Hi Everyone,

My name is Finn. I am a rare, Egyptian hairless cat. When I came into AERCWH, I was in critical condition. My body temperature was very low, I had fluid in my lungs, and I couldn't feel or use by back leg. The staff at the Emergency Center recognized my problem very quickly and took immediate action to save my life. You see, I have an underlying heart condition known as cardiomyopathy. As a result of this condition I had a blood clot that was dislodged from the valve of my heart. That blood clot made it's way to my lower pelvis and caused me to lose feeling and circulation to my rear leg. Thank goodness my mom got me in right away so that the doctor's and staff could help me. Although most pets with this problem don't survive, I did. I am now under the care of a specialist and am doing very well.

Update: On 12/26/05 Finn lost his battle with Cardiomyopathy. Take a minute to visit Finn and others who have lost their battle on our Pet Memorial page.

My name is Beasley. My family brought me to the Animal Emergency & Referral Center of West Houston after I was hit by a car. After x-rays were taken to look for possible internal injuries, I was diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia ? this is a serious condition where abdominal contents such as stomach and liver end up in the chest cavity and can cause life threatening breathing problems. The staff acted quickly and performed surgery to repair my diaphragm. I stayed in the hospital for monitoring and recovery and have since healed well and am feeling great! Thank you to my caring family and the staff at the Animal Emergency & Referral Center of West Houston for taking care of me!

Anasarca is the term given to this birth defect. These three golden retriever puppies were stillborn as a result of this condition. They have generalized edema (fluid retension). No one is quiet sure why this happens but there may be an underlying cardiac condition. Most of these puppies have multiple birth defects. These puppies all had cleft palates (hard palate has not fused together).