Angel was hit by a car.  Her leg was so badly mangled that it could not be repaired, so it had to be amputated.  She is doing well with her three legs and getting around just fine.  Please keep your doggies and kitties out of harm's way.

Corky was a 4-month-old pug-chihuahua mix who had parvo.  He was very sick, and puppies without veterinary care will die from this dreadful disease.  We have seen way too many puppies with parvo this year.  Your puppy needs to receive vaccinations shortly after being weaned, and every 3 weeks after that until the pup is 4 months old.  The shots are relatively inexpensive and treatment for parvo is very expensive.  Please vaccinate your puppy.

This little kitty was found hanging by a mangled leg in a bush by a nice man.  The poor kitty had been screaming for so long that she had lost her voice.  Her leg was so mangled and infected that it had to be amputated.

She turned out to be such a cool kitty that the vet, Dr. Avery of For the Love of Pets, found a home for the kitty with his mom.  Ultimately there was no charge to Sammie's Friends, and everyone was happy with the outcome.  Thanks to everyone who helped the kitty.

Spike the Border Collie was picked up as a stray with a dislocated hip.  This was one of the rare times that the vet was able to get the hip back in place without surgery.  This of course meant a much smaller vet bill.  This is always good news for Sammie's Friends.

While Spike was at For the Love of Pets, a wonderful lady saw him and went straight to the shelter and adopted him.  This is a good news story all around.  Yeah!

Fred was a very young cattle dog who stuck his nose through the fence where a Rottweiller lived.  (The Rottie was on his own property, so it was not the fault of the Rott's owner.)  Fred nearly got his nose bitten off.  Truly, had any more time been wasted, the tissue on his nose would have become necrotic (dead), and Fred would have died.  Dr. Tim Van Geem at Mother Lode once again performed his magic, and Fred is O.K.  Fred belonged to a woman living in a domestic violence shelter with two small children and with no money.  Fred is O.K. and currently staying in a kennel.

This is the kind of heartbreaking stuff Sammie's Friends deals with all day every day.  People need to realize that having a pet is a responsibility, and that one must have resources to adopt a pet.  We do this for the animals because they cannot help the circumstances of their lives and have no one to help them, so we step in.  Of course, it is really all of you with big hearts who donate that step in, because we couldn't do this without your help.

Iris Rose is a precious little Doxie Mix and only one year old.  She was hit by a truck and very seriously injured.  She had a broken leg and ankle and fractured pelvis.  She was sent to Loomis, where they were going to call in a specialist to fix her broken body.  This was going to cost around $3,500.  The owner lives on disability and has very low funds.  $3,500 is more than Sammie's Friends could pay.

Thank God for Dr. Tim Van Geem at Mother Lode and his talents.  He was able to repair Iris Rose's broken body for about 1/4 of what it would have cost.  Sammie's Friends was glad to help.

Poor little Trixie was not even one year old yet and had to have a femoral head ostectomy on her hind leg.  She had aseptic necrosis of the femoral head and could not use her leg.  Thanks to the dedication of Dr. Strolle, Trixie had her surgery and is back with her family doing just great.

This sweet little pup was brought to the Grass Valley Animal Shelter by a Good Samaritan who found him wandering around a shopping center.  Within a few days he became ill with vomiting and diarrhea, and was wobbling and not eating and getting dehydrated.  Fortunately GVAS called Sammie's Friends, and he was sent to For the Love of Pets.  It turns out the pup has salmon poisoning.  What the heck is that, you say????

Salmon Poisoning Disease is a potentially fatal condition seen in dogs that eat certain types of raw fish.  Salmon (salmonid fish) and other anadromous fish (fish that swim upstream to breed) can be infected with a parasite called Nanophyetus salmincola.  Overall, the parasite is relatively harmless.  The danger occurs when the parasite itself is infected with a rickettsial organism called Neorickettsia helminthoeca.  It's this microorganism that causes salmon poisoning.  If untreated, death usually occurs within 14 days of eating the infected fish.  Ninety percent of dogs showing symptoms die if they are not treated.

Thankfully, salmon poisoning is treatable if it's caught in time.  Salmon poisoning can be diagnosed with a fecal sample.  Given the severity of the condition, treatment is relatively simple.  The veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic and a "wormer."  The antibiotic kills the rickettsial organisms that cause the illness, and the wormer kills the parasite.  If the dog is dehydrated, intravenous fluids are given.  Once treatment has been started, most dogs show dramatic improvement within 2 days.  Don't give raw fish to your dog, ever!

Poor Hershey was a dog who lived with a sometimes homeless woman, and was abused by the woman's son.  Hershey was difficult to adopt because she was afraid of many things, and would snap at people when she was afraid or didn't like something.

Hershey was sent to Smiling Dog Farm Sanctuary in Texas.  She may eventually be adopted from there as she gets more socialized, or she may live out her life at the sanctuary.  The important thing is that without the help of Sammie's Friends, Hershey would have been a dead dog.

Bailey was sent to the Canine Communication Center in Los Angeles for behavioral rehabilitation.  Brandon Fouche, a very talented dog behaviorist, was able to work with her and help her regain her ability to be with other dogs, and then placed her in a home.  Sammie's Friends was glad to help.  This dog was going to be euthanized at the Nevada County Animal Shelter, and now she's living the good life.