Stray Thoughts
News, Events & Adoption Information
Fall 2017
Inside
Our Mission: Giving Animals Like
Ramos the Best Care Possible
Page 2:
General Information
Page 3
Ready for a Home
Page 4:
Ask the Trainer
Page 5:
Emails & Letters
Page 6:
Pet Watch with Dr. Main
WSHS Holiday Gift
PAWCTION
Page 7:
Hearty Thanks!
Ways to Give
Page 8:
Barkapolooza Thanks
Volunteer Spotlight
Stray Thoughts is an official
publication of the West
Suburban Humane Society,
a not-for-profit, volunteer-
based animal shelter.
No city, state, or federal
funds support WSHS.
Donations are tax
deductible as allowed
by law. Please call
(630) 960-9600, ext. 25 to
submit articles or receive
donation information.
Adoption Center:
1901 W. Ogden Avenue,
Downers Grove, IL 60515
E-mail Address:
[email protected]
Phone: (630) 960-9600
Fax: (630) 960-9604
www.WSHS-DG.org
R
amos is named for the woman who
found him and brought him to WSHS.
That was her last name and he would have
died before he was three months old if it
wasn’t for her. He weighed less than two
pounds back then and needed vet care
right away. After consulting with a surgeon,
he was diagnosed with imperforate anus,
meaning he had an underdeveloped anus.
If he knew we were talking about such
private issues, the poor guy would be
mortified.
He was initially constipated, which caused
him great distress. The surgeon said they
could widen the anus, but they could
do nothing about its elasticity and didn’t
recommend surgery. Instead, he was put
on stool softeners so that he could pass
stool more easily. He went to a foster
home with another kitten who also has a
birth defect and the fun began! The two
kittens got along great but Ramos hated
the supplements. For his health, they had to
be given. The surgeon warned the shelter
that when a cat has one congenital defect,
he usually has others. Ramos began having
urinary issues in his foster home, so we
worried the two were connected.
Although the surgeon said there would
never be improvement in Ramos’ anal
condition, as he grew, this problem went
away! We were so thankful to be able
to take him off of the medications and
supplements!
Sadly, the urinary issues continued, making
Ramos unadoptable. Ramos has had
all manner of tests and has been given
medications that help some cats with this
issue. His foster home has removed all
possible triggers and has done everything
available to attack this issue from a
behavioral aspect. To complicate matters,
Ramos has stomatitis, a painful condition of
the teeth and gums that may be a stressor
regarding his urinary issues.
Ramos is now 2 years old. The shelter
was literally a day away from having all of
Ramos’ teeth pulled, which is the only cure
for stomatitis. The hope was that his urinary
issues stemmed from the chronic mouth
pain, and if his teeth were removed, maybe
he would feel better long term, which may
help his litter box problems.
A few days before Ramos was to see the
dental specialist to remove all of his teeth,
he got some test results from his regular
vet that were concerning. He had some
crystals in his urine and needed to be on a
special diet to keep him from developing
more. Ramos didn’t take to the new diet
right away, so the full mouth extraction
was postponed.
As it turned out, this was the right decision
because that very day, Ramos experienced
a blockage in his urethra and he could not
pass urine. When this happens to a cat,
they will die within three days if they don’t
get treatment.
Continued on page 2