DE SOTO, Iowa — AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport Inc. is putting to good use the on-site, digital X-ray machine it acquired earlier this year with a $21,000 grant from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino and a $15,000 grant from the Dallas County Foundation.
No sooner had the machine been installed completed but an injured pig was brought in who was found limping along the highway, having presumably fallen off a truck. Staff Veterinarian Dr. Callie Garoutte was able to quickly X-ray and assess the porker for any broken bones before Petunia — her honorary name — was sent off to a farm.
“In the first two weeks of having the X-ray machine, we needed to X-ray one pig, five cats and two dogs,” said Amy Heinz, executive director of AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport Inc. “Just those X-rays alone — not including consultations or exams — would have cost us more than $4,000, and the best part is no animal had to suffer while being transported to receive the needed X-rays.”
Heinz said the savings from taking in-house X-rays will free up funds to provide more low-cost spay and neuter clinics each month for the low-income residents in the area. She said seven clinics have been held so far in 2022, and at least eighteen more planned.
Founded in 2008, AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport Inc. is “committed to saving homeless companion animals, assisting other shelters/rescues through rescue transports, offering low cost spay/neuter services for the community and educating the public on the issues of pet overpopulation, responsible pet ownership and puppy mills,” according to its filing as a 501c(3) non-profit animal welfare organization.
