Boomer's Haven Fall Auction to Fight FIP

Boomer's Haven has helped over 130 animals since our inception in 2023 - including 6 cats suffering from FIP. On top of the regular medical expenses involved in rescue (including vet checkups, shots, spay/neuter, and any necessary extra medical care needed to help neglected and abused animals), these beautiful cats had to undergo blood testing, an ultrasound, and fluid testing from the abdomen just to identify FIP. Once diagnosed, FIP requires a full 84+ day course of treatment including medication and repeated diagnostics... each cat's treatment costs around $1500 and without treatment, FIP is a death sentence. We are holding this auction to raise funding and awareness for Boomer's Haven, and also to raise awareness about FIP.
Rescue work is mentally and physically exhausting but nothing compared to what the animals we help go through. Thank you for your generosity.

Boomer's Haven Vision and Values: Our Vision is to rescue the mistreated, save & rehabilitate the injured, and love the abandoned. We aspire to further the cause towards a world with compassion to all, and exploitation to none. To bring awareness to animal welfare and strive for stronger personhood rights for the protection of all animals.
Our Values are deeply connected to our ethical belief that all animals are deserving of respect and deserve the chance to live their life free from harm, exploitation, and neglect. These values are part of our organization's DNA and are the foundation of all we do, and who we are. We will always strive to conduct ourselves with the highest integrity and will remain open, honest, and accountable for our decisions and actions.

What is FIP?
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus are found in the gastrointestinal tract and do not cause significant disease. These are referred to as feline enteric coronavirus (FeCV). Cats infected with FeCV usually do not show any symptoms during the initial viral infection, but may occasionally experience brief bouts of diarrhea and/or mild upper respiratory signs from which they recover spontaneously. FeCV-infected cats usually mount an immune response through which antibodies against the virus are produced within 7-10 days of infection. In approximately 10 percent of cats infected with FeCV, one or more mutations of the virus can alter its biological behavior, resulting in white blood cells becoming infected with virus and spreading it throughout the cat’s body. When this occurs, the virus is referred to as the FIPV. An intense inflammatory reaction to FIPV occurs around vessels in the tissues where these infected cells locate, often in the abdomen, kidney, or brain. It is this interaction between the body’s own immune system and the virus that is responsible for the development of FIP.
FIP generally occurs in one of two forms, a “wet form” in which fluid accumulates in body cavities like the abdomen and/or chest, and a “dry form” that affects the central nervous system, resulting in neurologic signs. Once a cat develops clinical FIP, the disease is usually progressive and almost always fatal without therapy that has been available in countries Australia and the UK for several years and has recently become available as an oral compounded formulation in the US. This newly available compounded formulation requires a veterinary prescription. The availability of safe and effective therapies for FIP represents a dramatic advancement in veterinary medicine, and we recommend that you consult with your veterinary professional team if you have questions about acquiring FIP therapy for a cat suffering from this dreadful disease. To our knowledge, coronaviruses cannot be passed from infected cats to humans.

Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals in crisis, and to provide sanctuary to animals who may not be suitable for rehoming. To ensure healthy human-animal relationships through education and advocacy, and to inspire a community where the animal-human bond is celebrated and nurtured.

​This mission was born out of our deep love and respect for all living beings, their right to self-determination when possible and for our responsible guardianship when necessary.

Boomer is our mascot and one of the primary reasons we decided to become involved in animal welfare. As a young boy of only 3 years, he was found wandering the streets of the Metro Vancouver area. The local Humane Society brought him in under their care, and quickly found him a new home. Sadly not long after he was adopted, his new guardians returned him to the shelter claiming they no longer could devote the time needed as their jobs took them away from home far too often. This is where we came in...having just moved from Coquitlam into Vancouver, we finally had a home we could welcome a dog into, so we set out in search of just the right companion to add to our family. In Vancouver, it's quite common to be very difficult to find a small dog in a shelter or with a rescue as they are often placed in homes before they ever reach their adoption page. We consider ourselves very lucky to have come across this confident little man the day he became available for adoption. We took him for a quick walk to get a sense of who he was, and what he required from us, and it took only moments to fall in love with him. We signed the adoption papers immediately, and he came home that night! Flash forward to today, and Boomer is now just over 18 years old, which is incredible for a Min Pin to reach, and we hope that providing a loving home for him has played a big part in that. We've had our journeys across the mountains, camping trips, visits to his friends all across Alberta and British Columbia, we've added new family members throughout the years, and he's loved almost every one of them. He's now lost most of his hearing and some of his vision, he moves a lot slower, and enjoys his naps in the sunshine more than his playtime, but he's a happy, cuddly old man.

We know Boomer's time with us is short now and so we accommodate him in every way we can to make his life as meaningful and comfortable as possible. We cherish every moment we have with him, and will forever carry his memories with us, to remind us of what selfless love is. He has inspired us to do as much as possible to help as many animals as we can throughout our lives, and additionally to help the humans that love them.