Birthday: October 11, 2010
Weight: 3.7 lbs
Nickname: World’s Tiniest Goat!
She likes all types of food, including
Brussels sprouts! Zoe loves to be
snuggled and curl up in my lap. She
travels with us everywhere by bicycle,
car, train and airplane! When we
are packing, she sits in my suitcase,
ensuring that she is going too! Her
favorite places to be rubbed are behind
her neck and her belly.

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/blue-buffalo-dog-food-recall-may-2016/

Jane Horsfield and her wonderful border collie, Kiss, were named Volunteer of the Year at Orange Coast Medical Center!  Congratulations Jane and Kiss!

The Animal Health Foundation gives veterinary grants to this organization:

2 May 2016 – Santa Monica, CA – OURF Headquarters.  Between the recent devastating fires that have overtaken the country’s natural habitats and celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio making surprise visits to highlight conservation efforts, Indonesia’s orangutan populations have been all over the news lately.  While public awareness is the first step towards making progress, for 10 years the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) has been on the ground in Indonesia working to save orangutans and other primates in danger due to unsustainable farming and human-wildlife conflict.  One of OURF’s key programs is the Orangutan Caring Scholarship, aimed at building a cadre of educated Indonesia citizens that will advocate orangutan survival, and OURF is proud to announce that the 100^th scholarship will be awarded this June.

When the Orangutan Caring Scholarship (OCS) was inaugurated in 2006 to support a student’s tuition and research activities, the first recipient, Syarifah Lia Andriati, was able to attend North Sumatra University and earn a degree in forestry. In the decade that followed, 93 other underprivileged and motivated students competed for and received the multi-year scholarship to attend local universities in the fields of biology, forestry and veterinary science.  While in school, the recipients conduct research about orangutans, their biology and health, and their habitat.  OURF President Dr. Gary Shapiro stated, “Each of the students who have received scholarships have become spokespersons for conserving orangutans and other wildlife.”  Since the program began, over 50 students have graduated and have gone into careers in academia, government, business and the non-profit sector.

The impact of the scholarship reaches much farther than just the life of the student:  “It is hard to overestimate the importance of this scholarship for providing an opportunity to students and their families who will benefit by this award in the name of the orangutan” said Shapiro. “Besides receiving an opportunity to earn a degree, the student’s extended family will see orangutans as a symbol of pride – not an animal to be laughed at or feared. The program also builds an important philanthropic bridge between cultures who may not fully understand or appreciate each other.”

Ceremonies to honor the students will take place in the cities of Medan (Sumatra) and Ketapang (West Kalimantan) in late-June. OURF President Shapiro will participate in the presentation ceremonies which will take place during the holy month of Ramadan.

The OCS is a partnership with both the local administering organizations (Orangutan Information Center and Yayasan Palung) and the funding organizations. OURF coordinates the OCS and has been grateful for the funds provided by The Orangutan Project (Australia), Orangutan Outreach (USA), the Animal Health Foundation (USA), and the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation (USA) as well as numerous individuals who have contributed towards the OCS fund.

Courtesy photo Monterey Park Police K9 Robin, with handler Agent Peter Palomino, recently received a $950 protective vest as a donation from nonprofit organizations Vested Interest in K9s Inc. and the Animal Health Foundation of Lake Forest

If you live in Southern California, you probably remember the story about the Monterey Park K-9 Officer Robin being stung by bees while helping to apprehend a suspect.

Thousands of people were praying that the beautiful black shepherd would survive the bee attack.  And, he did.

Officer Robin’s handler, Peter Palomino, wanted to protect his partner in other ways as well and put in a request to receive a bullet-proof vest for Robin.

The Animal Health Foundation who had partnered with another local police department to donate a vest was contacted by Vested Interest and donated a custom-made vest for K-9 Officer Robin.

Press Release from Monterey Park Police Dept.

On June 26, 2015, the Monterey Park Police Department’s K9 Robin was awarded a ballistic vest thanks to nonprofit organizations Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. and the Animal Health Foundation of Lake Forest, CA who provided $950 for the vest. The vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by the Animal Health Foundation.” This is the second vest to be awarded to a Monterey Park K9 this year since K9 Veeda in May.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA. whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. Each vest costs $950 and has a five year warranty. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four legged K9 Officers. Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1,395 law enforcement canines in 49 states with protective vests since 2009 at a cost of over $1.3 million.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. also announces their signature tank top is now available online for a $20.00 donation at www.vik9s.org. Proceeds will provide bullet and stab protective vests, for police dogs actively working without the potentially lifesaving equipments.

The organization orders the U.S. made vests exclusively from distributor Regency Police Supply in Hyannis, MA. who also does the custom embroidery on the body armor. Vests are manufactured by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

New K9 graduates as well as K9s with expired vests are eligible to participate. The program is open to law enforcement dogs who are U.S. employed, certified and at least 19 months of age.

For more information regarding Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Tax deductible donations accepted via mail to: Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718 or via their website at www.vik9s.org

The Pasadena Star News wrote this story:

By Melissa Masatani, San Gabriel Valley Tribune

About three years ago, Julie Waters found a young female cat she named Sabrina alone in a parking lot. “She was a stray and she was tiny,” Julie recalled. “But ever since she came into my house – she was just a couple of months old – she has been in charge. I have another cat and big dog but Sabrina is the boss.”

In December, 2014, more than a year after finding the kitten, Julie noticed that the usually high energy Sabrina was lethargic. “She wasn’t interacting with the other pets. She was just laying around a lot. I thought maybe she was sick but I didn’t think it was anything serious.  One of my friends saw her after a week and she said, ‘She doesn’t look good. You should take her to the vet.’ I was thinking the same thing. Sabrina wasn’t getting any better. So I took her in and it was like, oh no, this is really bad!”

Julie took her cat to Redwood Animal Hospital in Redondo Beach not far from her home.  Dr. Veronica Pirotto examined Sabrina and found “a mass of some sort. Sabrina was very uncomfortable when she was touched in the abdomen.  Two days later, they did exploratory surgery. They called me while she was still on the table and said that they needed to send her to a specialist. She was going septic. All the tissue around her organs was infected and there was some leakage into her kidney. If she doesn’t have surgery to remove the infected tissue she is going to die of kidney failure, the doctor said.”

Julie took Sabrina home with medications to keep the infection at bay and made an appointment with Dr. Mary Somerville at Animal Specialty and Emergency Center, also in Redondo Beach.

Dr. Somerville performed surgery to remove the infected tissue. “But she called me and said that Sabrina needed a second surgery to removed one of her kidneys. Dr. Somerville quoted me a price of $3,500 for the first surgery and the hospital stay. And with the second surgery and longer stay, it was going to more like $5,500. But she honored the original quote. She was really wonderful.”

At the time, Julie had just earned a graduate degree at Cal State Dominguez Hills and had begun the 3,000 hours of practical work needed to qualify for a license as a marriage and family counselor. She is self supporting and had little income. She did not know how she could pay for the surgery. “It was very scary,” she said. “My cat was just a year and a half old. She is not supposed to be dying of kidney failure. And I was like, I can’t afford this [second surgery].  I could barely afford the exploratory surgery.”

The doctors and staff at Redwood told Julie about Angel Fund and helped her apply. They also told her about other foundations that might help.  And, she said, they provided her with free services.  “I am very thankful to them and to Angel Fund because that whole time was so stressful. My grandmother passed away in surgery a week before Sabrina had her surgery and that whole time just feels like a blur.” Julie now has her counseling license and is launched on her career.

And Sabrina still runs the house. “She has so much energy,” Julie said. “She is totally the boss of the house again. . . . She is a hussy.  That’s what she is.”

The AHF is part of OC Giving Day!

Your donation will help give critical care to a pet whose family has a financial hardship! Click Here to see pets who have received help

TO DONATE on April 27th starting at 6am, copy this link into your browser:

https://iheartoc.org/npo/animal-health-foundation

THE DONATE BUTTON WILL BE LIVE STARTING AT 6am on Wednesday APRIL 27!

Every donation from $25 to $10,000 is boosted by bonus fund provided by Orange County Community Foundation

On an August morning in 2014, Robin – a writer and editor who lives in West Los Angeles – heard a cat crying in her courtyard.  “He was yelping and he was really upset. He just kept crying and crying,” she said, “and his mouth looked swollen.”

Robin, who asked that her last name not be used, recognized Tarzan, a friendly cat who lived outdoors in the neighborhood after his owner died. eH “At first I thought he had an abscessed tooth. I could see he was in pain. . . . So I took him inside and started researching veterinarians on the internet.”

Robin took Tarzan to the Westchester Veterinary Center and Cat Clinic. “When I got there, I explained that I was not Tarzan’s owner and that I was just a concerned animal lover. The staff . . . was really friendly and concerned about the cat,” she said.

A staff veterinarian said Tarzan’s jaw was shattered and that he needed surgery. She said that he probably had been hit by a car.

“I sat inside the exam room with Tarzan and I was massaging him and talking to him and the [clinic] staff was talking about what to do.  Someone came in after a while and said that I could apply to Angel Fund for Tarzan’s surgery. I said I was willing to chip in $150. Angel Fund and the clinic paid the rest.”

Dr. Henry Yoo, owner of the clinic, did the surgery. “He did an amazing job with Tarzan,” Robin said. “There were a couple of months of feeding him with a turkey baster and going to the clinic regularly for follow-up appointments. The people at the clinic were always friendly and helpful.”

The time she spent caring for Tarzan had an impact on Robin.  “After a couple of months,” she said, “I got very close to him. And I didn’t want him going back outside. It’s healthier for cats indoors [where they’re unlikely to pick up diseases] and there are no cat fights.  And I certainly didn’t want him to get hit by a car again. So I just had to adopt him.”

And, she said, “without Angel Fund, who knows what would have happened to him. He might have been put down. I really think that the clinic and Angel Fund saved his life.”

Today, she said, you can’t tell he had surgery. “He’s a special cat. He eats normally and has a good appetite. He has a lot of energy. He’s very clean and he was always really friendly. One day I woke up and he was lying there beside me.” She thinks Tarzan is “teen or pre-teen” in age.

Are she and Tarzan living happily ever after? “He is.  I am.”

Are you doing it together. “Exactly.”

In June, 2014, Ligia Solano noticed that her dog Khloe was urinating blood.  “It was a lot of blood,” she said, “not just a little bit.”

Ligia was worried so she took Khloe, a fetching Shih Tzu mix, to Pomona Valley Veterinary Hospital.  Dr. Tahir Khan did an x-ray and urinalysis. “He told me she had a bladder stone,” she said. “You could see it on the x-ray.  And he told me he could do the surgery and it would cost $1,500.

“I told the doctor and the receptionist I didn’t have that amount of money.  I was worried because I wanted to take care of my dog. She’s been with us since 2009 and she’s part of the family.  She’s like my baby.”

The receptionist told Ligia about Angel Fund. She filled out an application form and submitted the documents the foundation asked to see.  “They told me they would review my paperwork and see if I could qualify,” Ligia said. “Thanks to God and thanks to them I qualified.  And I only had to pay $300.”

Dr. Kahn did the surgery and Khloe – who is about 7 years old – is fine today, Ligia said. “I have to buy her prescription food and it’s much more expensive. But it’s worth it because I love my dog.”

People at the hospital “were so kind. They care about the dogs.  They tried to help me as much as they could. Every time I go there they make me feel very, very welcome.  They’re really good.”

Ligia, a part-time dental assistant, lives in Chino with her husband Leonel and Khloe. She expects that Klohe will be a part of her family for many more years.

Pet Disaster Preparedness

Plan Ahead to Protect Pets

A natural disaster or an emergency can take place when you least expect it. In moments of panic or chaos, you may not have enough time or foresight to evacuate pets with their daily essentials. Planning ahead for pets will save you valuable time—and keep your pets safe.

Storing an accessible “grab and go” bag for pets and having a well thought-out exit strategy will have you prepared for the worst.

Check out our infographic below for quick tips on preparing yourself—and your pets—for a disaster plan.

For more in-depth info on preparing pets for a disaster, read “5 Natural Disaster Tips for Pet Owners.”