Save Bella
Donation protected
Save Bella
Yesterday, my good friend, Stephanie Dubsky, was enjoying some outdoor time with her two dogs, Bella and Braciole (Bra-shol) near The Ringling Bridge. Out of the blue and in just seconds, Bella was attacked by a large dog and suffered severe wounds. Here is her story in Stephanie's words.
“I took Bella and Braciole for a swim on our favorite spot by The Ringling Bridge. A lady and her grown daughter came up to the beach with two large mixed breed dogs and a small one. They had the two large dogs on leashes and then let the lab mix run and swim off leash. He and Braciole were swimming and playing just fine. It was time to leave and as I reach down to my bag (Braciole was 3 feet in front of me and Bell was right behind me), the ladies, for some reason, were near us and the lab mix attacked Braciole. I yelled at her to get her dog off him and she pulled her dog off.”
“Right at that moment the Rottweiler mix attacked my little Bella. It happened so fast. She was right next to me and I couldn’t stop him. The daughter pulled her dog off Bella and I scooped her up. She was crying in pain and her neck was cocked to the side so I thought her neck was broken and she would die right there in my arms.”
“I cried out that I needed to get her to the vet but I was by myself and couldn’t drive. The daughter offered to drive me in my car. At the vet they told me right off that her neck and spine were ok. So now I had hope that she would live. Upon further exam, it was clear that her injuries were life threatening. After a couple of hours they recommended that I bring her to the emergency vet were she could have surgery. (Her regular vet is Banfield and they don’t have animals overnight).”
“I brought her to Blue Pearl and the Doctor performed surgery for several hours through the night. Bella has four large puncture wounds, two penetrating the abdomen. She also has several broken ribs and a badly fractured elbow. The biggest concern now is the possibility of infection, especially since the teeth went into her abdominal cavity. It will be a few days before we know if she will survive.”
Everyone who knows Stephanie knows how much she loves Bella, whom she has had since she was a puppy. Bella is such a sweet little girl and has, hopefully, many years ahead of her. Everyone loves Bella.
That is why we are asking for your help. The vet bill is already over $4000 and she will need additional surgeries to repair her elbow or have her arm removed if it can’t be done. She is in the best possible care. Stephanie simply cannot pay for the vet bills and
without the elbow surgery, Bella will have to be put down.
If every one of my friends and facebook friends contributes just $5 each, that would cover most of the costs to heal Bella. Larger donations are very much appreciated, too. I promise to keep everyone updated. I thank you with all of my heart because I love Bella, too.
The above picture shows two of the four punture wounds.
Friday, August 26
Bella had her left arm removed yesterday, did well at first, then had a tough night in the oxygen box with some fluid on her lungs.
Her oxygen was better this morning.
Please pray for her!
Saturday August 26
Bella is Home! She has eaten and is resting. She’s not out of the woods, by any means. But she’s a tough little cookie!
Thank you all for your caring and support. The vet bills have totaled $6774 and hopefully won’t go any higher. Your contributions so far have been a Godsend! It touches our hearts to know how many caring people there are.
Sunday, August 28
Bella had a pretty good night. It’s great that she has a good appetite and is drinking lots of water.
Thursday, September1st
It’s been 9 days since the attack. She’s healing well, not showing signs of infection. Her fractured ribs seem to be causing some pain but she taking her meds and doing ok. She can’t wait to get the stitches out so she can have a bath!
Contributions toward the vet bills are still needed and very much appreciated. Remember, even a $5 donation helps!
We are also in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine but don’t worry, Bella and Braciole have life vests!
Hey everyone! We are almost one third of our goal!
There is a video of Bella's first pirouette since the attack in the updates!
Thank you for your help and shares!
Yesterday, my good friend, Stephanie Dubsky, was enjoying some outdoor time with her two dogs, Bella and Braciole (Bra-shol) near The Ringling Bridge. Out of the blue and in just seconds, Bella was attacked by a large dog and suffered severe wounds. Here is her story in Stephanie's words.
“I took Bella and Braciole for a swim on our favorite spot by The Ringling Bridge. A lady and her grown daughter came up to the beach with two large mixed breed dogs and a small one. They had the two large dogs on leashes and then let the lab mix run and swim off leash. He and Braciole were swimming and playing just fine. It was time to leave and as I reach down to my bag (Braciole was 3 feet in front of me and Bell was right behind me), the ladies, for some reason, were near us and the lab mix attacked Braciole. I yelled at her to get her dog off him and she pulled her dog off.”
“Right at that moment the Rottweiler mix attacked my little Bella. It happened so fast. She was right next to me and I couldn’t stop him. The daughter pulled her dog off Bella and I scooped her up. She was crying in pain and her neck was cocked to the side so I thought her neck was broken and she would die right there in my arms.”
“I cried out that I needed to get her to the vet but I was by myself and couldn’t drive. The daughter offered to drive me in my car. At the vet they told me right off that her neck and spine were ok. So now I had hope that she would live. Upon further exam, it was clear that her injuries were life threatening. After a couple of hours they recommended that I bring her to the emergency vet were she could have surgery. (Her regular vet is Banfield and they don’t have animals overnight).”
“I brought her to Blue Pearl and the Doctor performed surgery for several hours through the night. Bella has four large puncture wounds, two penetrating the abdomen. She also has several broken ribs and a badly fractured elbow. The biggest concern now is the possibility of infection, especially since the teeth went into her abdominal cavity. It will be a few days before we know if she will survive.”
Everyone who knows Stephanie knows how much she loves Bella, whom she has had since she was a puppy. Bella is such a sweet little girl and has, hopefully, many years ahead of her. Everyone loves Bella.
That is why we are asking for your help. The vet bill is already over $4000 and she will need additional surgeries to repair her elbow or have her arm removed if it can’t be done. She is in the best possible care. Stephanie simply cannot pay for the vet bills and
without the elbow surgery, Bella will have to be put down.
If every one of my friends and facebook friends contributes just $5 each, that would cover most of the costs to heal Bella. Larger donations are very much appreciated, too. I promise to keep everyone updated. I thank you with all of my heart because I love Bella, too.
The above picture shows two of the four punture wounds.
Friday, August 26
Bella had her left arm removed yesterday, did well at first, then had a tough night in the oxygen box with some fluid on her lungs.
Her oxygen was better this morning.
Please pray for her!
Saturday August 26
Bella is Home! She has eaten and is resting. She’s not out of the woods, by any means. But she’s a tough little cookie!
Thank you all for your caring and support. The vet bills have totaled $6774 and hopefully won’t go any higher. Your contributions so far have been a Godsend! It touches our hearts to know how many caring people there are.
Sunday, August 28
Bella had a pretty good night. It’s great that she has a good appetite and is drinking lots of water.
Thursday, September1st
It’s been 9 days since the attack. She’s healing well, not showing signs of infection. Her fractured ribs seem to be causing some pain but she taking her meds and doing ok. She can’t wait to get the stitches out so she can have a bath!
Contributions toward the vet bills are still needed and very much appreciated. Remember, even a $5 donation helps!
We are also in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine but don’t worry, Bella and Braciole have life vests!
Hey everyone! We are almost one third of our goal!
There is a video of Bella's first pirouette since the attack in the updates!
Thank you for your help and shares!
Organizer and beneficiary
Kim Sue Valla
Organizer
Sarasota, FL
Stephanie Dubsky
Beneficiary