When we rescued Otis, we weren’t sure if he’d make it. He’d been brought to the city shelter in critical condition by a Good Samaritan who’d seen him get hit by a car, and needed immediate medical attention to survive. We rushed him to our Grays Ferry clinic as soon as we learned about his situation, and quickly began working to assess his injuries.

Otis was dazed, covered in wounds, and unable to use his back leg. We ran x-rays and ultrasounds after stabilizing him with fluids, and found that while his leg was beyond saving due to a severe break, he thankfully appeared to have no internal bleeding or organ damage. He spent the evening at Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center for overnight care and monitoring, and gave us hope that he was out of the woods when he remained stable after returning to PAWS.

As soon as it was safe for Otis to undergo surgery, he had his leg removed to prevent it from causing him any further pain. Our foster team already had a home lined up for his recovery, and his foster parents were waiting by their car to take him as soon as he woke up. Now Otis is safe, loved, and healing every day. One week later, foster mom Taylor says he’s “already adjusting to tripod life and is our little shadow!”

We were able to act quickly for Otis thanks to supporters like you — and we’ll continue to do so as long as they need us.