We are celebrating 1 YEAR of helping pets and their families by remembering our first patient, Louie! Here he is with two of our lovely technicians after a dental cleaning.
Dogs and Cats Need Dental Work Too!!!
Some fun facts about your pet's teeth:
- Dogs have 42 teeth and cats have 30, compared to humans, who usually have 32 teeth (28 if the wisdom teeth are removed)
- Dental disease is the most common disease in dogs and cats, meaning good dental health can literally add YEARS to your pet's life!
- Dental disease can cause many other diseases, including heart disease and kidney disease
- You can brush your pet's teeth! Just don't use "people toothpaste". There are toothpastes made just for your pet - with yummy flavors they'll love like chicken and tuna!
- Once you see buildup on your pet's teeth, no amount of brushing will remove that tartar. That is when your pet needs a professional dental cleaning!
- Dental cleaning does require general anesthesia
Remember, vets are pet dentists! Ask your vet about getting your pet's teeth cleaned!
Lend a Helping Paw
We were able to help so many of our furry friends last week! Including:
- Blue - emergency surgery last Tuesday to repair injuries sustained in a hit-by-car accident 4 days prior
- Peanut - a cat that needed dental treatment
- Fred - a dog that needed dental treatment
- Star - a dog that needed dental treatment with extractions
- Paws - a dog that needed dental treatment with extractions
- Dolly - a dog that needed dental treatment with extraction
Of these 6 patients, only two were able to pay. The cost of each service was $60.00. If we were paid for each, Pets in Need would have received $360.00. As we are all volunteers here, we received only $160.00 (one very kind woman paid $100.00 for her dog's $60 dental, giving us a $40.00 donation).
Thus, Pets in Need came up $200 short.
So we need your help! By going to our "Donate" tab and giving whatever you can, we can make our services available to more owners and help more families!
Thank you in advance from all of us and this cute little Golden Retriever puppy courtesy of Google!
Baby Blue
Pets in Need was honored to be able to help this brave pit bull last week. Blue* had a rough life - he was chained outside all the time until his new mom rescued him. Sadly, Blue slipped away from his pet sitter and was hit by a car. He sustained serious injuries including a severe soft tissue injury that required surgery. His mom, Tonya*, had no extra funds - she barely makes ends meet, and didn't plan on adopting a dog, but she couldn't refuse help to Blue. For 4 days Blue suffered while his mom searched for someone, anyone who could help. Finally she found Pets in Need and we were able to provide Blue with the surgery he needed. Poor Blue would not have made it without us, which just goes to show how needed PIN's services are in this community! His mom was incredibly relieved and grateful. She promises she will pay it forward someday, and I truly believe her. But for now - if you think you can spare some funds so that Pets in Need can help other dogs like Blue, we promise to use it to help other needy pets. Head on over to our 'donation' tab to help us help the animals!!!
*Indicates that name has been changed
Amazon shoppers - give us a helping paw this holiday season!
Just go to smile.amazon.com. Pick "Pets in Need - West Michigan" as your charity of choice. Amazon Smile will send Pets in Need a little donation when you buy eligible items. It won't cost you a penny to donate to us while you shop! And, you'll also be helping out my dog dash, who hopes he will not have to pose for any more photos while wearing silly holiday hats!
Another precious life saved through Pets in Need - West Michigan!
Meet Pika - this sweet girl had a severe infection called a "closed pyometra". Her pet parents could not afford the cost of surgery, without which she would have died. Pets in Need was able to step in and perform the surgery and save her life. It was a blessed day for all of us.
Please consider donating to Pets in Need through this website. Help us save more precious animals like Pika!!!!!
If you need help with your pet, please contact PIN through this website!
Dear Pet Lovers - Pets in Need mainly provides dental care for pet parents who cannot afford it. In order to qualify for PIN dental care, you must either meet standard poverty guidelines or be referred by a veterinarian. Specific requests made through social service agencies will also be considered on a case by case basis. If you need help, please contact PIN through this website. Currently, our full time staff consists of exactly one volunteer who also works full time somewhere else. Therefore, our services are quite limited at this time. We are happy to answer your questions and if PIN can't help you, we will try to steer you toward someone who can. PIN's dream is to someday have a place of our own with full time hours of service. For now - we do what we can without a place to call our own, or even our own phone number. Thank you for your understanding!
