Residents of Project Starlight

Levi

Levi’s had a run of bad luck recently, but all that is changing for him now!  He was surrendered to an area shelter a few months back when his former family decided they could no longer care for him.  When a LH representative arrived to get Levi from the shelter, he was emaciated and the fur on his little chest was crusty…tell-tale signs of dental issues.  After a veterinary exam confirmed that his molars were growing into his tongue (ouch!), we fed Levi high-calorie, high-nutrition supplements to prepare him for corrective surgery.  It’s been over a month since his operation, and Levi is doing wonderfully!!  At his last check-up on 02/08/10, our vet was thrilled with all of the weight Levi has gained now that his mouth is feeling better. We are going to let him gain a little more weight before he is neutered, and will be keeping an eye on how his molars are wearing down. We estimate that Levi will be able to be neutered in late March 2009 and at that time we will be able to give potential adopters an update on the progress of his dental issues. Now that he is strong enough, this velvety-soft little man is having the time of his life running in his wheel and rolling like a champ in his dust bath.  A gentle, playful six-year-old chin, Levi will soon be ready to settle down into a bona fide forever home with a family who is willing to make time to get to know and cherish him.  He promises to return the favor and only asks for a roomy enclosure that allows him to jump around—with enough room for his Silent Spinner wheel, of course—and lots of timothy hay to fill his belly.  To talk about making this lovable grey chin your own, please contact us at Adoption@lunashouse.org or APPLY.

Petunia

Petunia’s story is, unfortunately, all too common to those of us in animal rescue.  Petunia’s spirit, however, is anything but common.  Once you’ve read her story, you’ll understand how we decided on a name for this beautiful girl, as “Petunia” was our nickname for Luna, the namesake of our organization.
          When she arrived at Luna’s House, 4.5-year-old Petunia was severely neglected.  It took only a moment to see that she was very dirty and had the marked hair loss and dry, irritated skin consistent with a terrible case of fur mites.  She had pododermatitis, or “bumble foot” on all four feet—nasty, painful infections that are the result of living in a filthy cage.  This condition is very preventable, making it all the more heartbreaking to see.  Not only was Petunia suffering from fur mites and bumble foot when she came to us, so also had two large uterine cysts and two tumors—one in her uterus, and one in her abdominal cavity—that needed to be removed.  Her former “guardian” did not want to spend the money to have surgery done, so Petunia had to undergo quite a bit of pain and discomfort before arriving in our care.
          Petunia was a tough cookie all through pre-surgical preparation and the surgery itself.  She was treated for the fur mites, given antibiotics, and had soothing lotion gently applied to her feet.  We were delighted to see her eating greens and hay within hours after the invasive procedure necessary to rid her of the uterine cysts (one larger than a peach pit!) and tumors.  Petunia has continued to astound us with her unbreakable spirit and joie de vive, even more so when we learned that the tumor removed from her abdominal cavity was adenocarcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer with an <80% rate of recurrence.  Although her prognosis is not favorable, Petunia refuses to be discouraged. 
          Petunia is not available for adoption due to her very serious medical condition.  She will live out her days with her foster parents—now her forever parents—and the two guinea companions she has come to love.  It seems Petunia was meant to come to Luna’s House, as her presence has made her new piggy friends so very happy.  Although she cannot be adopted, we are accepting donations for Petunia’s ongoing veterinary care as part of our Project Starlight initiative to assist animals with special needs.

Contact us at Info@lunashouse.org for more information, or visit www.lunashouse.org to make a donation via Google Checkout to help provide for Petunia’s care.