After being hit by a car, 11-year-old poodle mix Trooper (A523670) came to Pasadena Humane with a severely broken jaw. Thanks to our veterinary team’s expert care, he received emergency treatment and recovered from the initial trauma in our animal intensive care unit. Trooper is now ready to find a loving home where he can continue his healing journey. Learn more at pasadenahumane.org.

Trooper arrived at Pasadena Humane a couple of weeks back after being hit by a car. A good Samaritan rushed the senior poodle to safety.

The small dog was clearly in a lot of pain, and X-rays revealed a badly fractured jaw. Our veterinary team quickly stabilized the injury and began treatment for other medical issues that needed attention.

Trooper was set up with a cozy kennel in our animal intensive care unit. There he was doted on by our caring veterinary staff while they monitored his condition and ensured proper healing.

Trooper is now well on his way to recovery. He’ll soon be ready for a new home of his own, where he can safely live out the rest of his golden years.

Trooper’s story is just one example of how Pasadena Humane is there for the most vulnerable animals in our community. Each year, we take in thousands of animals from across our 11 animal control service areas, ensuring that animals in even the most critical condition get the care they deserve.

The recent Eaton fire put this commitment to the test. During the crisis, dozens of animals in need of burn treatment, oxygen therapy, and other urgent support received lifesaving care in our ICU.

While January was especially busy, our ICU operates year-round. Here, our skilled team of veterinarians and veterinary technicians provides advanced, lifesaving treatment to animals in need, just like Trooper.

In just the last decade, veterinary medicine has advanced in ways once thought impossible. Many of the breakthroughs first developed for people are now available for pets, giving animals in shelters access to the same cutting-edge care.

Our ICU allows us to go above and beyond what most shelters can provide, ensuring every animal—whether they have an owner or not—has the chance to heal.

We commonly treat animals with broken bones, severe respiratory infections, deep wounds, and chronic conditions like kidney disease or cancer. The ICU also provides recovery and rehabilitation space for pets that are healing after surgery.

Isolation space is another key component of our ICU. Multiple rooms allow us to safely treat animals with contagious diseases like parvo in dogs or avian influenza in birds, keeping the rest of the shelter population safe.

Diseases once considered fatal, like panleukopenia in cats, are now often treatable, even in a shelter setting. Last year, for example, we saved 80% of nearly 100 kittens with this illness.

This progress has created a need for more quarantine space. Just recently, we completed an expansion that tripled the size of our isolation area. The newly renovated room is brighter, safer, and designed with our patients’ needs in mind. We even play “cat TV” to keep our feline patients entertained during recovery.

As veterinary medicine advances, we’re saving more lives than ever before and proving what we can achieve when the community comes together for animals. This level of care is only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

Pasadena Humane prides itself on being more than a shelter, and our animal ICU is just one of the many ways we serve animals in need and the people who love them. Thanks to readers like you, we are building a future where every pet like Trooper has the chance to heal, thrive, and find a loving home.

To learn more about how Pasadena Humane is “More Than a Shelter,” visit pasadenahumane.org

Chris Ramon is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane.

This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on August 29, 2025.