Another major surgery for our Bones-y boy...
Donation protected
Unfortunately, our rescue, Bones, needs another costly surgery once again. Bones came to us (my girlfriend and I) last November in pretty bad shape. The rescue reached out to us asking if we would be willing to foster a Belgian Malinois at risk of being put down. When he arrived from Texas, we immediately knew the situation was worse than we feared.
Bones was merely 24 pounds on the night we brought him home. The next day we brought him to the vet hoping for the best. The vet that day told us that he needed was severely malnourished and had a hernia that would need to be addressed once he got some weight on him. He got his shots and we took him to the groomer for his overgrown nails and just some good clean pampering; he didn't think so highly of it.
This was all necessary so it was safe for him to meet and live with our first rescue, Freya, while we put some weight on him before we could fix his hernia.
This is their first meeting (Freya still gives this look, but she loves him). Fast forward a few months and Bones was putting on weight and doing well. It was time for him to get neutered and to get the hernia take care of. The rescue (NYC Bully CREW) that we were fostering him for sent us to a clinic, where we were told they neutered him and corrected his hernia (or so we thought).
Bones continued to live with us as a foster for the next few months. Until we decided that we couldn't part with him. We decided we would adopt him and make him officially a part of our family. Shortly there after, Bones starting to regurgitate saliva and, if severe enough, all of his food.
We noticed that the regurgitation would occur more often when Bones had excitement or anxiety. Due to his past, he had severe leash anxiety, so we tried to work with him but we failed. We took him to the Animal Medical Center of New York (AMC) for testing. AMC told us that his original hernia was never fixed and that he had major underling issues that required testing. The bills started to pile up.
Luckily, I thought the pet insurance that I enrolled in shortly after adoption would resolve this financial issue, but we were denied because this was considered a "preexisting condition". The only blessing we had was a great veterinarian, Dr. Palma, DVM at the AMC. He gave us prescriptions that mitigated Bones' issues while we appealed the insurance companies verdict (60 day response). We also decided to take care of Bones' hernia. Dr. Palma actually fixed the hernia this time, unlike the people at the clinic we were sent to by the New York Bully Crew.
Once Bones healed from his hernia surgery, and while waiting for our insurance appeal, we figured we would work on the psychological triggers to Bones' regurgitation. We looked up "Best Dog Trainers in the NY area" and thankfully found Tom Davis at the Upstate Canine Academy. After a virtual training session and an OK from Dr. Palma, we decided to enroll Bones in a two week board and train program. It worked well for us since I was away for my annual two week military training. Tom himself made a video about Bones because of his extraordinary case.
Tom's group of trainers, especially Kyle and Zack, did an amazing job with Bones in two weeks. Yet, with all of their hard work on his severe anxiety, along with the prescribed medications, it still did not solve his regurgitation problems. We were left with awaiting the insurance appeal decision which came on September 21, 2020.
It was at this point we knew we were financially obligated on our own to give Bones the live he deserved. We started with opening our home to a foster dog pending DEATH, with a rescue (NYBC) that provided us with no aid, and finally with an insurance company that denied our claim for an "undiagnosed pre-existing condition" (if that is even a thing). Now, we are appealing to our State Department of Insurance and local legislatures. As we all know, this could take months and years. We asked AMC for an estimate on Bones' surgery.
After receiving the estimate for Bones' surgery, we knew it wouldn't be possible for us to come up with the money right now, especially since we are still working on paying off his previous medical bills.
While weighing our options, we decided it may be a good idea to create a Go Fund Me for our little guy, at the very least, to raise awareness about Bones' situation. We appreciate every donation, big or small. We also understand that it is such a tough time right now for many families, so if you cannot donate, please share Bones' story!
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read about Bones and to help us give our little guy the life he deserves!
Bones was merely 24 pounds on the night we brought him home. The next day we brought him to the vet hoping for the best. The vet that day told us that he needed was severely malnourished and had a hernia that would need to be addressed once he got some weight on him. He got his shots and we took him to the groomer for his overgrown nails and just some good clean pampering; he didn't think so highly of it.
This was all necessary so it was safe for him to meet and live with our first rescue, Freya, while we put some weight on him before we could fix his hernia.
This is their first meeting (Freya still gives this look, but she loves him). Fast forward a few months and Bones was putting on weight and doing well. It was time for him to get neutered and to get the hernia take care of. The rescue (NYC Bully CREW) that we were fostering him for sent us to a clinic, where we were told they neutered him and corrected his hernia (or so we thought).
Bones continued to live with us as a foster for the next few months. Until we decided that we couldn't part with him. We decided we would adopt him and make him officially a part of our family. Shortly there after, Bones starting to regurgitate saliva and, if severe enough, all of his food.
We noticed that the regurgitation would occur more often when Bones had excitement or anxiety. Due to his past, he had severe leash anxiety, so we tried to work with him but we failed. We took him to the Animal Medical Center of New York (AMC) for testing. AMC told us that his original hernia was never fixed and that he had major underling issues that required testing. The bills started to pile up.
Luckily, I thought the pet insurance that I enrolled in shortly after adoption would resolve this financial issue, but we were denied because this was considered a "preexisting condition". The only blessing we had was a great veterinarian, Dr. Palma, DVM at the AMC. He gave us prescriptions that mitigated Bones' issues while we appealed the insurance companies verdict (60 day response). We also decided to take care of Bones' hernia. Dr. Palma actually fixed the hernia this time, unlike the people at the clinic we were sent to by the New York Bully Crew.
Once Bones healed from his hernia surgery, and while waiting for our insurance appeal, we figured we would work on the psychological triggers to Bones' regurgitation. We looked up "Best Dog Trainers in the NY area" and thankfully found Tom Davis at the Upstate Canine Academy. After a virtual training session and an OK from Dr. Palma, we decided to enroll Bones in a two week board and train program. It worked well for us since I was away for my annual two week military training. Tom himself made a video about Bones because of his extraordinary case.
Tom's group of trainers, especially Kyle and Zack, did an amazing job with Bones in two weeks. Yet, with all of their hard work on his severe anxiety, along with the prescribed medications, it still did not solve his regurgitation problems. We were left with awaiting the insurance appeal decision which came on September 21, 2020.
It was at this point we knew we were financially obligated on our own to give Bones the live he deserved. We started with opening our home to a foster dog pending DEATH, with a rescue (NYBC) that provided us with no aid, and finally with an insurance company that denied our claim for an "undiagnosed pre-existing condition" (if that is even a thing). Now, we are appealing to our State Department of Insurance and local legislatures. As we all know, this could take months and years. We asked AMC for an estimate on Bones' surgery.
After receiving the estimate for Bones' surgery, we knew it wouldn't be possible for us to come up with the money right now, especially since we are still working on paying off his previous medical bills.
While weighing our options, we decided it may be a good idea to create a Go Fund Me for our little guy, at the very least, to raise awareness about Bones' situation. We appreciate every donation, big or small. We also understand that it is such a tough time right now for many families, so if you cannot donate, please share Bones' story!
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read about Bones and to help us give our little guy the life he deserves!
Organizer
Dan Rye In
Organizer
Middle Village, NY
