Help a Zig Out
Donation protected
My little chihuahua Zig was attacked by a husky a few days ago. He's alive after surgery and intense medical treatment but cannot come home yet. His bills are totaling above $7,000. I need help covering these costs so I afford dog food! Here is his story:
Monday 8/18, I brought my chihuahua to work like most days. A coworker had her husky, who has met Zig many times and has never had a problem. They were left alone for all of a minute, and the husky had Zig in her mouth. A coworker wrapped him in a towel and brought him to me. We went to a local vet where he stayed for an hour or two being stabilized while we figured out where the funds for his needed surgery would come from.
calling in a few favors, we got together $5500 and took off to the vet we were most highly reccomended to.
Monday he went under for surgery to see how bad everything was. He came out with many broken ribs, both lungs collapsed, much lung bruising, a broken tailbone/sacrum, and his right kidney kept breaking through the abdominal wall. It was discovered during surgey the kidney was not very damaged, surprisingly, and was put back in its place instead of being removed.
That night after surgery, I got the call he had stopped breathing and his heart stopped. Both resumed, but I cried really hard when I was told and didn't sleep much.
Very very slowly he made progress. He's had 2 red blood cell and 2 plasma protein transfusions to keep up his oxygen and protein blood levels. Most of his time there, he was breathing oxygenated air, not room air, because he breathed so shallowly due to the pain with breathing.
Tuesday night I visited him. I was there all of ten minutes because he was really out of it. When I first walked up, he tried wagging his tail. And he perked up when I said words he knows, like his name. But he faded in and out and I tried to leave while he was sleeping.
Wednesday night I wasn't planning on visiting because the vet is far from my house. I headed down because I was told if he didn't start eating, he'd be fitted with a feeding tube. I spent over an hour petting and talking to and trying to feed him. He never went for it. He wined a lot while I was there and cried little Zig tears at me. It broke my heart. Every time I pulled away to grab something, like more food, he tried to get up. As if he was going to follow me. He didn't want me to leave. At one point, the tech needed to change his bedding because his wounds were leaking. The sound he made when she very gently lifted him with a towel was nothing like I've heard him make before. After he was settled again, there were more Zig tears I had to wipe away. Once he rolled over and faced the wall, I snuck out so he didn't see me leave.
Thursday I was informed we had reached my deposit, so everything done today would be additional money. I cried on the phone telling the doctor I can't afford to keep him there another 4 days like she wanted. I opted, against her advise, to pull him off his machines and see how he does. He maintained all his levels fairly well, so I, against her advise again, decided to take him home.
We just got home and gave him some of his medicines. He is now sleeping comfortably in his own house next to by bed. It's going to be restless for me to get up at various times to give him his 5 medicines and clean his wounds a few times a day.
If you have a few bucks to spare, Zig and I would appreciate the help.
Please share this page. I know there are good people out there who will help this little creep with his big eyeballs and a mom who wants the best for him.
Zig 8/20 when I visited him at the hospital:
Monday 8/18, I brought my chihuahua to work like most days. A coworker had her husky, who has met Zig many times and has never had a problem. They were left alone for all of a minute, and the husky had Zig in her mouth. A coworker wrapped him in a towel and brought him to me. We went to a local vet where he stayed for an hour or two being stabilized while we figured out where the funds for his needed surgery would come from.
calling in a few favors, we got together $5500 and took off to the vet we were most highly reccomended to.
Monday he went under for surgery to see how bad everything was. He came out with many broken ribs, both lungs collapsed, much lung bruising, a broken tailbone/sacrum, and his right kidney kept breaking through the abdominal wall. It was discovered during surgey the kidney was not very damaged, surprisingly, and was put back in its place instead of being removed.
That night after surgery, I got the call he had stopped breathing and his heart stopped. Both resumed, but I cried really hard when I was told and didn't sleep much.
Very very slowly he made progress. He's had 2 red blood cell and 2 plasma protein transfusions to keep up his oxygen and protein blood levels. Most of his time there, he was breathing oxygenated air, not room air, because he breathed so shallowly due to the pain with breathing.
Tuesday night I visited him. I was there all of ten minutes because he was really out of it. When I first walked up, he tried wagging his tail. And he perked up when I said words he knows, like his name. But he faded in and out and I tried to leave while he was sleeping.
Wednesday night I wasn't planning on visiting because the vet is far from my house. I headed down because I was told if he didn't start eating, he'd be fitted with a feeding tube. I spent over an hour petting and talking to and trying to feed him. He never went for it. He wined a lot while I was there and cried little Zig tears at me. It broke my heart. Every time I pulled away to grab something, like more food, he tried to get up. As if he was going to follow me. He didn't want me to leave. At one point, the tech needed to change his bedding because his wounds were leaking. The sound he made when she very gently lifted him with a towel was nothing like I've heard him make before. After he was settled again, there were more Zig tears I had to wipe away. Once he rolled over and faced the wall, I snuck out so he didn't see me leave.
Thursday I was informed we had reached my deposit, so everything done today would be additional money. I cried on the phone telling the doctor I can't afford to keep him there another 4 days like she wanted. I opted, against her advise, to pull him off his machines and see how he does. He maintained all his levels fairly well, so I, against her advise again, decided to take him home.
We just got home and gave him some of his medicines. He is now sleeping comfortably in his own house next to by bed. It's going to be restless for me to get up at various times to give him his 5 medicines and clean his wounds a few times a day.
If you have a few bucks to spare, Zig and I would appreciate the help.
Please share this page. I know there are good people out there who will help this little creep with his big eyeballs and a mom who wants the best for him.
Zig 8/20 when I visited him at the hospital:
Zig 8/21 cuddling in when we got home:
Organizer
Alyssa Petty
Organizer
Seattle, WA
