Medical Fostering
There are so many opportunities for fostering animals with unique medical care. It can seem intimidating at first to welcome home a foster animal with special needs, but these fosters will be the most rewarding you'll ever have. To see them relax, recover, and 'glow up' while in your care is something everyone should experience at least once!
Animals recovering from malnutrition
Many animals come into the shelter underweight. For an emaciated dog, recovery is not as simple as offering them all the food they've missed out on. CAC's medical team provided Toby's foster family with a structured re-feeding plan to make sure he got the nutrients he needed on the proper schedule and avoid complications! Thanks to his fosters, Toby was able to gain weight and find his future family.
Animals Recovering from Surgery
Every year, we get a handful of dogs who enter the shelter after being hit by cars. Our medical team will determine if surgery or amputation is needed to improve their quality of life. A shelter is no place for a new tri-pod to learn how to walk again. You could be the safe space for them to learn and grow! You could even foster an animal for a few days to allow them to recover after spay/neuter surgery in a quiet home.
Animals Recovering from Mange
In June 2023, Sara picked up Chumley to foster. "She had little to no fur," said Sara. "Her skin and paws were bright red." Chumley was diagnosed with a non-contagious form of mange. But after a few weeks in foster care with some medication and love, she started to look like a whole new dog! "It was simply amazing the transformation," said Sara. After a month, Sara and her family decided to adopt!
What our medical fosters have to say:
"I am currently fostering Musa who is visually impaired and has had seizures. After several months at the shelter, he had no foster or adoption interest. His quality of life was beginning to be questioned. Once I heard this, I knew I had to step up. Was I nervous to take on such a challenge? Absolutely! There were a few times I didn’t think I was going to follow through… But I am SO glad I did! It took a few weeks for us all to learn about each other and make a few adjustments to accommodate Musa’s special needs. I’m happy to say things have fallen into place much more smoothly than anticipated. It makes my heart incredibly happy to see Musa trotting around and getting sunshine and fresh air in the backyard for as long as he wants, which is usually followed by a nice peaceful nap on the sofa or his bed."
Carmen D.
"I volunteered at Kitty City for about a year then decided to turn my 3 seasoned room into a foster room, for kitten season. I'm a nurse so sick kittens are what I usually get. I love working with the Medical Team to maximize the health and weight of the kittens and get them adopted. I had one very under weight kitten with a really bad eye infection. Everyone thought she would need surgery to remove her eye, but she was so under weight she couldn't have surgery. I worked with her and medical team for over 2 months and she gained 2 pounds and her eye was no longer bulging, so it didn't need to be removed. I didn't think she was going to make it, but she pulled through and got adopted in one day in Kitty City!"
Sarah E.
Medical Foster FAQ
Do you have questions about our foster program not answered here? Contact us at [email protected]!
