Here at the Houston SPCA we often rely on our amazing foster volunteers to help us care for some of our more difficult medical cases. Take Chester, for example. A Good Samaritan found him on the side of the road, bleeding from his right side. They brought him to us and our veterinarians got to work right away to diagnose him.
Radiographs revealed a large wound that penetrated into his chest cavity, along with a broken rib, likely due to being hit by a car. They took him into surgery immediately and closed the wound, suctioning the air from his chest cavity to resolve his pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. He stayed in our ICU for a week under close observation of the vet staff, and as soon as they felt he was stable enough they sent him home with a foster.
The dedicated foster volunteer, Emilia, fell in love with Chester right away and decided to make him a permanent member of the family. She sent us this wonderful update, along with an adorable photo collage to show just how far Chester has come since he was found on the side of the road:
Two years ago, on this day, we welcomed a scared and injured foster into our home. He was picked up as a stray with a severe chest wound, a broken rib and a punctured lung. He was weak, shaggy and dirty as we weren’t allowed to bathe him for the first month. After spending one day with us, he had warmed our hearts with his goofy personality – so we adopted him. He’s very playful, cuddly and super happy. He loves his toys (his favorite is still that soft squeaky ball we got him 2 years ago) and he loves to go to the park. But most of all he loves to sleep with us under the covers at night. Today, 2 years later we are as happy as we can be – he makes every day a happy day. Thank you little Chester and happy birthday!
Now that’s what we would call a full recovery! Thank you so much to Emilia and her family, and all of our dedicated and wonderful foster volunteers. Without their help, we couldn’t do what we do.
Are you interested in becoming a foster volunteer at the Houston SPCA? Click the link below to find out how.
The Official Houston SPCA News Page 