Furfriend Finn needs support for life threatening injuries

Our pup, Phineas, aka Finnbub, Fishfinn, Finnicito… sustained life-threatening injuries from a terrible fight/dog attack with his brother. He is our best friend and has been with us for 8 amazing years. Finn suffered significant bleeding and was in hemorrhagic shock since Monday afternoon. He was rushed to a local emergency vet where he was given a unit of plasma and a unit of red blood cells. Despite resuscitative fluids and medications, Finn continued to bleed and declined. The vet did not think he was in a stable enough condition to have his wounds explored, fearing his bleeding would get worse. The plan Monday evening was to await the surgical team Tuesday.

Tuesday came. Finn’s PCV (blood volume) continued to decrease while he awaited his surgery. We then received a call at 4 pm Tuesday that the team would not be able to make it to explore his wounds and control his bleeding beyond packing with gauze. The vet advised that they only had one unit of blood left and given his lack of improvement with the first unit, they suggested a transfer to a larger vet hospital with more resources…

We rushed to the vet to take our Phineas and transport him to a hospital about an hour away. Finn continued to stay strong despite his bleeding and unimaginable pain. Luckily, the team at the second hospital took him in immediately and began more imaging, lab work, and transfusion.

They explained that his PCV was low either due to internal bleeding we could not see or perhaps a transfusion reaction where his body attacked the foreign blood and destroyed it. At 3 am on Wednesday, we got a call stating his wounds didn’t appear to be the major cause of his decline. His body was indeed rejecting the blood despite it being cross-matched. Finn was given IV Benadryl and steroids for the reaction.

Once the morning team had rounded, they updated us that his numbers were slowly improving and that he was able to tolerate a second unit of blood without issues. Pending some lab work, he would have surgery that day (Wednesday) where they would explore the wound, assess the damage, and cauterize any bleeders. There was a chance that he would need a thoracotomy if they suspected the bleeding was occurring more internally.

Our hearts sank, but we trusted the team and were grateful he was able to be seen for surgery. Fast forward to today, Thursday, Finn has continued to be strong. The surgeon noted significant muscle damage, but no major bleeders. He did not need a thoracotomy and instead was given two drains to assist in wound healing. He is expected to stay in the hospital for another night, possibly two. He was finally considered out of the woods… which honestly is the best news we’ve heard since the horrific incident on Monday.

J and I absolutely cannot wait to have him home, although life with our 3 dogs will never ever be the same. Given the severity of the injuries, our two boys can no longer be in the same home. We are looking for options of rehoming Barney (who ended with minor injuries and 8 stitches) and are completely torn by this situation. So far, we have racked up about $15k of vet bills. Our pet insurance will likely only cover about half of this. We hate asking for help, but would greatly appreciate any help at all, even if all you can give are words of encouragement. We thank you in advance and will keep you posted. We would not wish this situation on anyone. Stay safe and keep your loved ones, even the furry kiddos, safe and snug. Give them extra tight hugs for us.

Love,

J and L

Below are some pictures of Finn. Please be aware some of them are graphic and can be triggering.