Help Sasha Come Home
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UPDATE: I spoke too soon. Sasha refused to eat this morning, then threw up, which is how this mess started a few weeks back. We’re heading back to the emergency vet. So, the vet put her back on the same medications she was on before, and we're taking a wait and see attitude overnight to see if she throws up again, and /or starts eating again on her own. Ugh. And if she doesn't improve, we're back to the vet tomorrow or the next day.
UPDATE: A final thank you to everyone, and update on Sasha. She is doing amazingly. We did have one more visit to the emergency vet last Friday, as she had had 4 days of GI upset, and was getting a little dehydrated. But a little more medicine, and a bland diet, and that resolved itself. Now, other than a few more days of bland food -- her appetite is fortunately back -- she's acting 100% normal again, pestering me all day long to play ball and/or go out. She's back to her old self. Thank you all so much for your generosity and support. It was one less thing that I had to worry about, and I can't thank you enough for that. Again, thank you :)
My dog Sasha fell suddenly ill this week, and after being in the animal hospital since Tuesday, has already racked up $4,222 in medical bills by Saturday morning, with another $800 or so estimated for each additional 24 hours at the vet.
Thursday, for the first time all week, Sasha showed some energy while I was visiting her, and even barked at a skateboarder! She's still however not drinking or eating, and is being given water IV and food via a tube through her nose. Nonetheless, we're hoping if she continues to improve that they'll perhaps release her Saturday. But that will only happen is she starts eating on her own.
Thus, I'm asking folks for whatever help you can give us to help defray the costs of Sasha's treatment.
UPDATE: Sasha ate directly from the syring Saturday morning! So the vet wants to try one more feeding at 2pm, with me there, so they can show me how to do it, and if she continues to eat from a syringe in her mouth, they're sending her home, with more syringe-y food and lots of meds!
IT ALL STARTED MONDAY MORNING
It all started Monday morning when Sasha, a spunky ten-pound Yorkie-Bichon mix I've had for 8 years now, refused to eat breakfast or drink any water. That afternoon I noticed she had thrown up, and then discovered that she had been throwing up all day. I called the vet, and rushed her to the animal hospital. The vet gave her some anti-nausea meds, ran a blood test and an ultrasound, and said it was likely duodenitis (a condition similar to pancreatitis, where your GI tract gets so irritated that it just shuts down). The vet said to take her home, try to feed her later that night, and come back the next day if she refused to eat and/or threw up again. Well, she refused to eat or drink AND threw up all night. Tuesday, I admitted her to the animal hospital, where she remains.
Sasha is still not eating or drinking on her own, and has been nauseous and listless all week with vomiting and diarrhea, but she finally perked up for the first time when I visited her Thursday. It also looks like they may finally have her nausea under control as she was tolerating the tube feeding well. That's why the vet is hopeful that Saturday she'll be well enough to leave.
THEN THE BILLS MOUNTED
Sasha's first visit to the vet, for the blood work and ultrasound before I took her home, was $354. But on admitting her the next day, the hospital took a $1,500 deposit to cover the estimated cost of $1,500 for one night and $3,000 for two. The estimate was pretty accurate, as we're now up to $4,222 (including the first visit) as of Saturday morning. The charges per night thankfully decreased Thursday night as they're trying to wean Sasha off of her various medicines. The charges range from $495 for an ultrasound, $116 for blood work, to $390/day just for the boarding cost (not counting the various medicines and procedures). At the bottom of this page I'm including a copy of Sasha's in-patient bills as of Saturday morning.
Sasha is remaining at the animal hospital at least until Saturday, per the vet's instructions. If she's released Saturday, her immediate medical bills will be over $4,000, not taking into account post-release check-ups, etc.
Thus, I'm setting a fundraising goal of $5,000, taking into account the donation processing fees (in principle, I shouldn't have to pay income tax as these "may" be considered gifts, according to the research I've done, but I'm waiting to hear from my accountant). If Sasha's bills are lower, I'll lower the goal, and/or donate any excess donations to Washington, DC's "Humane Rescue Alliance" (the renamed Humane Society). And if her bills go higher, I'll raise the goal accordingly.
Your donations will go 100% to paying for Sasha's medical treatment for this illness (other than any unexpected excess going to the local animal welfare group).
THANK YOU
It's difficult to ask for help for something like this, and I never imagined the costs could be so high or add up so quickly. I just can't even imagine being a position where you'd have to say "no." Sasha is my everything, so there was no real choice but to get her the help she needed, and figure out how to pay later. Nonetheless, I'm a bit shell-shocked by her sudden illness and the bills. But at least she's finally getting better, and that's all that matters.
Thanks for all the moral support from my friends on Twitter and beyond, and thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer towards helping me bring Sasha home.
John Aravosis & Sasha
Washington, DC
(I'm @aravosis on Twitter, so you can see that I'm for real, thanks.)
Below are Sasha's in-patient bills as of Saturday morning, May 25 (out-patient was another $354):
UPDATE: A final thank you to everyone, and update on Sasha. She is doing amazingly. We did have one more visit to the emergency vet last Friday, as she had had 4 days of GI upset, and was getting a little dehydrated. But a little more medicine, and a bland diet, and that resolved itself. Now, other than a few more days of bland food -- her appetite is fortunately back -- she's acting 100% normal again, pestering me all day long to play ball and/or go out. She's back to her old self. Thank you all so much for your generosity and support. It was one less thing that I had to worry about, and I can't thank you enough for that. Again, thank you :)
My dog Sasha fell suddenly ill this week, and after being in the animal hospital since Tuesday, has already racked up $4,222 in medical bills by Saturday morning, with another $800 or so estimated for each additional 24 hours at the vet.
Thursday, for the first time all week, Sasha showed some energy while I was visiting her, and even barked at a skateboarder! She's still however not drinking or eating, and is being given water IV and food via a tube through her nose. Nonetheless, we're hoping if she continues to improve that they'll perhaps release her Saturday. But that will only happen is she starts eating on her own.
Thus, I'm asking folks for whatever help you can give us to help defray the costs of Sasha's treatment.
UPDATE: Sasha ate directly from the syring Saturday morning! So the vet wants to try one more feeding at 2pm, with me there, so they can show me how to do it, and if she continues to eat from a syringe in her mouth, they're sending her home, with more syringe-y food and lots of meds!
IT ALL STARTED MONDAY MORNING
It all started Monday morning when Sasha, a spunky ten-pound Yorkie-Bichon mix I've had for 8 years now, refused to eat breakfast or drink any water. That afternoon I noticed she had thrown up, and then discovered that she had been throwing up all day. I called the vet, and rushed her to the animal hospital. The vet gave her some anti-nausea meds, ran a blood test and an ultrasound, and said it was likely duodenitis (a condition similar to pancreatitis, where your GI tract gets so irritated that it just shuts down). The vet said to take her home, try to feed her later that night, and come back the next day if she refused to eat and/or threw up again. Well, she refused to eat or drink AND threw up all night. Tuesday, I admitted her to the animal hospital, where she remains.
Sasha is still not eating or drinking on her own, and has been nauseous and listless all week with vomiting and diarrhea, but she finally perked up for the first time when I visited her Thursday. It also looks like they may finally have her nausea under control as she was tolerating the tube feeding well. That's why the vet is hopeful that Saturday she'll be well enough to leave.
THEN THE BILLS MOUNTED
Sasha's first visit to the vet, for the blood work and ultrasound before I took her home, was $354. But on admitting her the next day, the hospital took a $1,500 deposit to cover the estimated cost of $1,500 for one night and $3,000 for two. The estimate was pretty accurate, as we're now up to $4,222 (including the first visit) as of Saturday morning. The charges per night thankfully decreased Thursday night as they're trying to wean Sasha off of her various medicines. The charges range from $495 for an ultrasound, $116 for blood work, to $390/day just for the boarding cost (not counting the various medicines and procedures). At the bottom of this page I'm including a copy of Sasha's in-patient bills as of Saturday morning.
Sasha is remaining at the animal hospital at least until Saturday, per the vet's instructions. If she's released Saturday, her immediate medical bills will be over $4,000, not taking into account post-release check-ups, etc.
Thus, I'm setting a fundraising goal of $5,000, taking into account the donation processing fees (in principle, I shouldn't have to pay income tax as these "may" be considered gifts, according to the research I've done, but I'm waiting to hear from my accountant). If Sasha's bills are lower, I'll lower the goal, and/or donate any excess donations to Washington, DC's "Humane Rescue Alliance" (the renamed Humane Society). And if her bills go higher, I'll raise the goal accordingly.
Your donations will go 100% to paying for Sasha's medical treatment for this illness (other than any unexpected excess going to the local animal welfare group).
THANK YOU
It's difficult to ask for help for something like this, and I never imagined the costs could be so high or add up so quickly. I just can't even imagine being a position where you'd have to say "no." Sasha is my everything, so there was no real choice but to get her the help she needed, and figure out how to pay later. Nonetheless, I'm a bit shell-shocked by her sudden illness and the bills. But at least she's finally getting better, and that's all that matters.
Thanks for all the moral support from my friends on Twitter and beyond, and thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer towards helping me bring Sasha home.
John Aravosis & Sasha
Washington, DC
(I'm @aravosis on Twitter, so you can see that I'm for real, thanks.)
Below are Sasha's in-patient bills as of Saturday morning, May 25 (out-patient was another $354):
Organiser
John Aravosis
Organiser
Washington D.C., DC
