Sam - playing at Rainbow Bridge, missed by many

Sam recovering from his surgery

February 10, 2012: Sweet Sam crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning. His body could take no more. Amber loved him enough to let him go and he will not suffer one more day. Sam left this world knowing what love was because Amber showed it to him. He will forever carry that love with him. Please send your prayers and thoughts to Amber today who is devastated as we all are with Sam's crossing.

Fly Free sweet Sam. You touched so many of our lives. I am shedding endless tears for you today. You will feel no more pain as you cross the Rainbow Bridge, you will always feel Amber's loving touch and you will be greeted by those that have gone ahead. Please try to stop and look back every once a while and remind Amber just how much you loved her too.

Goodbye sweet Sam ♥ ~Céline

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January 27, 2012~Sam is now home with foster mom Amber. He has a very healthy appetite and is recovering in his little kitty bed. He is a little stressed but already seems like a different kitty.

We all wish Sam a very smooth recovery as he learns to walk on three legs. He is in very loving arms with his foster mom. ~Céline

January 26, 2012--Sam will have his right rear leg amputated today. The vet doing the procedure is Dr. Q, Amber's local vet and the one who first evaluated Sam's leg. Sam will stay in the vet's clinic overnight.

Jennifer J wrote a Cat on My Sleeve Blog post about the inhumanity to Sam. Jenn is so good at expressing the feelings that many of us have, and we are all a little shell-shocked with the severe physical abuse that was directed at this helpless creature. The DCIN case managers and the foster Mom are apprehensive about this procedure, never having been through it with another cat.

We have had 14 very generous contributors donate $765 toward the $2100 we are estimating for Sam's diagnostics and surgery. We hope more will share in this act of kindness for Sam.



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January 25, 2012--First, let me show you the video Amber took of Sam walking. This is a heartbreaking video, so you may want to bypass watching it. The hock on Sam's right leg splays to the left. The video is here.

Both of Sam's legs are injured, most likely at the same time. The injuries are months old. The break in the left one healed on its own, so it is not an issue right now because it's not yet arthritic. However, as he ages arthritis probably will develop.

The right leg is a jumbled mess. The vet doesn't recommend surgically repairing it. He's willing to do it if we insist, but he doesn't think it's a good idea. It would be a complex surgery requiring lots of hardware and bone cutting and fusing. With Sam being diabetic and on the heavy side, there is too much risk for infection, possibly additional surgeries, and a very long recovery time.

Amputation is the second option. The vet specialist and the DCIN case manager and others consulting on Sam agree that amputation will be the best alternative. If Sam develops an infection from amputation it is easily treatable, because the infection is all we would have to deal with.

The vet said we can also leave Sam be or get him a little cart. We believe that Sam will be less adoptable with those options.

We have decided to amputate Sam's right rear leg. The vet said depending on the cat, the recovery can be anywhere from 4 - 8 weeks. The vet recommended Sam staying with Amber a minimum of 4 weeks.

This from Amber:

Sam was so wonderful at the vets. I put him on the scale and he just stretched out and got comfy. The tech said he was purring so loud she couldn't hear his heart. She had to wait for him to stop purring so loud! Even the vet was amazed at how easy going Sam was. He's upstairs noshing on some FF and get comfy in his basket. He's not real sure what to do with himself since he's not in the crate. He wanted to start exploring the bathroom. It broke my heart to see him walk so here I am downstairs!

We are looking around for the right combination of surgical skill, vet location, and price before we schedule the surgery. At the least, the surgery and aftercare will likely be about $2,000. So we are again adjusting the target on Sam's chip-in. Please donate if you can. And, please prayers and best wishes for this poor mistreated boy.

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January 23, 2012--Sam's foster Mom will try to get him an appointment to the specialist today. Please help with the cost of the treatment for Sam's broken leg by Chipping-in!!

(Sometimes, Chip-in is not working and you cannot see the Chip-in widget above. If that is the case, you can PayPal a donation to donate@dcin.info. Use the personal tab and gift radio button, and include a note that the donation is for Sam.)

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January 22, 2011--Sam's visit to the vet yesterday showed a badly broken small bone in his right rear leg. The local vet recommended consultation with a surgeon at the nearby specialty hospital. The local vet suggested that an internal reduction with plates may be needed. Others have suggested to DCIN case managers that an amputation might be a better choice--quicker to heal and less pain and rehabilitation.

Sam will see the surgeon tomorrow. We have no clue at this point what the treatment plan might be and how much treatment will cost. DCIN only paid about $100 for the XRay and exam from the local vet. We are revising the chip-in upward to $1100 to try to get a jump on raising $1000 for treatment.

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January 21, 2012--We learned this morning, as a result of the shelter doing a final exam on Sam before release to DCIN, that Sam may have a fractured back leg. Sam had been in a cage since he arrived at the shelter, and the staff had not noticed his limp.

Amber, Connor's new Mom, is braving the icy roads and going to the shelter to take Sam to her vet for XRays and diagnosis. We don't know what the treatment plan might be, but we do know the diagnostics will cost DCIN some bucks.

I personally am hoping that the treatment plan will be the same as when my flying monkey kitten Nellie fractured her elbow when she was about 9 weeks old. Cage rest. That we can do. The shelter has put Sam on pain meds.

This is the chip-in for the diagnostic tests. Please help if you can. Prayers and good thoughts also. Thanks!!

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January 20, 2011--Sam will move tomorrow to a DCIN foster home in central PA. This is expected to be a short-term foster, therefore we are listing him as a 911.

JennF, Sam's DCIN Case Manager, will be back with more information about Sam. ~Venita

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January 18, 2012~Sam is a very sweet 9 year old who was surrendered to a very High Kill Shelter by his owners who "no longer had time to care for his diabetes"

He is a neutered DSH gray and white kitty who is 15 pounds of pure love. He was diagnosed in June 2011 with Feline Diabetes. He does get along with other cats and was receiving insulin at one point for his diabetes. He is very friendly and extremely talkative.

He is under a tremendous amount of stress as he tries to figure out what the heck happened to him. He has until Saturday at the most to live then he will be gone forever. If the shelter needs his cage before that he will be PTS immediately.

Please help this lovely boy find out what a loving home really is. Email jennf@dcin.info for more information.