery – they worked diligently with her on her confidence levels, especially on leash. Nova went from being too shy and fearful to walk on leash when she arrived to learning to walk with ease! As her comfort level grew, her confidence blossomed and her appetite increased. She quickly gained weight, putting on over two kilograms (10% of her initial body weight) in just two weeks. Now sweet-natured Nova has been adopted and has happily settled into her new loving home. Her adopter says that Nova is an awesome walking buddy and likes to play chase.

Sheltering, rehoming and rehabilitating thousands of animals like Nova each year, while also providing vital programs and services to keep people and pets together, could not be done without community support from donors like you. Any gift you can make this holiday season will have an important impact on the care we can provide. Let’s work together to ensure a wonderful holiday for our community’s most vulnerable animals! Thank you for your thoughtful generosity.