If you’re scratching your head and trying to come up with holiday gift ideas, consider making a donations to Second Chance in the names of friends and family members. When you provide the gift recipient’s name and address, we’ll let them know how your thoughtful gift is saving lives and keeping pets in their homes.
Keep your paws crossed for this little guy. At 5 weeks old, Prancer has quite the tale to tell. He fell through a grate onto a cement pad one story below, fracturing his femur. He was surrendered to Second Chance so he could get the care he greatly needed.
It was a clean break and one of our vets surgically pinned the limb to aid in healing. One of our doting vet tech is fostering him while he recovers. If all goes well, he should be fully healed in 4-6 week so he can get ready to be adopted.
Want to help pets like Prancer get their second chance?
Reminder – Second Chance pets are not available for adoption until they are cleared by our veterinary staff and listed on our website. We do this because health can be fragile for some pets, especially the very young, and we never want to break any hearts unnecessarily. We also do this so no pet sits waiting for an adopter who’s changed their mind and forgotten to tell us. Thanks for understanding.
We are so grateful to all our GivingTuesday supporters.
Thanks to Tito’s Handmade Vodka match of $15,000, together we raised over $31,000 to help more pets. Your gift:
This year’s GivingTuesday fundraiser is more important than ever. With so much financial uncertainty, we need to be there for all the pets who need help. We can’t do it without your help!
Blue was just a young husky pup when he was surrendered to Second Chance by a local animal control officer. He was clearly uncomfortable and pawing at his red eyes. Upon closer examination, our vets found he had limited to no vision, possibly from birth. He needed to start daily eye medication right away and needed an experienced foster so he could begin treatment. Thankfully Second Chance works with many rescue groups. A contact that had worked with a husky rescue for years was able to temporarily foster this pup and helped find a long term foster while Blue’s medical needs were addressed.
Blue found a true champion when he met his foster. She had adopted rescue huskies for many years, most had been abused or neglected. She’d never had a blind dog before, but she was determined to help Blue and did some quick research.
Eye drop time for Blue
She ordered blind toys like meat scented fetching balls & squeaky toys and also ordered a scent kit to put certain scents with certain things. The food and water bowls got one scent, dangerous areas like stairs got another scent.
“Mostly, it was just spending time with him and teaching him that when I say, “wait,” he needs to stop until I say something else. I.E.- I say, “wait” at the top of the stairs, and then I say, “step” for each stair he needs to walk down. In all honesty, he figured out my house and yard very quickly based upon his own trial & error. The eye doctor said he’s very adaptable because he’s been blind for most of his life. I really thought he’d require much more work.
He’s smart and sweet. The real secret for Blue was the same as every husky, daily exercise. Our beach walk keeps him very satisfied for the rest of the day. My husband passed from cancer in March and my two 13-year-old huskies passed within the last year, so frankly Blue has done more for me than I for him.”
We are happy to report that this foster has fallen for Blue and last week he was officially ADOPTED!
Blue and his owner out for their morning walk.
Last night we were humbled to be named Best Veterinary Clinic in the 2022 Best of Central Mass contest. We are so very proud of all our Community Veterinary Hospital employees who give their all for pets everyday and we’re grateful to everyone who voted for us.
2022 has been an extraordinary year of helping pets thanks to you! Here are just a few of the pets you have helped this fall.
Houston is a young pup who came to Second Chance suffering from a very serious condition – heartworm disease. Left untreated, he was at serious risk for lung disease, heart failure or even death.
With your support, pets like Houston get the treatment they need so they can get a true ‘second chance.” Houston underwent a series of injections and did amazing. His foster will bring him back in six months to confirm that the treatment was successful.
Thank you for giving Houston a ‘second chance.’
Poor one-year-old Oatmeal came to Second Chance suffering from upper respiratory congestion and nasal discharge that never completely went away. He needed a rhinoscopy (a scope of his nasal area) to find the cause of his condition.
At the time, we don’t know what the cause could be – it could have been something serious like cancer.
When the day came for his procedure, the specialist discovered that a rubber foreign object was lodged in his nose!
The object was removed and Oatmeal found his “furever” home at the Adoption Center this week. We are so grateful for your support so pets like Oatmeal can get the care they need.
Congratulations to Ray, a very special pup who recently found his forever home! Ray is a 6 month old Weimaraner who came to Second Chance on transport from an overcrowded shelter in Mississippi.
This sweet, energetic pup who loves to play, is blind in his left eye due to corneal scarring. Our vets say it is most likely from a previous injury and he does not appear to be in any pain. Ray charmed everyone who came to visit the shelter and he met his match in just 10 days.
Thanks to you, pets like Ray get the ‘second chance’ they deserve.
On behalf of everyone here at Second Chance, I want to thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Doray
Chief Development Officer
Second Chance Animal Services
111 Young Road P.O. Box 136 East Brookfield, MA 01515
Tuesday we welcomed 10 cats evacuated to safety from a Florida shelter ahead of Hurricane Ian’s impact.
The cats, ranging in age from 10 weeks up to 4 years, arrived on an ASPCA transport plane at Worcester Regional Airport. They were greeted by our staff who brought them to the Almost Home facility in North Brookfield where the cats will get a check-up and receive any necessary veterinary care and complete their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine before they begin their search for a new home in Massachusetts.
Animal Relocation Director Wendy Hall, who was part of the team that welcomed the cats at the airport, said, “they appear in good health and will get checked over by our veterinary team prior to adoption. I expect these cats will find homes quickly.”
Second Chance founder and CEO Sheryl Blancato says that “as an ASPCA Emergency Placement Response Partner, we have been watching the storm and were expecting the call. We are so happy these cats are safe and sound, and soon they’ll begin new lives here in New England.”
Donations are being accepted to help with their care: secondchanceanimals.org/donate/ or checks can be mailed to Second Chance Animal Services, PO Box 136, East Brookfield, MA 01515.
For more information on adopting, visit Adopt a Pet.
UPDATE 9/7: We are happy to report that we all the beagles (from our recent rescue transport from the VA medical breeding facility) have found homes. Due to the volume of interest we received, we are unable to reply to everyone who completed an adoption survey, but they will be on file for 2 years for future adoptions.
If you are still interested in adopting please check out the other wonderful animals waiting for forever homes!
UPDATE 8/31: Over the weekend, the beagles were able to explore and experience many firsts. You can watch as two beagles roam freely outside on our Facebook page. Meanwhile, we were pouring over the hundreds of applications in search of interested adopters with the beagle experience these pups need and Monday, the adoption process began. Check out a few of the matches made. Notice the way the older beagle is looking at his new sibling:
UPDATE 8/25 6pm: Thank you for all the interest in giving one of these pups a home. At this time we have received far more adoption surveys than we have beagles. We will be reading each one and reaching out to adopters that best fit the special needs of these dogs. If you are still interested in adopting please check our website for all the other wonderful available animals, including other puppies!! https://www.secondchanceanimals.org/adoptable-dogs/
UPDATE 8/25: This morning all the beagles got a thorough check-up so we can make sure all their medical needs can be taken care of. As we suspected, they will all need to be spayed or neutered. A couple will need some additional minor medical care
UPDATE 8/24: The beagles arrived at our Almost Home transport facility yesterday around 4pm, just as much-needed rain arrived in North Brookfield. Danielle & Cheyanne brought them in two by two, to get them settled in for the night. They’ll spend the next 48 hours here, completing their state-mandated quarantine and will receive all needed medical care as they are prepared for adoption. All their lives, they’ve been known only by the tattoo on their ears. By the end of today, each will have a name to start their new life with.
8/23: Second Chance CEO and Founder Sheryl Blancato and transport facility staff member Danielle are currently en route to Second Chance’s Almost Home Transport facility with 20 beagles rescued from the Envigo RMS LLC in Cumberland, VA by the Humane Society of the United States.
The beagles will their state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and receive any needed medical care before they are available for adoption. Donations are gratefully accepted to help provide their medical care as they are prepared for adoption,
Mazeikeen was approximately 6 weeks old when she was found by a Good Samaritan in a cardboard box next to a dumpster. Her rescuer brought the sweet baby kitten to Second Chance Animals Services for help. When she arrived at Second Chance, she was cold, dehydrated, and listless. She was having seizure-like episodes due to severely low blood sugar.
Our doctors worked hard to get this little girl feeling better. They found that her dehydration and other symptoms were due to severe diarrhea that was caused by an infestation of internal parasites – roundworms. These worms were literally sucking the life out of the little 1.2-pound sweet girl. We hospitalized Mazeikeen in hopes of saving her. They needed to treat her worm infestation and diarrhea while upping her blood sugar and rehydrating her.
Loving technicians even took her home overnight to ensure that there was never a moment that she was left alone and without care. After three and a half days of supportive around the clock care, this little girl’s body just could not fight any more. The worms left her very sick despite all our efforts. In the end the Second Chance team had to say goodbye to this girl that they poured their hearts into over the last few days.
While we are devastated over the loss of sweet Mazeikeen, we want to make her story a learning opportunity.
It is never okay to dispose of an animal on the streets, in a box, a dumpster, etc. There are always resources to re-home animals of any age and condition and organizations like Second Chance can and will help!
Internal parasites (worms) may not seem like that big of a deal but can be detrimental to puppies/kittens and even adult animals in high volumes. It is always recommended to bring a fecal sample for parasite testing to each yearly wellness examination to ensure that your pet does not have a worm that may require further treatment. Puppies and kittens are at higher risks – not only can they pick up these parasites from their surroundings, but they can be passed from their mothers. It is always recommended to get puppies and kittens dewormed several times during their first few months of life to help treat these worms before they get out of control and cause serious health concerns. All Second Chance locations offer deworming at our low-cost vaccine clinics and during office visits at our full-service hospitals. Talk to your veterinarian about deworming your pet and testing a fecal sample to ensure your pet does not need treatment for parasites.
Dr. Jackie Celmer
Second Chance Animal Services Veterinarian
We need to get help quickly for this girl. Perla was surrendered through a local animal control officer (ACO). She has a badly fractured leg and the ACO has turned the 1 y/o over to Second Chance so she can get the help she needs. X-rays reveal a complicated fracture of both the tibia and fibula that cannot be repaired. She also has an open wound on her ankle. We kept her as comfortable as we could overnight. Today our vets hope to perform an amputation so we can get her on the road to recovery and her ‘second chance.’
Perla did great overnight. She is a very sweet, happy girl. She will likely be going to surgery within the next two hours or so. We will update you once she’s out of surgery.
We’re asking for help. With all the shelter pets we are seeing who need extensive medical care, we would greatly appreciate any help if you are able – your support will help Perla and pets like her get the urgent care they need.
