Help Us See What Our Patients Can't Tell Us

Quack came to Palm Valley Animal Society very pregnant and in need of immediate medical care.

Our medical team determined that surgery was necessary and stepped in to give her the care she needed.

But Quack's case was far from over.

Following surgery, our team realized that something was seriously wrong. Quack was bleeding internally into her abdomen. An underlying clotting disorder meant her body was not stopping the bleeding normally, turning an already complicated case into a life-threatening emergency.

There was no time to waste.

Our medical team brought Quack back into surgery. Dr. Stevens and her team worked to identify the source of the bleeding, stabilize her, and save her life.

During the procedure, the team performed an autotransfusion, collecting Quack's own blood from her abdomen and returning it to her circulation while they worked.

It was an extraordinary response to an extraordinary situation.

And Quack made it.

Today, she is recovering, walking, exploring, and getting another chance at the life ahead of her.

But Quack's story also showed us something else.

Our medical team can do so much more when they have the right tools.

Palm Valley Animal Society cares for thousands of animals every year, and not every medical problem is visible from the outside.

A dog cannot tell us where it hurts.

A cat cannot explain that something feels different inside her abdomen.

And in an emergency, sometimes the difference between guessing and knowing is the ability to see what is happening beneath the surface.

That is why we are raising $3,000 to purchase a portable ultrasound system for the PVAS medical team.

What can $3,000 do?

Our goal will help provide our medical team with a Butterfly portable ultrasound system and the technology needed to operate it, putting point-of-care diagnostic imaging directly into the hands of the people treating animals at PVAS.

Unlike a traditional ultrasound machine that stays in one room, this system is small enough to go where our patients need it. It connects to a compatible mobile device and can be used by trained veterinary professionals right at the point of care.

For our medical team, that means another way to evaluate what they cannot see during a physical examination.

An ultrasound can help our veterinary team evaluate the abdomen for abnormal fluid, examine organs such as the kidneys and bladder, assess the heart and lungs, evaluate reproductive cases, and guide certain procedures.

In an emergency involving suspected internal bleeding, it can provide critical information about what may be happening inside an animal's body.

In other cases, it could help our team investigate an abdominal concern without immediately needing outside imaging.

And because one portable probe can be used across many different types of examinations, this is not equipment that will help just one animal.

It can help patient after patient.

Quack is why this matters.

Quack's survival came down to the knowledge, instincts, and ability of a medical team that recognized something was wrong and acted.

We already have talented people capable of providing remarkable care.

We want to give them more of the tools they need to do it.

A portable ultrasound will not replace the expertise of our veterinary team, and it will not answer every medical question. What it can do is give that team another window into their patients when seconds matter, symptoms are unclear, or an animal simply cannot tell us what hurts.

For a shelter caring for animals with medical histories that are often completely unknown, that matters.

Help us raise $3,000.

Every gift to this campaign moves this piece of equipment closer to our medical team.

$25 gets us closer.

$50 gets us closer.

$100 gets us closer.

And together, $3,000 can put a powerful diagnostic tool into the hands of the team caring for animals like Quack every day.

Quack received the emergency care she needed when she needed it most.

Help us be even more prepared for the next animal who needs us.

Donate today and help bring portable ultrasound imaging to Palm Valley Animal Society.

Quack's 2nd Chance