You might say Diesel was “accident prone.” The pooch was thirsty all the time and had bathroom slip-ups indoors. Once he arrived at the Connecticut Humane Society, the medical team immediately addressed his extreme thirst and frequent bathroom breaks (along with scabs on his ears and a painful eye condition). Staff veterinarians partnered with a local specialist in internal medicine for an extensive diagnostic workup and medication trials, discovering together that Diesel had a rare disease affecting his kidneys— nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Diesel spent eight months in the care of CHS’ veterinary team and the specialist until the right medication and dosage stabilized his condition. Diesel got the treatment he needed, and today he has a home with someone who can’t get enough of this happy little guy!

So then there was the cat who simply couldn’t eat. Anything Ella ate came back up again. The 3-month-old kitten had a possible dilation in the cranial esophagus indicating megaesophagus and a persistent right aortic arch, and needed a left lateral thoracotomy and to have her ligamentum arteriosum transected. Woah. The scary and complicated diagnosis didn’t allow the kitty’s esophagus to easily pass food into her stomach…everything got stuck until she vomited. A local board-certified specialist performed surgery to repair the defect. She came back to the Connecticut Humane Society the next day to continue her medical care, and impressed everyone by eating like a champ. Pretty soon, you’d never know anything had been wrong. And, most importantly, she ate happily. Today, she’s in her new home!

Bouncy, playful, energetic X 100. Axel was your typical puppy, right? Someone who’d be in and out of the Connecticut Humane Society pretty quickly. But Axel started having “strange episodes.” Out of nowhere, he’d walk in circles, then not use his back legs. Or, he’d fall over. Did the scruffy pup have a serious disease? Or seizures? Was Axel contagious? CHS’ veterinary team worked to find a diagnosis, and even partnered with a local neurologist, which led to Axel receiving the first MRI ever performed on a CHS pet. Everyone agreed Axel was indeed having seizures and concentrated on finding the right medication regimen. When he was much more stable, Axel went to a foster home with seizure experience. Before long, they knew he was officially home and adopted him.

Shadow needed detective work. The 14-pound pup couldn’t bark, or eat on his own, or really open his mouth at all. He’d arrived at the Connecticut Humane Society after surviving on milk and soft food fed by hand. The veterinary department performed multiple exams, x-rays, blood tests and antibody tests, and had a sneaking suspicion an autoimmune disorder was to blame. It’s called masticatory muscle myositis, and it causes the body to attack its own muscle tissue. Soon, a test confirmed it, and Shadow started on medication. After four months of care, Shadow was ready for adoption, eating on his own and even barking when excited. He’d become a lap dog, and he found a family who was looking for a small dog they could cuddle!