CU Friends- Do you recognize this photo? This is the photo that was posted on social media when Good Samaritan, Abby J. found Baxter as a stray. He showed up at her back door in the cold last week. She noticed right away that he had *freshly* shaved spots on both of his front legs, obviously from recent blood work. She immediately had him scanned for a chip, notified Animal Control, blasted him on social media, and took him to the vet. He was lethargic, ataxic, frequently vomiting bile, drinking and urinating excessively, and constantly drooling. She was concerned that he may have Parvo, but he tested negative! The Vet confirmed that Baxter was only approximately 12 weeks old – Wow! He was eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating, so she had hopes that he was just exhausted from running, and that his belly was just upset from all of the changes, especially the new food. After a couple of days and MANY shares on social media, Abby checked with Animal Control again. It became clear that no one was coming for this little guy. She then reached out to us at PetNet Rescue for help. We lined up a foster, touched base with Animal Control personally, double checked for a chip, and got him an immediate vet appointment because we could tell something wasn't right...
 
We arrived at the vet within an hour of picking Baxter up, but we were very concerned about him. We had a hunch that Baxter was dealing with a Liver Shunt. The Veterinarian did blood work and several other tests. She agreed that the results of each were consistent with a Shunt, prescribed meds, and recommended further workup.

*What is a shunt?   “Liver shunts in dogs occur as a result of a birth defect (congenitally). A liver shunt can be intrahepatic, when blood is diverted in a vessel within the liver, or it can be extrahepatic, when blood is diverted in a vessel around the outside of the liver. This special blood vessel is called the ductus venosus.”
 
We settled Baxter in at his foster home and he was started on his meds right away. He was still eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating normally, which was great. The following morning, his fosters noticed what they thought was sudden vision loss. They also witnessed him twitching his head and immediately somersaulting. We took him straight to the ER based on these symptoms…
 
On presentation, Baxter was extremely lethargic, so the ER doctors started a catheter and begun their exam right away! His neuro exam showed that he was not 100% appropriate mentally, which is common in dogs who are in liver failure. They did a flash ultrasound and found a lot of “debris” in his bladder, due to his system not being able to filter as it should. They gave him an enema to flush out bacteria, and the solid stool they felt in his bowel, fluids to keep things moving, and prescribed several additional take home medications. Baxter's fosters will be adminstering oral meds, enemas, subcu fluids, and keeping him on a prescription diet to limit his protein intake until surgery.
 
To determine which type of shunt Baxter has, we must do a CT and a Bile Acids Test. He must be fasted for 12 hours prior to performing the Bile Acids Test, so it could not be done tonight. That test and the CT are also more expensive during emergency hours, so we opted to wait until Monday. In order to go to surgery, Baxter must be on seizure medications for a full 2 weeks in advance. This was another reason that we felt comfortable waiting until Monday for those tests, as they would not have changed the immediate treatment plan anyway.
 
So far, we have invested over $300 in our little friend in the last 48 hours. His tests on Monday will be $500-$600. His estimate for surgery is $3,200-$4,900. We are hopeful that his surgery will be on the lower end, but they don’t want us to have any surprises.

We feel strongly that Baxter was dumped because he was ill. HUNDREDS of shares on social media, including on pages specifically for reuniting owners with their lost pets, but nothing!? Someone knows something, especially since he was so recently seen by a vet!

He hasn’t been dealt the best hand in his short 12 weeks of life! Recovery after an extensive surgery like this is rough, but with surgery, his prognosis is great! Will you help us raise the necessary funds to get Baxter to surgery!? This little guy landed in our laps at a time when intake was already high, but we're committed to helping those who need us most!

Prefer to donate another way? Checks (payable to PetNet) may be mailed to:
PO Box 886
Mahomet, IL 61853

Additionally, you may donate via PayPal (to help us save on GFM fees): www.paypal.me/petnetrescue

Check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/petnetrescue or our website: www.petnetrescue.org for additional information.
*Please stay tuned to follow along with Baxter's story!

***We are NOT accepting Adoption Applications at this time. Our focus is on Baxter's health and immediate medical needs***

Thank you - We literally can't do this without you!