Help Cassie survive being hit by a car

I was out running errands when I received the call: "Do you have a dog named Cassie? She's been hit by a car." The amount of dread that goes through you when you hear those words... it's hard to explain. I'm honestly not sure whether the caller was the one who hit Cassie or she just saw it happen, but she gave me the address of the neighbor she was leaving Cassie with, telling them I would be there in 10-15 minutes. I dropped everything and headed home as quickly as I could.

When I arrived, I found Cassie wrapped in a blanket by herself on the porch. The scream she let out when she recognized me and stood up to greet me shattered my heart. She was in so much agony and still eagerly rose to greet me. And why did no one wait with her? I tucked her away into my car and raced to the emergency vet. The forty minute drive dragged on, lengthened by her groans and whimpers the entire trip. I could tell that even just the slight force of accelerating caused her more pain so I drove as cautiously as I could. I was later infuriated to learn that the GPS took me a longer route, down winding backroads which increased her pain tenfold with each turn... the return trip was all highways and 10 minutes faster. My guilt just compounded learning I took her a route that caused her additional suffering.

When we arrived at the ER, they brought out a stretcher and quickly got her taken in back. I checked-in, was shown to a waiting room, and finally allowed myself a good cry. This little girl is such an angel and has already been through so much in her life.

I knew Cassie was in rough shape, but she'd still seemed aware and alert enough that I hoped her chance of getting through this was decent. She's only 3 years old, but has been through this before. Back before I fostered her, she and her brother had been left for dead on the side of the road... both apparently having been hit by a car. Cassie couldn't even use her back leg it was so bad. She fought tooth and nail through surgeries and rehab and was able to regain some use of her leg... all the vets expected that she'd have to have it amputated. And she went out of her way to prove them wrong. She has always had so much strength of spirit and such a joy for life... it breaks my heart to see her have to go through all of this again.

The ER vets told me that Cassie's pelvis is broken. And that even after 40 minutes of being on pain meds, she was obviously still experiencing extreme pain. They mentioned several factors that indicated she could still be in severe shock and that her adrenaline was making her more alert and active than her body should actually be... indicating things may take a turn for the worse tonight. All of which was worsened by the fact that she had air in her chest where there shouldn't be. They suspected that her lung may be punctured, but had a different procedure to attempt to remove the air and see if she improves at all.

The initial visit, pain meds, and x-rays immediately put the bill at over $500.00. The weekend stay, lung procedure, pain meds, and so on, escalated the bill to over $3,400.00.

I am asking for more than the quoted amount because the ER isn't able to do anything at all with her broken pelvis... that will have to be taken care of at another vet clinic... when she's stable... and if I can locate one that is open, able to perform the necessary surgery, has the availability, and also owns the oxygen crates she will need in her current condition. The charges are racking up faster than I can keep up with. This quote is also for the *minimum* they'll need. If it turns out she did puncture a lung, that will add on more.

I implore you that, please, if you are able to donate anything, it would be sincerely appreciated. This sweetheart of a dog deserves a fighting chance. I know she'll put in the effort to survive; I just need to make sure she has the chance. And, if you're not able to donate, sharing this post would be an immense help, too. (Also, if your funds are tight and you, too, are struggling, please do NOT donate. I will figure this out for her one way or another.)

If you'd rather avoid GoFundMe fees, my Venmo is @Kalitsuna.

And thank you so much for taking the time to read about Cassie's predicament.

A little bit more about who she is:

Cassie is a 3 year old terrier mix (her brother's DNA panel showed over 16 dog breeds). I fostered her for a bit before I adopted her myself. Her favorite thing in the world is to carry items around and she is sooo proud if you acknowledge her for doing it. She especially loves to carry anything paper or cardboard. She steals my shoes on a regular basis, but always happily brings them back if I ask her, "Where are my shoes?!" We usually call her Kissie or Miss Kiss because she *always* tries to sneak a kiss in when you're not paying attention. Having her nails trimmed always turns her into a drama queen who "swoons" in an attempt to avoid it, but puts up with it because I ask her to. She is absolutely one of the sweetest souls ever.

I had taken 30 seconds after initially picking Cassie up to check that Zeke, Hailey, and/or Bonnie, hadn't escaped as well. I was prepared to call in family to help find them if that was the case while I went to the ER. I'm exceptionally grateful they were all still at home and I quickly closed their access to the outdoor kennel while I was gone. After arriving back home tonight I discovered a Cassie-sized hole beneath the fence of her outdoor dog kennel.

The one empty dog bed tonight is breaking my heart.