My First Drug Deal

Mom here. I have volunteered for a local animal rescue group for the past two years, and last year began fostering kittens. This year, all of us who foster have had lots of sick kittens, and therefore, lots of medications that we have had to administer.

When my current kittens Boo and Shadow got really sick during the July 4th weekend, I had to drive 30 miles across town to take them to an emergency clinic that was open.

“We demand to be let out of here!”

At the clinic, Boo and Shadow were given massive amounts of sub-Q (subcutaneous, i.e., under the skin) fluids to help with their dehydration.  Boo was given an injection of chlorpromazine, an antiemetic, since she could not keep anything down. I was given two different liquid meds to take home and give to the girls.

Boo doesn’t feel so good

Shadow doesn’t feel good either

One of the meds was Panacur – a really potent dewormer to get rid of the parasites the little girls had. The regular medicine we use for deworming is Strongid, and it was just not cutting it this season. Panacur is given as one dose for three days – and by the third day, really sick kittens who are refusing to eat have perked up and are doing much, much better.

Empty Dishes!

I was given a pretty full bottle of Panacur, which meant there would be a lot left over since I was only going to use 3 mL total. When you volunteer in animal rescue, funds are tight, and we are careful with everything that costs money. Like meds.

Which brings me to my first drug deal.

Two weeks later, both kittens were healthy, and I had a lot of Panacur left over. I got a call that there were other sick kittens that needed a dewormer, and the decision was made to give Panacur rather than Strongid.

So I agreed to meet another volunteer in an empty parking lot to give her the bottle. I was excited about my first drug deal!  The deal took place after dark, in a seedy part of town, and with the sound of police sirens in the distance.

OK, the deal actually transpired in broad daylight.

And seedy part of town? Well, we were in the parking lot of Saks Fifth Avenue at Beachwood Mall, in one of the most expensive Cleveland suburbs.

As far as police go, there was mall security patrolling the area in their SUV’s.

We were ignored.