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Friday, June 27, 2014

For all of you Amazon.com shoppers... Support the Ozzy Foundation by shopping through SmileAmazon (link below). You shop, as normal, and we get a donation! Not too shabby!!

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-0607327


posted by Ozzy at 12:38 PM

Ozzy Foundation gets grant from ASPCA
Friday, March 22, 2013

Ozzy Foundation is very pleased to share that we were awarded a $5000 grant from ASPCA. It is very exciting to be recognized by such a well-known and prestigious organization.


posted by Ozzy at 2:49 PM

New Beginnings
Sunday, August 26, 2012

By now, most of you know that Ozzy passed on March 28, 2012. Two weeks before he died, he decided to give us the gift of laughter by potty training himself! He also decided to wait until we were away in Europe to pass over the Rainbow Bridge. The morning I found out he was gone, we were on our way to Paris. Part of me was devastated that I couldn't be with him during his final days. My friends reminded me that perhaps this was on purpose. Maybe so. I miss him every day, but I'm also so thankful that I got more time with him than anyone would have predicted.

His feline sister, Gidget, is blossoming as the only cat in the house, although I'm sure she misses curling up with him on the foot of our bed.

Anyway, I am pretty sure that the puppy that recently came into our lives was sent by Ozzy. She is just as mischievous  as he was...just in canine form. Interestingly, "business" has picked up with the Ozzy Foundation and I have a feeling he is partly responsible for that as well...


posted by Ozzy at 4:45 PM

Taking it day by day
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Ozzy's last vet appointment did not go well. His BUN and creatinine levels were through the roof. Probably as bad as when he was first diagnosed. The concern of my vet had me really nervous. We decided to work on fattening Ozzy up and giving him fluids every day for a month before re-checking his levels. Tomorrow is the recheck. I am definitely worried. This recheck appointment comes on the heels of our losing our dog, Cooper, to bladder cancer. This is not an easy time...


posted by Ozzy at 12:09 AM

Making connections...
Friday, May 13, 2011

I really do have to get better with this blogging stuff. I did want to share something cool, however. On May 12, 2011, Keller Williams held its annual RED day, where KW offices around the nation take a day to do community service. The Whittier office decided to hold an adoption/information fair (nice choice!). They invited the Ozzy Foundation to be one of two organizations to benefit from the day's event. It was a wonderful day, mostly due to the awesome connections we made in the community. Two adorable dogs were adopted that day as well. I want to thank Paul and Carrie from Keller Williams for inviting Ozzy Foundation to participate and benefit from this great day and volunteer extraordinare, Moritz, for helping out at the end of the day.

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posted by Ozzy at 10:53 PM

Difficult decisions
Saturday, October 30, 2010

Two nights ago, I got a call from a woman that has been more than generous in her work to help homeless animals. She has been taking care of a colony of cats that lived in her backyard until one of the cats was found dead in a bag (I'm sure we all suspect foul play). She took them in to keep them safe. One of the cats has become her pet, although he is still rather wild. He had been struggling to go to the bathroom, evidenced by his grunting sounds (not normal sounds for a cat!). Finally, the woman was able to get him into a carrier and to the vet. The vet recommended he go to the emergency animal clinic for treatment for a suspected urinary tract blockage, which can be very dangerous and should not wait. She did so, and for the next two to three hours of phone conversations with this woman, the emergency animal clinic staff and board members of the Ozzy Foundation, we were told that treatment just for that night's care (if he had a blockage) would be around $2000. Then, he would have to go to a regular vet for follow up care for at least another 24 hours. ALSO, the vet tech said that if it were a blockage, the cat might be prone to others and would probably need a special diet and medications. This was one of the most difficult decisions both the woman and the Ozzy Foundation has had to make. The mission of the Ozzy Foundation is to assist people so that finances are not a significant factor to health care decisions for a pet. Quality of life, in a perfect world, should be the sole factor. However, at what point do you have to consider how many other animals' lives could be helped with that kind of money? Most of us would say, "well, I'll just put it on credit and work it off." But what if that is not an option?

I would love to hear opinions from others on this...

The good news is that after an thorough exam, it turns out this kitty was constipated (we've never been so excited about constipation in our lives!) and was treated for under $500. Tears of relief were shed by us all (including the wonderful vet tech who really helped us think this thing through) and the kitty went home, still slightly drugged up, but probably a LOT more comfortable!

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posted by Ozzy at 11:02 AM

Low Cost Vaccine & Microchip Clinic - Studio City, Oct. 23rd
Thursday, October 21, 2010

spcaLA is hosting a Low Cost Vaccine & Microchip Clinic and Pet Adoption at Moorpark Park in Studio City at the corner of Moorpark St. and Laurel Canyon Blvd. THIS SATURDAY, October 23rd. Making sure your pets are microchipped and up-to-date on vaccines helps to make them healthy and safe.


Low Cost Vaccine &Microchip Clinic: 9am-1pm
Pet Adoption: 10am-3pm

spcaLA will offer low-cost vaccines for cats and dogs, as well as microchips.
*Rabies vaccines for cats and dogs: $5
*Microchips for cats and dogs: $25
*FVRCP and Leukemia vaccines for cats: $15 each
*DHPP vaccines for dogs: $15
*Bordetella vaccines for dogs: $10

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posted by Ozzy at 9:52 PM

Legendary Bingo Night a SUCCESS!
Thursday, October 14, 2010

Legendary Bingo at Hamburger Mary's never gets old. It was cool that the first show also benefitted animals (Burbank Animal Shelter). Our celebrity ballcaller, Steve Blum (voice actor who works on a TON of animated shows AND commercials), did a fantastic job and even managed to majorly impress Bridget of Madison County, our drag queen hostess. The bottom line is that we were able to make over $1400 for families that need assistance with their pet's veterinary bills....and we had a blast doing it! Now, onto our other major fundraiser this month, Race for the Rescues. It's hard work, but there is no other hard work I'd rather be doing for animals!

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posted by Ozzy at 12:00 PM

Strategic Planning
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Although there is still much to do in 2010 (this month alone we have two major fundraisers!), the board of the Ozzy Foundation started brainstorming about some goals for 2011. One is to find on-going ways to raise money with little effort, such as increasing our enrollment in the Ralphs Rewards program, getting the Ozzy Foundation on the corporate contribution lists of companies that might employ people that would like to give to our cause, and grant submissions. We'd love to hear your ideas!! Post them to this blog or become a fan of our Facebook page and post your ideas there.

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posted by Ozzy at 11:41 PM

Need shots? spcaLA can help!
Friday, August 6, 2010

spcaLA is hosting a Low Cost Vaccine and Microchip Clinic at the South Bay Pet Adoption Center in Hawthorne at 12910 Yukon Ave. THIS SATURDAY, August 7th from 10am to 2pm. Making sure your pets are microchipped and up-to-date on vaccines helps to make them healthy and safe.

spcaLA will offer low-cost vaccines for cats and dogs, as well as microchips.

*Rabies vaccines for cats and dogs: $5
*Microchips for cats and dogs: $25
*FVRCP and Leukemia vaccines for cats: $15
*DHPP vaccines for dogs: $15
*Bordetella vaccines for dogs: $10

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posted by Ozzy at 3:38 PM

I rescued a human today.
Monday, August 2, 2010

[Source Unknown]

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel, I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.

A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

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posted by Ozzy at 12:08 PM

Summer plans for the Ozzy Foundation
Friday, May 21, 2010

Here we are! It's almost June!! It's been an incredibly rewarding 2010 thus far. We've had an art show, a raffle, and a major push to enroll Ozzy Foundation supporters in the Ralphs Rewards program.

We continue to welcome members into Ozzy's Family and are inspired by the people who are committed to taking such good care of their pets.

Ozzy has been doing remarkably well. His last bloodwork showed that his BUN and Creatinine levels are holding steady. However, his red blood cell count has been slowly declining. At some point, we will have to decide it's time to treat the low red blood cell count and I have been warned that at this point, the decline may accelerate...

I don't think I'm ready for that... then again, I didn't think I was ready to embark on this journey in the first place!

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posted by Ozzy at 10:51 PM

Ozzy Foundation Assists with End of Life Care
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Part of the mission of the Ozzy Foundation, aside from assisting people with vet bills for pets with chronic illness, is to assist people with end-of-life care for their pets. Today, the Ozzy Foundation is assisting with the costs for a peaceful passing of Coco. Coco, a 19 year old cat very well loved by her "person," will be missed. Coco has the distinction of being the first feline Ozzy Foundation family member, so she will not be forgotten. We send our warm thoughts to her mom and 14 year old kitty sibling.

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posted by Ozzy at 11:10 AM

Rest in Peace, Grace
Friday, January 15, 2010

We are so very sad to say goodbye to Grace, a very lucky dog cared for by Ozzy Foundation Advisory Board Member, Pam. Grace lived to be 19 years old, a true sign that she was given lots of love and attention. The Ozzy Foundation will keep Pam and the rest of her furry family in our thoughts.

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posted by Ozzy at 6:34 PM

Update on Pepe
Thursday, October 29, 2009

I received this email from Pepe's mama:

Hello there. Just to update you, Pepe is doing great. He is eating, walking, going to the bathroom, all on his own. The Doctor is very pleased with his progress. He says Pepe has a high spirit. I beleive so as well. His incredible will to live has brought him this far. He is an inspiration for all. He got his stitches out yesterday and will get his cast removed in 2 weeks. I'll keep you updated as we go on this journey. Thank you so much for caring.

October was a crazy busy month for the Ozzy Foundation (if you've been following the pace at which new Ozzy Family members have been added to the website, you know this!). The feeling of being able provide just a little comfort to families who are already stressed out about an ill pet is incredible.

Of course, all of this check writing can only mean one thing: We need to raise more money! So, please stay tuned for another Ozzy Foundation Bingo Night at Hamburger Mary's! We'll announce the date soon.

Ozzy is doing well. We haven't had a blood test in a few months, so we are definitely due. The last blood test, although good in terms of kidney function levels, indicated that we really need to keep an eye on his red blood cell count. I have been so enjoying his good health and loving his antics whenever it starts to get windy outside (he runs around the house like a maniac!). I want to extend that as long as possible...

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posted by Ozzy at 4:08 PM

Another successful Garage Sale
Sunday, August 23, 2009

Wow! That was a lot of work. However, we had A LOT of stellar volunteers to help and make it a fun day. Special thanks to: Madde (Ozzy's grandma) for her organizational and presentation talents, Chaz (Ozzy's dad) for providing the workers with lunch, Andy (our webmaster) for his super sales skills, and Stella, our newest volunteer extraordinare! Of course, a ton of gratitute goes to our fantastic board, Matt, Jenny, and Sheila, for their unwavering support. Lastly, thank yous go to Jules & Li Li for their unbridled excitement and Cooper & Dreyfus (both of the canine persuasion) for guarding the whole operation.

We raised a little over $400 in this garage sale. The proceeds will benefit animals that are dealing with a health crisis. To date, we have been able to help five dogs (about one a month), who are doing quite well, thanks to the loving care of their guardians.

I met an incredible woman named Kathleen at our garage sale (through Stella, who has known her for a while), who is quite linked in to the Whittier animal community. I think the Ozzy Foundation will be able to do some great things by collaborating with both Kathleen and Stella and their circle of people.

Although we will likely slow down a bit from now until the end of the year, we will take the time to celebrate an incredible 2009 and gear up for a productive 2010. If any of you out there have ideas about how we can make an even bigger impact in 2010, please contact us!

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posted by Ozzy at 8:32 PM

Charity Garage Sale - August 22, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009

Our last big hurrah for 2009 (unless we come up with some other wacky fundraising idea)!! Clean out your closets/garages! Our last charity garage sale was wildly successful and we are hoping that proceeds from this sale will get us through the year. Thus far in 2009, we have been able to assist five adorable pooches (photos of the two most recent coming...stay tuned!). Maybe we'll add a few felines to Ozzy's Family before the year's end!

Ozzy has been doing well. We had a little bit of a "road bump" last month when we were out of town for eight days and Ozzy was being rather difficult (to put it lightly) about letting the petsitter give him fluids. Thus, when we returned, Ozzman was not feeling very well and it took a good week of heavy fluids to get him back on track. I'm happy to report that he is back to his old mischievous self!


posted by Ozzy at 2:16 PM

This was a BIG MONTH!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009

I am so pleased to report that our February 28th Ozzy Foundation Garage Sale was a smashing success. Thanks to some great donated items from our supporters, we raised over $1000! Thank you to our fantastic board members, Jenny, Sheila and Matt (who even brought his hardworking mom in from Denver for the event!) for their hard work to make this event a success. Thanks also to Chaz for organizing a potluck on the side.

The other thing I wanted to share is that the Ozzy Foundation assisted its first "Ozzy Family" member, a one-year-old chihuaua mix named Cuddles. Cuddles is now home and recovering with her family. We will be posting a photo and more information about her story soon. Get well soon, Cuddles!

Now, on to future 2009 events. Stay tuned for the 2nd Annual Legendary Bingo Night at Hamburger Mary's (August), Macy's Shop for a Cure event (September) and Art Show Fundraiser (tentatively scheduled for early November).

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posted by Ozzy at 12:12 AM

Ozzy's Sixth Birthday - March 6th
Sunday, March 1, 2009

Hard to believe that Ozzy is going to be six in a few days. Only a year and a half ago, we learned of his diagnosis of kidney failure and had to figure out how to go from there. The most important lesson I have gained in the past year and a half is to appreciate every single healthy day that Ozzy has, even when he is getting into mischief (which is usually a good sign he is feeling well).

If anyone out there is brand new to this journey of caring for a chronically ill pet, know that you are not alone. My goal for 2009 is to get some resources posted on this website to help share some of the information we have learned along the way.

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posted by Ozzy at 9:44 PM

Charity Garage Sale a Success!

The Ozzy Foundation Charity Garage Sale took place on Saturday, February 28th. I am overwhelmed with the amount of support that we received. First, the members of the board of directors went above and beyond the call of duty with their hard work. Matt even dragged his visiting mom to help set up Friday and run the sale on Saturday! Jen & Sheila were invaluable, bringing family members to help out, too. Chaz did an amazing job feeding the troops!

One exciting part of this fundraiser was meeting neighbors who became new Ozzy Foundation supporters and connecting with neighbors who already are supporters. Thank you all for your donations and words of encouragement.

We were able to raise a good chunk of change in this fundraiser, which will allow us to help more pet guardians pay for vet bills. The great news is that our historic neighborhood's annual neighborhood garage sale will take place on March 28th! So any treasure that did not find a home this past Saturday will be available for sale at the end of this month (same place - 6202 Friends Avenue).

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posted by Ozzy at 9:23 PM

Just Checking In
Thursday, February 19, 2009

Ahh. It's been a long time since I last blogged...Let me update y'all.

Ozzy's been doing well. Hanging in there, really. I still get nervous when we go in for his lab tests (we're down to every four months at this point, since he's been doing so well). His last labs looked pretty good, kidney function-wise. He is holding steady just above normal. The thing we have to start watching, though, is his red blood cell count. If he gets too low with that, we'll have to think about injections. It's hard to think about subjecting him to one more thing, but I really have to just take it one step at a time or I'll make myself sick with worry.

Another thing that we are dealing with for the first time is traveling for a longer-than-three-days period of time. When we go away for a short trip, we can adjust Ozzy's fluid administrations so that he still gets what he needs for the week. This summer, we'll be going on a 10-day trip, which means we can't just let Ozzy go without fluids. This has added a layer of stress that already accompanies planning for a trip. My vet recommended a pet sitter that is comfortable with administering fluids.

She and I spoke on the phone and she sounds great. Our plan is to have an in-person meeting in the next month so that she can watch my routine with giving Ozzy his fluids, then another in-person meeting for her to try it out with me there. I thought this was going to cost an arm and a leg, but she is only charging $18 per visit! I am relieved to a point. I'll be more relieved when I see her able to give Ozzy fluids without getting her eyes scratched out (did I mention that Ozzy actually has a note in his vet chart that techs MUST take maximum precautions or risk serious injury?). I'll keep you updated.

On a wonderful note, the Ozzy Foundation now has an Advisory Board! I will blog in the next couple of days with descriptions of our Advisory Board members (they are super-cool).

Be Well, Everyone.

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posted by Ozzy at 6:46 PM

Saturday, September 27, 2008

















Here are some photos of the Legendary Bingo Night at Hamburger Mary's. Please join us next year (if we can wait that long!) when we have this great event again.

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posted by Ozzy at 3:45 PM

Bingo Night a Raging Success!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your support! Our first major fundraiser, Legendary Bingo Night at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood, was a wonderful success and a lot of fun.

It was rather nerve-wracking to be hosting our first fundraiser...what if no one came? What if we didn't make any money to justify the hours of work we put into coordinating and cashing in favors to get fantastic prizes? I dragged (no pun intended - we were at Hamburger Mary's!) my husband to the first show (they have a 7pm and 9pm show and we were scheduled for the second show of the night) so that I could get a feel for what happened during Bingo Night. I figured it would help me relax and enjoy our show. I was having a blast the moment we sat down with bingo cards and dobbers in hand.

By the final bingo game of the first show (benefitting PAWS LA - an AWESOME organization), I realized that the line of people waiting for our show was out the door and around the building! I saw the faces of friends and supporters (what would I do without you?), but also of people who were just showing up for their weekly night of bingo. I decided to schmooze a little and introduce myself to people that were showing up without necessarily knowing about the Ozzy Foundation and everyone seemed very supportive of what we are trying to do.

Bingo was hilarious...One of our board members brought her unsuspecting parents to the event and her dad won a bingo game! I think some of us in the younger crowd were more shocked at the "goings on" of the night than Mom & Dad were!

The first exciting moment was when the ball-callers (Jeffery, Bingo Boy) and the guest ball-callers saw our prizes and commented that they were the best they had seen in their years doing Legendary Bingo. The winners seemed excited to get their prizes, especially the man who won the basket containing a certificate for "Spanking Lessons" from the Pleasure Chest!

Before I go, I wanted to publicly thank the most amazing, talented, kind and creative board of directors I have EVER served with. Jenny, Sheila, Matt...I will never forget how hard you worked to make this a success and I am so honored to be working on ANYTHING with you guys! Also, thank you so much to Chaz, Andy, and all of the wonderful supporters who came out on a Wednesday night, including some of the donors of our great prizes!

Until the next blog...


posted by Ozzy at 3:16 PM

Welcome to www.ozzyfoundation.org
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

I'm rather new to the blogging world, so I have to get used to posting on a semi-regular basis. I'm sure these first posts will be sporadic and rambling, but I'll do my best to get into a rhythm of sorts and perhaps even share some useful information!

I suppose it makes the most sense to begin with an Ozzy update. I am thrilled to report that Ozzy has been doing really well. His blood tests from 2.5 months ago were approaching the normal range. For those new to this kidney business, there are two main levels we must keep our eye on to check how Ozzy's kidneys are functioning: BUN and creatinine. When Ozz was first diagnosed, both levels were sky-high. As we experimented with amounts of fluids, they would flip flop a bit: one would rise, the other would fall. Now both are finally evening out a bit. The other thing we've had to keep our eye on is his blood pressure. It's common for a pet with kidney failure to have high blood pressure, I'm told, so he's on blood pressure medication once a day, too.

So how are we doing with all of this? There are some nights when the last thing we want to do is try to first catch Ozzy (we've gotten to the point where we can't say certain words around him such as "fluids," "juice," or even "Ozzy" - especially after it's dark out because he knows that we do his fluids at night). Even after nearly two years of practice, sometimes the needle goes in just right and other nights it seems to take forever for those 200 ccs to flow. Then there are the times (warning for the faint hearted, I get more graphic here) when the needle seems to go through one layer or skin and out the other and I don't know it's done that until fluid starts pouring out of Ozzy... I get frustrated sometimes that we have to think about this fluid business 5 nights a week.

Of course, I'd rather have to think about the fluids than deal with the alternative - not having Ozzy around. I was reminded of that just a couple of months ago when Ozzy managed to escape through an improperly locked window. He got out sometime during the night or in the early morning and we couldn't find him all day. After hours of pounding the pavement calling his name, about 50 Lost Cat signs hung around the neighborhood and numerous phone calls from concerned family members and friends who were trying to keep me from going into a full panic, Ozzy finally returned home around 11:30pm that night, dirty and hungry, but alive.

All I kept thinking that day was, "this is NOT how Ozzy's story ends! After all of this energy, heartache, and let's be honest, MONEY, I am not going to lose my beloved Ozzy by - well - LOSING him!" When he returned, I was so thankful to have to think about going to the vet to get more saline and giving Ozzy his "juice." When I get cranky about having to go through our routine after a long day, I remind myself of those 12+ hours when I thought he was gone, and I tell myself to "suck it up." I'm not the one with a needle in my back for 15-20 minutes almost every day!

Alright, changing subjects for a moment. I just wanted to publicly (not sure how many people will actually read my blog, so this might not be as "public" as I would have hoped) thank (picture me doing the Wayne's World "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy" thing) Andy Levine, the creator of our website. Andy has so graciously donated him time and talents and put up with my tons of emails (e.g. "Uh, what is my 'operating system' again?") to create the coolest, most wonderful website I have ever seen (Okay, I'm a bit biased)...Andy, your support means so much to me. His wife, Sheila, who is a board member is equally wonderful for everything she is doing to help us get ready for our first fundraiser...

SPEAKING OF...PLEASE come join us at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood for Legendary Bingo on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 9pm! A $20 donation at the door gets you bingo cards and the prizes are fantastic (e.g., $100 gift card to Sushi Roku!). If you want to get double the bingo cards, sign up for Bingo Boy's Legendary Bingo list at www.legendarybingo.com. We hope to see you there.

Until the next posting...


posted by Ozzy at 7:47 PM

the adventure of ozzy
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

We noticed that Ozzy had lost a good amount of weight, but figured it was a result of the diet he was forced to go on since his sister, Gidget, had to lose some weight. When he started acting strange, not wanting to be around us, we decided to take him in to see the vet and find out what was going on. They took a blood sample and we were expecting that the worst case scenario would be a thyroid problem and that he would have to take a pill every day for the rest of his long life. When we received the news that his blood work indicated a kidney problem, I immediately brought him to the vet for more tests and the day began a very long, painful weekend of not knowing what would happen next or if we would have our Ozzy much longer...

Ozzy was rescued as an 8 week old kitten from a Los Angeles rescue. We knew we wanted to adopt a black kitten, to make a statement against all of the superstitions people still seem to have about black cats, even in this day and age. The rescue staff led us back to a cage that contained the only two black kittens they had at the time. We knew right off that one of the kittens was special – he looked smart! Ozzy came home with us and after a day, ran the house! He certainly was a special cat from a young age. He learned how to fetch, came to us when called, and welcomed visitors (not “typical” cat behavior, I’d say).

When we learned last Fall that Ozzy had abnormally-shaped kidneys and was probably born that way, we were told that with 24-hour care for a few days, consisting of constant saline drip to flush out his kidneys and a special diet, he had a 50% chance of improving kidney function enough to survive. Those three days were the longest of my life. I didn’t know if we’d be making preparations to care for him at home or if we’d be making a decision to let Ozzy go.

After a very stressful and expensive three days, Ozzy was responding well to the treatment and I was asked to attend a training to show me how to administer saline necessary to keep Ozzy as healthy as possible – this consisted of pinching the skin on his back into a “tent shape” and inserting a needle (a thick needle!) attached to a bag of saline. Not only did I have to get the needle in, I had to figure out how to get it to stay there for the 15-20 minutes it took to give him enough saline for the day. By the way, how much was enough?

My husband and I were committed to doing whatever it took to provide Ozzy with a good quality of life, but there were times we thought we just were not going to be able to do it. Once he gained some of his strength back, Ozzy fought the needle. It was during these times that working with Dr. Rattan to find solutions to the challenges we were having was a true gift. He suggested using a muzzle to calm Ozzy down. The muzzle did wonders. When we put it on him, he instantly calmed down, knowing it was time for “business.” The other major challenge was figuring out how much saline was enough. We brought Ozzy in for a blood draw to check his levels every month to six weeks and at one scary point when his kidney function seemed to decline significantly, we learned that daily saline was necessary to keep him going. Other suggestions that Dr. Rattan helped us with was that we could give Ozzy boiled plain chicken and whole lactose-free milk to help Ozzy gain some weight.

Maintaining Ozzy’s health is a delicate balancing act. It takes the dedication and courage of everyone involved to figure out what it takes to keep him feeling as well as he can. At times, it requires honest conversations about the quality of his life and under what circumstances we should consider letting him go. It is so important that the veterinarian not only communicate with the pet’s guardian, but that he or she also listen – We are so fortunate that Dr. Rattan has done both with respect and compassion.

This experience has been such an adventure, at times heart wrenching, at times celebratory, that I have established a non-profit organization, “the ozzy foundation” (of course), that will support pet guardians financially and with social support, when their pet is diagnosed with a chronic illness. It is our hope that we can share with others the journey we are going through, to let people going through something similar know that however scary caring for a chronically ill pet might be, every moment of health, every nuzzle or purr is so worth the trials and tribulations of learning how to care for your furry loved one. Ozzy has taught us so many lessons and I appreciate the opportunity to share them with others.

Our website will be up as soon as the wonderful people who have volunteered their talent can construct it: http://www.ozzyfoundation.org/. Come visit us in Spring 2008!


posted by Ozzy at 9:35 AM

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