Lulu was a precious 6-month-old kitten who was attacked by a dog and nearly killed.  She apparently was attacked in the evening and then went and hid until morning.  She was found and taken to Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital at 8 a.m.  She was very close to death.  Her lungs were collapsed.  She had a complex break in her leg and the leg was shredded.  This required a skin graft from another part of her body.

Update: Lulu is well.  What a tough little gal!

Sparky was a beautiful 1-to-2-year-old Chow-Shepherd mix.  Poor Sparky was found in the creek behind the Swiss House, stranded on an island and unable to get off.  He was rescued by Grass Valley Animal Control.  Poor Sparky had heartworms and a torn cruciate that was quite painful.  Sparky was treated for the heartworms and had the torn cruciate repaired.  A kind soul donated $500 for Sparky's vet bill.  Yeah!  Sparky says, "Thank you!"

Bonks had a fractured pelvis, pubic and hip bone on one side, and a fractured hip on the other side.  She would not be able to be mobile again without surgery.  A femoral head ostectomy was performed.  This procedure exposes the head section of the femur bone (the ball of the ball and socket joint) and then the head is removed using a small saw.  Unlike most other hip surgeries, the head of the femur is not replaced, but is allowed to heal and develop its own fibrous scar tissue so that the joint is no longer bone-to-bone (also called a "false joint).

Thanks to Dr. Strolle at Best Friends Animal Clinic and Sammie's Friends, Bonks will have a life.

Taz was a cute little baby kitten who was found in a parking lot seriously injured.  The person who found Taz took him to Kelly, a wonderful volunteer, for care.

Kelly called Sammie's Friends and off Taz went to the veterinarian to see what could be done for him.  Taz had a hard time moving his back end, especially his left leg.  That didn't get in the way of him purring up a storm.  He loves to cuddle and play with toys.  He has a good appetite and is gaining weight.  Kelly has been massaging and moving his legs two to three times a day and trying to help him to use them again.  The vet says it will take time to see how much recovery he will have.  His wounds were cleaned up and he was put on antibiotics to stop infection.  He will need to have his tail, which has pretty much been destroyed, amputated.  He'll look like a Manx and in no time won't know the difference.  Thanks, Kelly, for coming to the rescue.

St. Ozzy is a great dog, about six years old, weighing in at about 150 pounds.  Poor Ozzy came to the shelter with matted fur full of urine, feces and maggots (yes, maggots).  As you can imagine, poor St. Ozzy wasn't smelling very saintly.

The good folks at Brighton Greens shaved off his mats and discovered that he had urine burns on his skin from the urine-soaked mats.  St. Ozzy is feeling much better and has a very nice personality now that he's out from under that mess.  He looks a little odd with a bald behind, but the hair will come back, and he's a happy boy and has been adopted from the Nevada County Animal Shelter.  Sammie's Friends is glad we could help St. Ozzy Bernard regain his health and composure.

Peabo is a Chausie cat who needed care for an abscess.  This required anesthesia and a follow-up dose of antibiotics.  Peabo is fine now.  Peabo is a Chausie cat, which is usually a cross between an Abyssinian and an African Jungle cat.  A  breeding program has been in place since the '70's, and the Chausie is now a recognized breed of cat.  Chausies are usually bigger than other domestic cats, weighing up to 30 pounds. Peabo is a pretty big boy at 18 pounds.  They are great jumpers and very agile.  They make excellent companions and wonderful family members.

Buster is a 16-year-old kitty who had lost both of his siblings and was declining rapidly himself.  He was in kidney failure and also had a very badly abscessed tooth.  Buster has been treated and his kidneys are now functioning well, and the swelling has gone down on his face with the removal of a very bad tooth.  Sammie's Friends was happy to have been able to help Buster. He is a very important member of his family, and of course all of Sammie's Friends are precious.