Emma's Liver Surgery Fundraiser
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This GoFundMe page is to help Emma get the Veterinary care she so desperately needs. After over 12 months of repeated vet visits, prescription foods, a surgery, a Cat Scan and countless ultrasounds, Emma has been diagnosed with with a Liver Shunt. Proceeds from this GoFundMe are to get Emma the care she needs and pay for this expensive surgery, the doctors estimates are between $3000-$3500. Her surgery is scheduled for May 20th.
Here is a story of Emma's life through her eyes:
Hi my name is Emma, I first met my Mommy when I was just a puppy, my family couldn't keep me and my brothers and sisters, so they brought us to the animal shelter (where Mommy volunteered). I could see the way everyone looked at me, but i did not know anything was wrong. I was born with bi-lateral femur fractures (broken both hind legs) most likely as a result of being from the bottom of a litter of 11 puppies (I have a squished tail from it too). As soon as Mommy saw me she knew she would have to take me home to make sure I was safe, as she was unsure about my fate staying at the shelter. Mommy took me to the doctors to look at my legs and they said because I was not in any pain there was not anything that they wanted to do, which is okay with me, my little flippers can still keep up with my brothers and sisters playing in the yard.
After a few days of living with Mommy and Daddy, Mommy started to realize that I could not hear anything she was saying, I never noticed as it always has been quiet. It turns out that I was born without the ability to hear, but that did not stop Mommy from trying to talk to me, she learned hand signals (sign language) that I quickly began to learn and understand, it was amazing that she could talk to me and I could understand (my favorite sign(s) are for food/ treats).
Starting in March of 2018, I started feeling sick, and the doctors test results came back showing that I had really high liver enzymes, it turns out that I have a liver issue, and the doctors would need to operate on me to try and find out the cause. The doctors went through with the surgery expecting find a liver shunt but could not locate one, so they did a biopsy, which came back normal. Several ultrasounds ruled out the possibility of an internal liver shunt. They thought because my stomach is slightly small due to my broken legs, that I just did not have enough room to have a fully grown liver. The only thing they could do for me is give me medicine every day for the rest of my life, which is not too bad, it tastes like candy.
The doctors did notice that I have a nasal defect which makes it hard for me to breathe through my nostrils. (Mommy says I could add zombie sounds for "The Walking Dead") Mommy and I quickly learned that to sleep, I need to have a bone in my mouth (I actually have 3 of my own that I like to rotate through and sleep with them in my mouth all night), and I quickly adjusted to this.
A few months later I started to become very sick, I had a high fever and mom rushed me back to the doctors, I had a severe kidney infection and my body had become septic. I was really scared when the doctors told mommy that she should say goodbye just in case. All that made me want to do was fight even harder to get better, and with a lot of luck and some amazing doctors I was able to go home a couple of days later. It turns out that I had a severe kidney stone, which is very common for dogs with liver issues, but it took almost a month of medicine before I was finally better. My prescription diet makes sure that I do not get any more kidney stones in the future.
My mommy has been making sure that I go to the doctors every few months to make sure that I am doing okay. Recently my doctor changed offices and on one of my regular checkups she noticed that there was something funny on the ultrasound. Her new doctors office had special equipment that the old office did not have, and my mommy paid the $600 for a cat scan. The results of the cat scan showed that I DO have a liver shunt, in a location that would never have been found even by the best surgeon during my first operation, due to the shape of my poor little body. But unfortunately this means that I will have to undergo another operation.
The surgery to repair my liver shunt will cost in the range of $3000-$3500. But the doctors say that this surgery could add another 4 to 5 YEARS to my life, and I may also be able to wean off or even possibly eliminate taking medicine, which would be nice, I take three different kinds of medicine every day. Please help my mommy pay for this surgery which will allow me to have a LONG and HAPPY LIFE.
Here is a story of Emma's life through her eyes:
Hi my name is Emma, I first met my Mommy when I was just a puppy, my family couldn't keep me and my brothers and sisters, so they brought us to the animal shelter (where Mommy volunteered). I could see the way everyone looked at me, but i did not know anything was wrong. I was born with bi-lateral femur fractures (broken both hind legs) most likely as a result of being from the bottom of a litter of 11 puppies (I have a squished tail from it too). As soon as Mommy saw me she knew she would have to take me home to make sure I was safe, as she was unsure about my fate staying at the shelter. Mommy took me to the doctors to look at my legs and they said because I was not in any pain there was not anything that they wanted to do, which is okay with me, my little flippers can still keep up with my brothers and sisters playing in the yard.
After a few days of living with Mommy and Daddy, Mommy started to realize that I could not hear anything she was saying, I never noticed as it always has been quiet. It turns out that I was born without the ability to hear, but that did not stop Mommy from trying to talk to me, she learned hand signals (sign language) that I quickly began to learn and understand, it was amazing that she could talk to me and I could understand (my favorite sign(s) are for food/ treats).
Starting in March of 2018, I started feeling sick, and the doctors test results came back showing that I had really high liver enzymes, it turns out that I have a liver issue, and the doctors would need to operate on me to try and find out the cause. The doctors went through with the surgery expecting find a liver shunt but could not locate one, so they did a biopsy, which came back normal. Several ultrasounds ruled out the possibility of an internal liver shunt. They thought because my stomach is slightly small due to my broken legs, that I just did not have enough room to have a fully grown liver. The only thing they could do for me is give me medicine every day for the rest of my life, which is not too bad, it tastes like candy.
The doctors did notice that I have a nasal defect which makes it hard for me to breathe through my nostrils. (Mommy says I could add zombie sounds for "The Walking Dead") Mommy and I quickly learned that to sleep, I need to have a bone in my mouth (I actually have 3 of my own that I like to rotate through and sleep with them in my mouth all night), and I quickly adjusted to this.
A few months later I started to become very sick, I had a high fever and mom rushed me back to the doctors, I had a severe kidney infection and my body had become septic. I was really scared when the doctors told mommy that she should say goodbye just in case. All that made me want to do was fight even harder to get better, and with a lot of luck and some amazing doctors I was able to go home a couple of days later. It turns out that I had a severe kidney stone, which is very common for dogs with liver issues, but it took almost a month of medicine before I was finally better. My prescription diet makes sure that I do not get any more kidney stones in the future.
My mommy has been making sure that I go to the doctors every few months to make sure that I am doing okay. Recently my doctor changed offices and on one of my regular checkups she noticed that there was something funny on the ultrasound. Her new doctors office had special equipment that the old office did not have, and my mommy paid the $600 for a cat scan. The results of the cat scan showed that I DO have a liver shunt, in a location that would never have been found even by the best surgeon during my first operation, due to the shape of my poor little body. But unfortunately this means that I will have to undergo another operation.
The surgery to repair my liver shunt will cost in the range of $3000-$3500. But the doctors say that this surgery could add another 4 to 5 YEARS to my life, and I may also be able to wean off or even possibly eliminate taking medicine, which would be nice, I take three different kinds of medicine every day. Please help my mommy pay for this surgery which will allow me to have a LONG and HAPPY LIFE.
Organiser
Shannon Malburg Hogan
Organiser
Holly, MI
