Dr. Kim West

From an abandoned, abused baby who was left at a bus stop with two broken ankles to Super Star–such is the path a rescue dog can take. And this is the journey that Fruit Bat West traversed to begin her acting career this March in the Grandview Heights High School production of Legally Blonde, The Musical!

In case you don’t know Fruit Bat’s sorrowful story, you can read it HERE and see photos of her in her little leg casts.

But just a quick summary. Fruit Bat was found off of West Broad Street several years ago with both back ankles fractured so that she was unable to move. She laid immobilized for hours until a kind good samaritan from Colony Cats took her to Dr. Kim West. Dr. West saved her life and christened her with her quirkily appropriate name–Fruit Bat, because she did look like a Fruit Bat (and Dr. West had been naming rescue cats over several months following the alphabet and had reached “F” in her naming schedule).

The rest of Fruit Bat’s story unfolded like a tear jerker Hollywood movie. Dr. West adopted her. She healed. She went from homeless and helpless in the blink of an eye.

Now loved and spoiled in the West household and the reigning Queen, along with her sister, Tupelo, at her mom’s vet clinic, Health and Harmony Animal Hospital, Fruit Bat had a fairy tale ending–something all rescue pups dream of finding.

Even when she was broken and homeless, however, this sweet chihuahua had star quality. She always seemed to be smiling and happy. She never lost hope.

Fruit Bat’s celebrity personality is apparent to everyone and she will soon be the star attraction in Legally Blonde, The Musical! playing the role of Bruiser, Elle’s beloved canine friend in the law school comedy.

Legally Blonde, The Musical! will be performed on Thursday, March 7 at 8 pm, Friday, March 8 at 8 pm, and Saturday, March 9 at 2 pm and 8 pm. Tickets are $8 or $10, depending on the location in the auditorium.

Pick a day and come see this plucky pup perform!

Fruit Bat is even included in the cast list. Look for her name beside Bruiser’s character on the cast list HERE.

For more information on the show dates and times, go HERE.  Grandview Heights High School is located at 1587 West Third Avenue in Grandview Heights.

Fruit Bat will also be having a red carpet event…to be announced by her proud stage mom.

We would wish Fruit Bat the normal theater congrats on her opening night: “Break a leg.” But in this case, knowing her history, we don’t think that is appropriate. Instead we will tell her to have a “doggone” good time and show everyone the power of rescue and of love.

Please join Health and Harmony Animal Hospital on Saturday, March 23, for an Open House from 11 am to 2 pm. You can meet with local vendors, rescues, and businesses while touring the facility and enjoying light refreshments.

Leashed pets are welcome for the tour, as well.

Meet our wonderful board member, friend, and veterinarian, Dr. Kim West, and her lovely staff, including Dr. Evelyn Tannhof, office manager, Rob Smith, vet tech, Mandy Bible, and the lady who keeps everything running smoothly, Allyson Storts.

We know you will love them all as much as we do.

More details as we get closer to the event, but please mark your calendars and join us at Health and Harmony on March 23.

Health and Harmony is located at 1117 West 1st Avenue in Grandview. For more information or to schedule an appointment (they are accepting new patients), call 614-360-3941.

We are so happy to announce that our good friend, veterinarian, and board member, Dr. Kim West, will be opening her own vet hospital, Health and Harmony, on October 15. Dr. West will be assisted by fellow friend and veterinarian, Dr. Evelyn Tannhof, and head technician/practice manager, Rob Smith, in caring for the beloved animals that enter the hospital.

Health and Harmony is located at 1117 West First Avenue in Columbus (actually Grandview).

The mission statement of Health and Harmony states: “To honor our patients, Health and Harmony Animal Hospital ensures that each client is confident in the care they are receiving for their animal companion, comfortable with all aspects of the hospital and staff, as well as engaged in all areas of their pet’s health and well-being.”

The Black and Orange Board members all had a tour of the facility at our last board meeting in September and the hospital is going to be gorgeous. Painted in calming colors, the whole building exudes peace and tranquility. There will be separate waiting areas for cats and dogs. The dog waiting area will feature large comfy dog beds for lounging. Both Dr. West and Dr. Tannhof will be bringing their dogs to work with them, so expect to see the friendly faces of Fruit Bat (the chihuahua who was saved from a spot at a busy bus stop where she sat all day with a broken ankle) and her partner in crime, Tupelo Honey, the fluffy, fierce diva Pomeranian.

There is also a true isolation room in the hospital with the walls lined with a material that can be scrubbed and sanitized. I have never seen anything like this room. Clearly cutting edge!

Dr. West will be offering her acupuncture talents for those animals who need this service. Additionally (and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this), both Dr. West and Dr. Tannhof have officially decided that they will NOT do any declaw surgeries! Declawing is a very painful and inhumane surgery and Dr. West and I have talked about the problems declawed cats face for many years. Black and Orange does not adopt to anyone who plans to declaw and Dr. West decided that, as a vet, she could not continue to do something that she thinks is unnecessary and even harmful to cats.

However, like Black and Orange, Dr. West plans to educate people about declawing and offer alternatives. The staff at Health and Harmony will trim nails and attach Soft Paws (the soft sheathes that fit over nails to prevent cats from doing damage with their nails) for clients who are worried about their cat’s scratching behaviors.

To read more about declawing and find alternatives yourself, go HERE.

We are also happy to announce that one of the cat exam rooms will be named after and dedicated to Black and Orange Cat Foundation! Our logo will be painted on the door and we will feature photos of our rescued kitties and their happy stories on the walls of the room. Other rescue groups, including SOS of Ohio, will also be featured with the other exam rooms in the hospital.

To schedule an appointment at Health and Harmony, call 614-360-3941.

To find out more and see photos of the beautiful facility, go to the Health and Harmony Facebook page HERE. And please “Like” them while you are there!

We are so happy for Dr. West and wish her and all the staff much luck as they set forth on this new and exciting endeavor!

Our beloved vet friend, Dr. Kim West, has been volunteering at the Humane Society of Delaware County learning new spay and neuter techniques and assisting Dr. Melanie deHaan from SOS of Ohio, who also volunteers at the shelter. Dr. West has seen a lot of things since she’s been going up to the shelter over the past few months. The most heart breaking, by far, however, was the cat that came in on December 22 with an arrow through her body.

Dr. West did emergency surgery to remove the arrow. She called OSU to get assistance as she performed the delicate procedure. The metal arrow was completely through the cat’s body. Not only that, but Dr. West said it had been there for at least a week. It was an old injury. The poor cat had somehow been surviving with it in her body.

Because she was worried about infection, Dr. West took the kitty home with her to recover. The one-year-old tiger, tabby female was named “Sparrow,” because she was “spared the arrow.” She is now doing very well and Dr. West thinks she can be adopted into her forever home.

I cannot understand how anyone could do this to a cat or any defenseless animal. Dr. West said it was not an accident, but appeared to have been done intentionally. It truly makes me sick to my stomach.

When I searched for the 10TV news stories about Dr. West’s kitty online, I found several disturbing stories about cats being shot with arrows in Crawford County. A cat was found on Christmas Eve with an arrow through the head. She also is expected to live. There have been five such cases in the Galion area since July. You can read the full story HERE.

A teenage boy has since been identified for shooting the cat in the head and will face charges of animal cruelty. You can read that HERE and HERE.

Sparrow’s assailant is still out there, however, and no charges have been filed in her case.

Miss Sparrow continues to make a full recovery at home with Dr. West. If you are interested in adopting Sparrow, please contact us or go ahead and fill out one of our adoption applications on our web site, www.bandocats.org under “How you can help” and “Adopt.” Once you have been approved, we’ll put you in contact with Dr. West so you can meet lovely, little Sparrow, who is super, super sweet (and young). This kitty will be going to a forever home where she will never, ever be in danger again! You can count on that.

Watch the video of Dr. West on 10TV HERE.

Read the 10TV follow up story HERE.

On Friday, September 2, our good friend and fellow rescuer, Dr. Kim West, was on her way to the Franklin County Dog Shelter to pull a little chihuahua mix who was slated to be euthanized due to dental disease (Dr. West said the 8-year-old girl only has four teeth left). Ever since rescuing Fruit Bat last year, the chihuahua with the fractured ankles who was left at a bus stop all day until a kind volunteer from Colony Cats rescued her, Dr. West has been a huge advocate for small dogs–finding fosters and homes for them when they are on the brink of euthanasia.

Driving along interstate 70 East on her way to the shelter, Dr. West suddenly saw a dog fly through the air and land on the highway. Dr. West was not directly behind the truck, so she did not see exactly what happened. She only saw an airborne dog and, of course, pulled over to help. A man driving behind the truck stopped, as well. From what he told Dr. West, there were two dogs (one was the husky) riding in an open truck bed. Cars on I-70 typically drive in the 70-75 mile per hour range and this truck was also going that fast. The dogs were trying to balance themselves to keep from falling out. Unfortunately, a semi passed the truck and created a huge gust of wind which caught the husky and threw her over the side.

The truck did not slow down and Dr. West said she doesn’t even know if the people realized the husky was gone. The truck did not return, either. In the panic to rescue the dog, no one got the license number of the truck. I can only imagine how traumatized the other dog must have been when the husky suddenly disappeared.

Several people have asked me if the dog was purposely thrown from the truck by a cruel human. From the account Dr. West was given, it appears that this was just an accident, but obviously one that could have been prevented. Who lets their dogs ride in the back of an open vehicle on the highway when cars are going so, so fast? Unfortunately, it used to be common practice to allow humans to do the same until the dangers of this mode of travel were finally taken into account and it was out-lawed (my husband and I both remember riding in the backs of pick-up trucks as kids). The same type of law needs to be passed for any animal riding freely in the back of an open vehicle. The habit should be banned.

Dr. West said that the way the husky fell out of the truck, she landed squarely on her right front leg and, in essence, amputated the leg herself. Luckily, veins and arteries were only stretched and not completely broken, so the bleeding was not as profuse as it might have been. The leg was dangling, but still attached.

Several concerned people stopped to help the dog and Dr. West said she was worried that one of them was also going to be hit by speeding cars. Her main goal was getting the dog into her car and to OSU Vet Hospital. She said it never even entered her mind to call 911 and get a police officer there to help keep the people safe. She was so focused on the husky that she just went into “save” mode.

Dr. West was on the opposite side of the concrete barrier that separates the highway from the husky. She had to have several people help her lift the husky over the tall barrier so she could get her to her car. This dog was so nice that she allowed them to do all of this to her even while in so much pain. Other dogs might have snapped or growled, because of the trauma, but this sweet girl let them carry her and lift her to safety.

Dr. West said another little girl helped her carry the husky to Dr. West’s waiting Subaru. The poor girl’s pants were loose and kept falling down. She wanted to stop and pull her pants up, but Dr. West said they didn’t have time for that and no one would know who she was anyway. So together they carried the 80 pound husky, with the poor girl mooning most of the drivers on I-70!

After placing the husky in the rear of Dr. West’s hatchback, Dr. West was horrified when the dog leaped into the back seat, leg dangling. The poor dog just wanted to be closer to Dr. West, who reached back and petted her on the ride to the hospital.

Arriving at OSU, Dr. West said the emergency room vet asked what she wanted them to do for the husky. Dr. West shouted, “Save her, of course.” When a good samaritan finds an animal that is that badly injured, most of them do not agree to pay any amount to help the animal recover. The emergency room vet was not used to hearing that. But he obviously did not know Dr. West.

After hearing her impassioned announcement, the startled man said, “Well, then that’s what we will do.”

The husky went in for immediate surgery to have her leg amputated. Dr. West returned home covered in blood, her car also covered in blood, to await the news from OSU.

The very lucky canine made it through the surgery with flying colors. She is a young dog, only about a year old, and very resilient. When Dr. West visited her Saturday night, she was already eating, playing, and even walking on three legs. Yes, you read that right. The now three-legged dog was already up and walking.

I am always so amazed by how quickly animals recover from major traumas. Dr. West is supposed to check on her today, Monday, to see if she can be released from OSU. I have not heard yet if Dr. West has found someone to foster her.

Once the dog was safe, Dr. West was able to think about other things with the husky. She and friends chose the name Bowie for the husky girl. The dog has two different colored eyes like David Bowie. She was wearing a collar, but there was no identification attached and she was not microchipped. Additionally, Dr. West called Franklin County Animal Shelter and checked Pet FBI to see if anyone was missing the husky, but nothing had been reported.

The surgery to help Bowie is probably going to cost about $3,000. That is where we come in. Dr. West has always been our good friend and veterinarian, so we’ve always jumped on board to help her with the rescues who find her. Last year, we helped raise money for Fruit Bat. So this time, we, of course, said we’d help her with Bowie.

If you can make a donation toward Bowie’s surgery, please visit our home page, www.bandocats.org and click on our PayPal button to donate with a credit card. If you donate this way, please just send me an email at bandocats@columbus.rr.com to tell me the donation is for Bowie the husky. Unfortunately, our PayPal donation page does not have a place to put notes about donations.

If you’d prefer not to have fees taken out of your donation through PayPal, you can instead mail a check or money order to Black and Orange Cat Foundation, P. O. Box 126, Plain City, Ohio 43064.

I will keep everyone updated on our fundraising progress and on Bowie on the Black and Orange Cat Foundation Facebook Fan page, which you can access HERE.

At this point, we have raised almost $900 towards this sweet baby’s vet bills.

Just as a postscript in case any of you were worried, Dr. West did go to the shelter yesterday and took the little chihuahua mix to safety. After she saved the husky on Friday, she called Franklin County to tell them she would be delayed and they agreed to hold the little girl until Dr. West could arrive to get her. So an additional happy ending attached to the happy ending of Bowie.

 

A few weeks ago, Kristin, one of our super volunteers (she fosters, fundraises, attends adoption events, and cleans at PetSmart–yes, she does just about everything) emailed me and asked if I could send her some very specific photos. She wanted pictures of me, Christina, Bobbie, and Carol, as well as of some of our rescued kitties. It was a bit hard finding photos of me, since I am usually the one behind the camera, but I finally found one where I was donning a Santa hat at our Santa photo event. Because it was so difficult to find pictures of me and the other Team Bando members, Kristin decided it would be her mission in the coming year to take lots of photos at our events.

I was wondering just what Kristin was up to requesting those photos.

This past Thursday, I found out.

Carol and I were doing our usual cleaning session at PetSmart and Kristin had left a box for us in our cupboard in the cat room. Opening the box, we found three wrapped packages for me, Bobbie, and Carol. Inside was a gorgeous book called, “Black and Orange Cat Foundation–Rescued!” that Kristin had personally made for each of us. The book was dedicated to us and Christina “with love and dedication” from Kristin and it features many, many of the cats we have helped over the years.

Kristin not only immortalized the B and O kitties, but also many of our friends in rescue, including Brian, Dr. Kim West, and Santa Chuck. The photos at the very bottom of this posting show Dr. West looking at her and Fruit Bat’s pages in the book for the first time.

Kristin also dedicated a page to Carol and Chuck and the kitties they lost in the house fire last August. Of course, that made Carol cry. But this was a very sweet housewarming present for the Gauls who are finally back home. They moved into their newly built home, which stands where the old house was, on Friday, April 15–nearly 8 and 1/2 months after the fire.

I have to thank Kristin, not only for what she does for Black and Orange on a daily basis, but also for this really thoughtful and lovely gift. A lot of time, effort, and love went into this and we are so glad to have her working for Team Bando.

 

We are not sure what kind of animal ripped into poor Sir White Wiskeys. Whatever it was, however, chewed him up pretty good. When our friend Betty wrote me that she had another kitty in need (Sir White Wiskeys came from the same neighborhood as Brian’s sweet Leo Albert), I told her to get him to Noah’s Ark as soon as she could. She said the cat was bloody and leaking a lot of pus. Betty had only seen the cat a few times before he showed up with wounds to his neck and the side of his face. She was worried that her sister’s Husky, a known cat killer, had attacked the seriously injured cat.

At Noah’s Ark, Dr. West put Sir White Wiskeys (he received his name because he was such a gentleman and had gorgeous white whiskers) out so she could clean up his injuries and neuter him at the same time. She had thought the wound would require a drain tube, but with a great deal of cleaning and flushing, the drain tube was deemed unnecessary. Dr. West was not sure what had caused the abscess and bite on Sir White Wiskeys. It could have been the Husky, although she was not sure if the cat would have survived that. It also might have been a raccoon or another cat. Happily, this gentle boy tested negative. We had been quite worried about that since he had been wandering the streets where Leo Albert had come from; our Leo Albert who tested positive for feline leukemia. 

Sir White Wiskeys, it turned out, was a very nice cat–too nice to be returned to a place where he might end up even more seriously injured or dead in the future. So now this big guy (he weighs over 12 pounds and that is even after Betty told us she thought he’d lost weight during this ordeal) is recuperating with Carol. As soon as he is feeling better, we’ll post him for adoption. We know this sweetheart of a cat will find a safe, forever home very quickly.

We’ll keep you updated on our handsome Sir White Wiskeys. He is a talker, a lover, and a survivor.

I had a call from Dr. West at Noah’s Ark at the beginning of the week. A good friend, Tara, had brought a 12-week-old kitten to her that had been hit by a car and had damage to her face and mouth. Tara was horrified (as were Dr. West and I when we heard this) when people who saw the tiny kitten asked Tara if she wanted them to take the injured baby out in the country and shoot her. As Dr. West said, “There will be no shooting of any cats!”

Dr. West has been naming all of the B and O kitties (and even Fruit Bat) that come to her following the alphabet. We were now up to “H,” so Dr. West decided on a Native American name for this little girl. She chose Hok’ee, which means “abandoned” in Navajo. We also decided that since we were approaching Thanksgiving, we needed to honor the Native Americans who lost out when the white folks took over their land. Little Hok’ee is our Native American honoree kitty–a symbol for what we are thankful for all year long–saving innocent lives.

Little Hok’ee had been hit in the mouth by a blunt object that broke several teeth. She will be visiting our dental vet, Dr. Tom Klein, at East Hilliard Veterinary Services to have her mouth fixed. Hok’ee is the fourth kitty to visit Dr. Klein this year after Naomi, Bean Bag, and Oliver. We love Dr. Klein and so do the kitties he has helped.

Little Hok’ee is doing well after the horrors she has been through. Dr. West did her normal test to determine if euthanasia could be considered–was the kitten eating and purring? Yes, she was! Well, by Dr. West’s rules, no cat will ever be “put to sleep” if it is purring and wants to eat. That is the Dr. West anti-euthanasia test. It works every time! Bean Bag passed. Any cat with a giant will to live will pass. Hok’ee did, too. Even with her hurt mouth, she wanted to eat. Dr. West said she is a little piglet.

Hok’ee has tested negative for feline leukemia/FIV. Dr. West started routine vet care and this sweet girl is loving all the attention. We will keep you updated on her progress. Dr. West has kindly agreed to pay all her bills at Noah’s Ark, but we plan to collect donations to pay for her surgeries with Dr. Klein. Dr. Klein always tries to help us out and keep his prices low, however.

Once she is recovered, Hok’ee will also be looking for a forever home, so please keep her in mind. For now, she will be snuggling with her stuffed pig, eating as much as her belly will hold, and thanking her angels for giving her such a good, good life.

 Fruit Bat with her new mom. Fruit Bat was a bit distracted–there were kittens (hurrah, kittens!) playing in a cage in the waiting room at Noah’s Ark.

 

Fruit Bat is no longer wearing casts and she is also no longer a girl looking for a home. Dr. Kim West has adopted Miss Fruit Bat and our little chihuahua will be enjoying the good life with her sister, Tupelo, (and several kitty siblings, as well as some guinea pigs and turtles) the rest of her days. 

Fruit Bat’s legs and ankles are still a little weak after the surgeries and from being in casts. So it will just take some time for her to regain strength in them. Her back ankles will always be a bit weaker than her front ones. However, if Dr. West never lets her walk anywhere (yes, she is spoiled, but she has the right to be) and transports her in the Baby Bjorn where her feet never touch the ground, it might take a bit longer for those ankles to fully recover. But our girl can walk and that is what is most important.

Fruit Bat and Dr. West would both like to thank everyone for all the love, donations, and healing thoughts that were sent their way. They were overwhelmed by the fact that so many people cared and wanted to help. 

Do you promise to love me forever? Of course, you do!

Fruit Bat needs both of her ankles repaired. They were fractured from her sad adventures on a busy highway.

Fruit Bat was found lying in the median of a very busy road. No one slowed down to check on the little dog as she cowered in pain, back legs unable to move, on the hot pavement. Cars whizzed by for twelve hours before a good samaritan from Colony Cats stopped to investigate and found the tiny chihuahua. The kind hearted volunteer quickly rushed Fruit Bat to Noah’s Ark Vet Hospital in Dublin, where Dr. Kim West proceeded to do a physical exam.

Fruit Bat’s back ankles were both fractured, causing the little dog’s immobility. Other than that, however, the chihuahua with the big eyes and perpetual smile, was in good shape. Dr. West discovered that Fruit Bat was only two years old and had not been spayed. On further investigation, it also became clear that Fruit Bat had an old fracture to the bone of her front leg, a fracture which had healed without medical care. Wherever this sweet girl came from, it was not the best place.

Forever smiling--even in pain, Fruit Bat has a happy face. Who couldn't love her?

It was Dr. West who named Fruit Bat and, to be honest, she does look like a bat with her big ears and skinny face. But looking like a bat is not a bad thing when you are that cute!

Because the volunteer who found Fruit Bat was with Colony Cats, the group was more than willing to help the little girl. Only there was one problem. A problem that often occurs in rescue–the little problem of money. Fruit Bat’s surgeries to repair her broken ankle bones must be done at Ohio State–Dr. West cannot do that herself. And so, the cost for Fruit Bat to walk again is between $1500-2000 and Colony Cats just cannot afford to pay that much.

Please help me get my legs fixed.

Dr. West took it upon herself to raise the money for Fruit Bat’s surgeries and she asked us if we would help.  Dr. West is also going to act as Fruit Bat’s foster after the surgeries, taking care of her dressings and helping her with rehabilitative therapy.

And so all of us, Black and Orange Cat Foundation, Colony Cats, The Forgotten Persian Rescue and Friends, which is Renee Kelly’s charitable group (Renee is the owner of Noah’s Ark), are going to work together with Dr. West to help Fruit Bat.

Big things can happen when lots of people work together! Big things for a little dog.

That is where we need your help. If you would like to help Fruit Bat walk again, please mail your tax deductible donation to Noah’s Ark Veterinary Hospital, 6001 Memorial Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017. Please put, “Attention: Dr. Kim West, Fruit Bat’s Fund” on the front of the envelope. You can contact Noah’s Ark for more information by calling 614-761-8400. You can also learn more at their web site: http://noahsarkvethosp.com/

Checks can be made out to Colony Cats. You can also make credit card donations at their web site: http://www.colonycats.org/donate.htm

Please make sure to indicate that this donation is for Fruit Bat’s Fund.

Additionally, Black and Orange Cat Foundation is also accepting donations for Fruit Bat. You can mail a donation to us at P. O. Box 126, Plain City, Ohio 43064. Please make sure to write on the check that this is for Fruit Bat’s Fund. You can also donate through our PayPal link on our web site: www.bandocats.org

Please email us if you do make a PayPal donation and let us know that the funds are for Fruit Bat. Unfortunately, our PayPal site does not have a memo section set up to allow us to write what the donation is for.

All of the organizations involved are 501 (c) 3 charities, so any donation you make for Fruit Bat is tax deductible.

Dr. West and Fruit Bat--we will get this girl walking again.

Just as soon as Fruit Bat has her surgeries, she will also need a forever home, so if you are interested in adopting the sweetest chihuahua north of Mexico, contact us or Noah’s Ark. Fruit Bat does well with other dogs and with cats and she LOVES people.

The only other solution for Fruit Bat if she cannot have these surgeries is euthanasia and none of us will allow that to happen!!

Where would I be without my friends? Probably still stretched out on the road! You can't see it, but I am shivering just thinking about that!

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