A big THANK YOU to Pat Hall who graciously hosted the very FIRST Lucky Paw Fundraiser at her home in August. It was a great success, raising nearly $10,000.

Sulli, a past recipient, was the guest of honor. He came with his Mom and eagerly showed off his new ability to walk without support! He did not mind making the rounds, eagerly greeting everyone as they socialized and learned about Lucky Paw. He is an excellent advocate for our organization.

Fundraising has been an extremely important part of our organization’s activities. The average amount awarded to each case approved to date has been $3,800. Ten thousand dollars can be used up quickly, so our goal is to continually fund raise and SLOWLY share the opportunity to trusted veterinarians in northern Michigan. We want to avoid receiving a dire request and not having enough funds to help.

We took a road trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to share our mission and offer our help to the Eva Burrell Animal Shelter and veterinarians in Manistique. Oftentimes, shelter animals have life-threatening injuries or conditions that cannot be treated locally due to the severity of the problem. Additionally, they do not have advocates or families to help them, and shelters generally do not have the funding to provide advanced medical care. We hope to be accessible to animals that are in shelters as well as those that are already in a family. 

Most importantly, we helped two patients over the summer. Baby’s story is shared below and Chloe is scheduled for surgery in December. We will give you an update on Chloe’s story later this year. Please enjoy Baby’s life-adventure below.

Most recently, Baby tore his LEFT ACL which exacerbated a mildly luxating patella. He was having great difficulty walking. At the time of this diagnosis, it was also noted that a large pin that was used in the repair of his RIGHT knee, came loose and was migrating around in his muscle. (You can see the metal pin on the radiograph above) A decision was made to refer him to the Animal Surgical Center (ASC) for knee surgery and to assess the pin migration … could it be removed? Should it be removed? Was it part of the reason he was having difficulty walking? Was it painful?

Baby had a surgery consult at ASC. His LEFT knee was successfully repaired and it was determined that the pin was not currently causing him problems. If the surgeon tried to remove the migrating pin, it would likely cause more harm than it was worth. Our hope at Lucky Paw was to ensure that Baby was treated by the specialist that could best determine his ideal medical plan. His surgery was done in late August and I am happy to report that he has made a full recovery and is running with vigor, just as he used to do.

Baby is a good example of how some animals have the misfortune of having a long list of medical problems. If they are lucky, they have families that are motivated and financially able to help them. Our goal at Lucky Paw is to help those animals and families when the solution involves Advanced Medical Care at a specialist. In Baby’s case, the migrating pin was a wild card medical risk factor that we were happy to help ensure was not affecting his quality of life, especially after his family has done so much for his lifelong medical wellness.

Long live Baby!

Looking forward to winter, we have another recipient scheduled for surgery in December. We will introduce you to Chloe next month as we close out the year.

As you head into the holidays and consider those in need, please keep the Lucky Paw Foundation in mind as you make last-minute philanthropic donations. Your contribution will not only change the life of the recipient and their family, but will also positively affect the veterinary team who has developed a relationship with the patient and works so hard for a happy outcome. The effect is inspirational.

If you would like us to reach out to a trusted veterinarian to share the opportunity of working with us, contact us here, or if you would like to make a donation, we have a new address:

Lucky Paw Foundation
PO Box 664
Harbor Springs, Michigan 49740

We accept checks and credit cards.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Lucky Paw Foundation.