Blastomycosis, lymphoma, disability
Donation protected
When this cutie was 15 months old she started losing weight. I took her to the vet and was told that her weight was normal, but I thought that was crazy as she ate a lot but never gained and now she was losing weight.
But I took the vet at her word. Two weeks later Hope had lost even more weight and I had an appointment with the clinic owner. He thought of several things but nothing really fit as her symptoms were pretty generic. On one xray some of her lung was captured and this showed a miliary appearance. He still didn't know what that was exactly, but gave me meds.
On the eve of Thanksgiving she was worse, and getting worse every day. She is normally 53# but she was down to 41#. I found myself in Chicago traffic inching along on the way to see a specialist.
Once there they were not sure what was wrong but they said the blastomycosis word as a maybe, and put her in an oxygen cage. She was hospitalized for 3 days. They confirmed blasto.
Once she was released I referred to a closer vet who had experience with it. None of the vets would say if Hope would live or die, when my friends asked I evaded the question also. We couldn't treat her aggressively, either, because all the fungus die off in her lungs at once would suffocate her. She lost an additional 7#. She slept leaning on my hip, upright, for the next month or two. I would come home and cry because I was so happy she was still alive. She gave me lots of bewildered, but happy looks.
As she started to get better, I obsessed over the money I was spending when I was alone, because at what cost is a dog's life worth? Some told me to put her to sleep.
This made me feel like a knife was in my heart. The next thing that happened was killer. I herniated a disk in my back which involved a pinching on the sciatic nerve, which gave me 3 minutes standing up for every 30 minutes lying down.
How could I care for her and my other dogs? And I couldn't work so I had to go on disability pay.
My credit cards were now maxed out and most of my take home went to my mortgage.
I got the epidural shots so was out for nearly 7 weeks.
I'm back to work now but my credit rating is horrible, and I'm just barely getting ahead. But I'm working on it.
Except....
I took my sweet Clover into the vet, to find out she has lymphoma. Credit cards maxed by disability and the $10,000 I spent on my sweet Hope, and the setback of not receiving full pay and now I'm torn to pieces inside every time I look at Clover knowing I can't even begin to remotely afford a visit to an oncologist for her. She is an amazing, sweet lovely girl, and it's no fault of hers. Please help if you can, I am not good at asking for help, but every bit given makes me feel humbled. I'm tapped out.
But I took the vet at her word. Two weeks later Hope had lost even more weight and I had an appointment with the clinic owner. He thought of several things but nothing really fit as her symptoms were pretty generic. On one xray some of her lung was captured and this showed a miliary appearance. He still didn't know what that was exactly, but gave me meds.
On the eve of Thanksgiving she was worse, and getting worse every day. She is normally 53# but she was down to 41#. I found myself in Chicago traffic inching along on the way to see a specialist.
Once there they were not sure what was wrong but they said the blastomycosis word as a maybe, and put her in an oxygen cage. She was hospitalized for 3 days. They confirmed blasto.
Once she was released I referred to a closer vet who had experience with it. None of the vets would say if Hope would live or die, when my friends asked I evaded the question also. We couldn't treat her aggressively, either, because all the fungus die off in her lungs at once would suffocate her. She lost an additional 7#. She slept leaning on my hip, upright, for the next month or two. I would come home and cry because I was so happy she was still alive. She gave me lots of bewildered, but happy looks.
As she started to get better, I obsessed over the money I was spending when I was alone, because at what cost is a dog's life worth? Some told me to put her to sleep.
This made me feel like a knife was in my heart. The next thing that happened was killer. I herniated a disk in my back which involved a pinching on the sciatic nerve, which gave me 3 minutes standing up for every 30 minutes lying down.
How could I care for her and my other dogs? And I couldn't work so I had to go on disability pay.
My credit cards were now maxed out and most of my take home went to my mortgage.
I got the epidural shots so was out for nearly 7 weeks.
I'm back to work now but my credit rating is horrible, and I'm just barely getting ahead. But I'm working on it.
Except....
I took my sweet Clover into the vet, to find out she has lymphoma. Credit cards maxed by disability and the $10,000 I spent on my sweet Hope, and the setback of not receiving full pay and now I'm torn to pieces inside every time I look at Clover knowing I can't even begin to remotely afford a visit to an oncologist for her. She is an amazing, sweet lovely girl, and it's no fault of hers. Please help if you can, I am not good at asking for help, but every bit given makes me feel humbled. I'm tapped out.
Organizer
Heidi McClure
Organizer
Minooka, IL
