WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Day in and day out chief medical officer, Dr. Allison Kean, is helping to nurse ill and injured animals that come through the doors of SPCA Serving Erie County.
"When an animal comes in here, we assess it medically and behaviorally," Dr. Allison Kean said.
Unfortunately, animals who come to the pet agency are not always healthy or adoptable, so the SPCA comes up with a game plan.
"Sometimes that plan is simple, it just needs some nursing care, just some basic medication, a spay and a neuter, some vaccines, other times they come in, they have significant injuries," Dr. Kean said.
SPCA Serving Erie County chief communications officer, Gina Lattuca said, "People would bring us animals. Maybe it was an owned animal who was hit by a car and they couldn't afford surgery necessary to save that animal's life. Maybe it was a stray animal that they saw that needed some kind of lifesaving surgery. Very expensive. Unfortunately, there were times that that surgery could not be paid for."
That is where "Yelp for Help" comes in.
Since the mid 90s, the fundraiser has been able to accumulate funds needed to help a stray or a surrendered animal heal.
Latucca said, "Because of this fund, we've been able to save thousands and thousands of animals lives since the fund was created."
Their compassion sprung into action when a month-old pup named "Jelly Bean" was brought to their facility just last week, after reportedly suffering a broken leg from being thrown from a car.
"They may need x-rays, they may need additional surgeries. They may need long term foster homes," Dr. Kean said.
Lattuca added, "Fostering does go hand in hand with Yelp For Help. Many of these animals can recover 10-12 weeks recovery and a shelter setting is very different from 10-12 weeks in the home setting, where they're receiving personal attention and lots of TLC."
Once treatment is administered, many require additional medical care or intense socialization and behavior modification.
The SPCAs Yelp for Help fund offsets the cost of caring for, and eventually making possible successful adoptions of, these special animals who are worthy of another chance of being in a loving home.
