STUDENTS FOR ANIMALS IN NEED (SAIN)
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PAST CASES

Below are some animals SAIN has had the privilege of helping on their road to recovery.

We always love hearing updates on our "SAIN alums".
If your pet has been helped by SAIN and you would like for him/her to be featured, please contact us via e-mail!



BELLE, 2022

Belle, a three month old Labrador, presented to the out of hours service in need of an emergency abdominal surgery. She was suffering from an intussusception- a condition where part of the intestine telescopes into an adjacent segment, causing a blockage. This condition requires prompt surgical treatment to prevent serious complications. SAIN was contacted to assist this emergency case. The surgery was successful, she recovered well, and she was able to return home to her loving family!

KYLA, 2022

Kyla is a sweet 4 year old dog who has had a bad run of luck with both of her knees. After having several surgeries with her primary vet first to correct patellar luxation and then later for a cruciate rupture, she was referred to the Small Animal Hospital for evaluation due to ongoing severe lameness. It was determined that she needed a revision surgery on one leg with long-term physiotherapy. The other leg was showing early signs of orthopedic disease, so it was important to treat the worse side surgically while pursuing conservative management on the other leg. She was uninsured but her owners were keen to continue to seek the best veterinary care possible to keep Kyla comfortable and improve her mobility. SAIN was contacted to assist with her case and with surgery and physiotherapy her quality of life was significantly improved.

PEPE, 2020

Pepe is a 6 year old springer spaniel who suffered a complex Y fracture of his right elbow. This fracture was repaired surgically with plates and screws and he was healing well for a few months when he presented with lameness at a recheck exam. It was determined that fracture site was healing well and the cause of the lameness was from the implant hardware which required removing. Having already reached their insurance limit and contributed a significant amount of additional funds to his care, his owners were struggling to afford this second operation. SAIN was able to help Pepe's owners afford this surgery and keep him moving in the right direction with his recovery!

COVI, 2020

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Covi presented to the hospital at just 8 weeks old, having suffered a severe injury to his right front leg from a dog attack. The open fracture was repaired surgically and he received regular wound management, however he developed an infection which complicated his recovery and extended his stay in the hospital. During this time his original owners decided they were unable to care for him, luckily a new home was quickly found for this charming young man! SAIN was able to provide funding to help with the additional medical expenses. In a recent update two years following this treatment, his owner reports no issues with his leg and that he is a very happy and active dog who loves playing at the beach!

WISPA, 2019

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Wispa is an adorable 6-year-old domestic short hair cat who presented to the animal hospital with a severe skin disease which was caused due to a thymoma. The best course of treatment to help Wispa was surgery to remove her tumour, which unfortunately the owner was struggling to be able to pay for. With SAIN’s help contributing to the cost of her surgery Wispa was able to undergo the treatment she needed, and her owner sent us a lovely update of her beautiful coat now that she doesn’t have to worry about a nasty thymoma!

MINNI, 2019

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Minni, an incredibly sweet Lhasa Apso, had originally presented to The Small Animal Hospital to correct a fracture in her leg. Surgery was successful leaving her with some metalwork and bandages that would need to be changed. However, in March she ran into some bad luck! During her recovery period, Minni’s owner noticed her wounds were not healing properly and multiple pressure sores from the metal work were appearing. Her owner was very distraught over the possibility of not being able to repair the damage due to losing her job and other financial constraints. With the help of our community, Minni was able to get the wounds and metal work from her original surgery managed and she is now on the road to a full and successful recovery!

MOLLY, 2018

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Molly, a 6 year old greyhound, was hit by a car and sustained several injuries including a severe fracture to her left forelimb, a jaw fracture, and wounds on all four limbs. The damage to her left leg was too severe and she required amputation of this leg. When her owners reached their insurance limit for her surgical treatment and ongoing wound management, SAIN was contacted.

​Molly recovered well from this traumatic event and is back home with her owners. She enjoys snuggling and is a big couch potato!

SAMBA, 2018

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Samba, an 8 year old English Pointer, presented for referral after two failed surgeries to repair bilateral Achilles tendinopathy. This condition caused him significant difficulty with his mobility. Financial support was provided by SAIN and he was able to undergo surgery on both hindlimbs (bilateral pantarsal arthrodesis) to fuse his joints and allow better mobility. Both procedures went well and he was discharged from the hospital to undergo additional physiotherapy in recovery with his family.

BRUNO, 2016

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Bruno is a 9 month old Bengal cat who was missing from home for three days. When his owners did find Bruno, he was in a poor state with a large infected wound on his back, hypothermic, and paraplegic in his hindlimbs. He was quickly taken for veterinary evaluation where his wound was debrided and closed. He had an MRI which revealed a spinal cord contusion. He was hospitalized for monitoring and slowly regained movement and sensation in his hindlimbs. SAIN was able to offer assistance to his owners for his ongoing care. This charming guy won over the staff and final year students at the hospital and we are glad that he continues to improve and regain function in his legs.

THEO, 2016

Theo is a 1 year old domestic short haired cat who presented to the SAH for referral due to ongoing urinary incontinence. He was diagnosed with bilateral ureteral strictures and an ectopic ureter, congenital abnormalities that resulted in the incontinence. If left untreated these conditions would lead to kidney failure. Unfortunately Theo was uninsured and his owners were unable to afford the specialist surgery to re-implant his ureters. SAIN was glad to step in and help fund this case. Theo sailed through surgery and went home to be with his mom and dad, awaiting the arrival of a new human family member!

MAC, 2016

Mac is an adorable and curious 12 week old kitten who accidentally inhaled laundry detergent powder. This substance is highly toxic and carries a grave prognosis, even with aggressive treatment. Mac's owner was a single parent who had recently lost their job, but they were determined to get Mac the best care possible. SAIN was happy to be able to assist this case and provide funding for his intensive hospitalization. After a week of round the clock care and nebulization treatments, Mac was able to return home, a happy and healthy 13 week old kitten!

LEILA, 2016

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Leila is a beautiful, happy-go-lucky 3 year old Staffie who had a run of bad luck. She was involved in a road-traffic accident and fractured her pelvis and femur. The treatment for this was covered by her insurance, however during her recovery period she developed an esophageal stricture. This required additional surgeries and having maxed out their insurance plan, SAIN was contacted for support for this case. One of our final year SAIN members was on rotation at the hospital and able to meet Leila! She even leant her a SAIN jacket to help keep her warm in her hospital kennel.

PURSUIT, 2014

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Pursuit is a 3yo TB filly who was admitted as an out of hours emergency for colic. She was diagnosed with a large and extensive impaction of the large colon. She was an off-the-track thoroughbred who had been rehomed only three weeks prior to this episode. She was managed medically successfully and cleared the impaction. Gastroscopy was performed and she was diagnosed with gastric ulcers. SAIN was able to contribute to her case and provide funding for a medication, Gastroguard, to help treat the stomach ulcers and prevent relapsing of colic. Pursuit's owners were "over the moon" to have home and grateful for the support from SAIN.

YANG, 2013

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Yang is a 9 month old Yorkie, who presented as an emergency in an acute hepatic encephalopathic crisis.  He was diagnosed with a portosystemic shunt, meaning an aberrant blood vessel was bypassing his liver allowing toxins to build-up in his brain and cause the clinical signs. In his case, surgery was an option and he pulled through- looking as cute as ever! 

Thank you everyone for your contributions to this case!

STORM, 2013

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Storm is a 2 year old cat who presented to the hospital with a pyothorax with mediastinal involvement, meaning a severe chest infection. She had been responding to medical management but CT imaging showed residual diseases and thickening of the mediastinum. She required a thoracotomy, a surgical opening into the chest, to prevent recurrence of this condition. SAIN was contacted about helping fund her treatment and she was able to undergo surgery with good results. She was able to return to her loving family after she recovered from surgery.

SIMBA, 2013

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Simba is a handsome 3 year old cat, who came into the Small Animal Hospital having a pyothorax (severe chest infection) 8 weeks prior. Medical treatment had failed in his case, and Simba was now presenting with pulmonary abscesses that needed to be surgically removed. This surgery was urgent as he was not responding to antibiotics and his condition was critical. With the help of SAIN, this surgery was able to be funded. Surgery was successful and Simba recovered well. The hospital staff said he was a star patient and, as you can see, not camera shy! 

OLLIE, 2013

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Ollie is a 10 month old Spaniel with pharyngeal asynchrony.  This is a condition where there is a lack of coordination between contraction of the pharynx during swallowing and relaxation of the upper esophageal sphincter.  Unfortunately this condition has no treatment, so the only option is for owners to manage long term via a feeding tube. Ollie came in for surgery to have a larger feeding tube placed as he outgrew his original one. 

​The procedure was successful and Ollie returned home to a very happy family!

COCO, 2013

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Coco presented with a history of recurrent cystitis secondary to suspected hermaphrodism. On examination, Coco was found to have a congenital hypospadias, meaning his genitals did not form properly, resulting in his urethra being in an abnormal position which predisposed him to recurrent urinary tract infections from faecal contamination. Coco underwent surgery and recovered well. According to the staff working with Coco, he/she is a great little cat and pretty much the clone for Felix off the TV adverts and a very laid-back patient.

ROXY, 2012

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A 3 month old Staffie named Roxy was brought in to the Out Of Hours emergency service by her owners as she was lethargic and had been vomiting. On physical examination a suspected intestinal foreign body was noted. Unfortunately her owners were not insured and financially could not afford the surgical procedure. With funding from SAIN, Roxy was able to receive life-saving surgery to remove a foreign body- pieces of a plastic dog chew!- and part of her small intestine was resected as it was non-viable. She recovered fully and was able to be reunited with her owners!
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  • Home
  • About SAIN
    • Meet the Committee
    • Past Cases
    • Newsletter
    • Gallery
  • 10 YEARS OF SAIN
  • VOLUNTEER
  • DONATE
  • Contact Us