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Featured Critter 
California Kingsnake This California Kingsnake is available for adoption. Isn't he handsome? With proper care, he could live to be over twenty years old! Please note, you must be an adult (or 16 with parental supervision and consent) and have previous experience with reptiles in order to be considered as a potential adopter. Reptiles have many care requirements, so our reptile adoption policies are a bit more strict. To see other critters in need of homes, click the "Adoptable Critters" button above. Click here for website maintenance issues.
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Esther's Story
On January 20th, Esther gave birth to two kids, both female. We are so thankful and excited to report that all three survived!! Doctor Jason Herman of Lebanon Mobile Vets came to the rescue. He arrived at about 8:20 AM. Within half an hour, he delivered both girls, alive and kicking!
Doctor Herman also kept Esther alive!!! He said this turned out much better than he feared. We all feel this way. Due to Esther's neglect, illnesses, and
age we were hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
Updates on Esther and Her Kids
Update: March 16th
Esther and her kids have been adopted! We were happy to find a home where they could live out their lives together rather than have to seperate them. When this story started, we weren't sure how it was going to end. We are very grateful it has a happy ending! Thank you to everyone who followed Esther's story and sent donations and well wishes. We couldn't save animals like Esther and her kids without the support of people like you! |
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Esther is a very sweet goat who came to us after she was found as a stray in downtown Indianapolis.
She was pregnant and had Keto-Toximia, which was brought on by poor body condition and her babies taking all of her nutrients.
She was 30% underweight and had bare spots in her coat. Her hooves were so overgrown; they were splitting and resembled a pair of skis.
In another serious blow to her health, Esther had also developed Pneumonia. During her exam at the vet’s office, she had a fever of 103.3!
She was prescribed several medications including a Dextrose IV solution that is administered through a jugular IV port.
After several days of medication, Esther was doing better. However, she still could not stand. She tried to get up,
but her weakened condition and the heaviness of her pregnant body prevented it. Poor Esther is between 5 and 7 years old, and should not have been bred.
Even though she is well taken care of in her foster home, it is stressful for her to adapt to new living conditions. The prognosis from the vet was not good.
We weren’t sure Esther’s kids or Esther would survive the pregnancy/delivery.
Elisabeth Saphira is the first born and the lighter of the two. She weighed exactly 10lbs.
Elsie Nula is the second born, and clearly the runt, weighing in at exactly 9lbs. The girls are bottle feeding very well. Little Elsie needs some direction because she distracts from the bottle
easily; but once she latches onto it she does eat very well.
Esther is still too weak to get up on her own. Her foster family have fashioned a make-shift sling to do physical therapy with her.
She must have physical therapy, or she may lose the use of her legs all together. The muscles in her hind end are very depleted...so much so that her foster mom was not able to give her IM
injections back there because there is barely any muscle. The girls do try to get to her udder while she is lying down...but you can imagine the difficulties they experience, and we are concerned
with cleanliness. Esther is moved daily in order to clean under and around her. She has her own bunk setup in a heated garage. She is on IV fluids and is being closely monitored. Now that she has
given birth, the nutrients she takes in will go directly to her, rather than to her babies. We hope to see her gain weight and strength soon!
Esther’s foster mom really loves Esther and told us the following: “Esther is truly a genuine gal! Her personality is unmatched by any other creature I have encountered. She tolerates this
entire trauma and is still nudging us and nibbling our pant legs so that she can show her affection for us.”
We are very grateful to Doctor Herman for his role in saving Esther and her daughters. We are also very grateful to her foster mom for all the loving care she has given and continues
to give. To date, we have accumulated a little over $700 in vet bills. We need the help of fellow animal lovers in order to help cover these costs. As you can tell from the story above,
Esther is a fighter who deserves a chance to live the rest of her years in comfort and happiness. Please help us give her that chance by making a donation toward her care. Donations can be made through PayPal
by clicking the “Donate” button in the column on the left. If you prefer to mail a check, checks may be mailed to A Critter's Chance, 11057 Allisonville Road, PMB431, Fishers, IN 46038. Thank you for any support you can provide!
Esther's foster family has been working with her to help her regain strength in the back portion of her body. Here is a picture of her in her sling, which is part of her physical therapy. We're
very happy to report, in the last couple days, Esther has been standing on her own and has even taken a few steps!!
Elsie (left) and Elisabeth (right) are also doing very well. They are very vigorous eaters and attack their bottles at each feeding. They each gained two pounds in one week! Elisabeth has made a game of jumping into the laps of her foster family. Elsie
is not as outgoing and confident as her sister. She seems to flinch when things come close to her face, which has us concerned she may have a vision problem. We hope she is just a little more reserved than her sister, but we will have the vet check her vision to be sure.
We are happy to report that Esther is doing wonderful! She has even leaped over her pen and has been playing with her girls! Esther loves to explore and is pretty stubborn. She keeps her foster mom busy!
Elsie is a bit more petite than her sister Bessie, but her eyes and behavior are perfect for a kid. Elsie's foster mom has decided to adopt her, so that is very good news!! Both girls are almost two months old now!
Elisabeth's nickname is Bessie. She broke her leg, but is healing well. By the end of March, her leg will be completely healed. In the meantime, she is still playing like nothing is wrong. Bessie and Esther are now both available for adoption! Please go to our