06/06/2026
Extraordinary Effort funding #2
Truth be told not rehabbing sucks and I’m having a hard time with it. But what doesn’t suck is the opportunity to provide help to other people still fighting the good fight against extraordinary odds.
Meet Laci. About 3 weeks ago I got a call from a Rehabber, late late evening asking for advice on a Hbc female that she just got. After getting the video the odds were grim. Helping over video wasn’t going to work. She was roughly two hours away and so at 10:30pm I got out of my pjs and hit the road to get a hands-on look and see if I could help until her vet was available 3 days later.
I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw her my first thought was, “no way”. Pain management was the highest priority. Doing injury inventory her teeth were knocked out, I assumed the jaw was fractured and the front right leg wasn’t weight-bearing but could move. She was already having agonal breaths as her lungs were no doubt flooding with blood. Luckily I had brought everything but the kitchen sink including my oxygen set up. By the time she was done with immediate triage, 3 ish hours had gone by and I crashed into a coma-like sleep on the couch. My new rehab friend had to work the next day, so I stayed and kept watch. Laci was a hot mess but she was a fighter. She readily ate Critical Care from a syringe. Just surviving the night was a miracle. But she did so much more than surviving, at one point she squirted out of my grip and hobbled all over me, having already determined I was friend-shaped, she was completely at ease despite the pain she was clearly still in.
Once the Rehabber was back I told her what I’d do for continuing care, kissed sweet Laci goodbye and told the Rehabber to call me from the vet if Laci survived and I’d cover what she couldn’t. 3 days and $335 vet bill later, the injuries were… substantial. The important thing was the injuries, with appropriate care were survivable.
Because someone cared enough to stop.
Because a rehabber wasn’t too proud to ask for help
Because Secret Squirrel Society continues to get your support
Laci is on the long road to recovery
Thank you for trusting me to continue the fight, in a new but important way.
Becky