Crickett

THE DONOR

Little Crickett was a flame point Siamese alone and scared in a shelter. The good news is that he was rescued by Bruce and Emily. Crickett busied himself getting into everything he could in his new household – his antics entertained Bruce and Emily every evening! Recently, they noticed that he had trouble urinating, had begun vomiting and generally was not feeling his usual inquisitive self. A trip to the vet revealed he was in renal failure with a guarded prognosis due to bilateral hydronephrosis with obstructing ureteroliths in both distal ureters. Crickett’s painful blockage would require a specialist with microscopic surgical capabilities – someone at a teaching facility. This was more than Bruce and Emily could afford and they sadly elected to euthanize Crickett. When their veterinarian offered the option of Tissue Donation, they immediately agreed… If Crickett could help other pets, they wanted to participate in the program… Pets Helping Pets.

Champ

THE RECIPIENT

Champ the cat was rescued from the shelter by 92 year old Walter and his wife. Champ had a large palatal defect – a permanent hole in the roof of his mouth, likely from an electrical cord bite. This of course required special care by Walter. Champ is truly a patient soul because he would regularly submit to having his sinuses lavaged. These weekly trips to the vet were becoming more challenging for his elderly owner. A tissue graft from a donor, in the form of a thin bone membrane was sutured in place to cover the defect in Champ’s palate. It healed well, fusing to the surrounding bone and closing the hole in his palate. He began to eat like his namesake and his elderly driver no longer had to make trips to the vet for special care. Today, Champ is on a diet since he made up for not eating as much when he had his palatal defect!