On August 31, our sweet girl Piper Laine had to be rushed to the ER in Austin. We were in Port O’Connor for Labor Day weekend when she started acting off, so we took her to a vet in Victoria (thank you Dr. Sam for getting out of bed to come treat Piper!). After two visits, he told us, “You need to get her to an emergency room now.” We jumped in the car and drove straight to Austin.

When we got there, the vet came in with news no one wants to hear. Piper was bleeding internally and needed emergency surgery right away. Of course, all of this was happening on a holiday weekend, so they had to call in a surgeon and a whole team to assist. They took her back to the operating room immediately. We were on pins and needles all night long waiting for a positive phone call - she made it through the surgery!

The surgery lasted nearly four hours. They found a tumor on her liver and weren’t sure if it had spread. Things got complicated, she developed a pneumothorax and had to have another procedure to remove air from her chest. Her red blood cell count dropped so low that she needed a blood transfusion. After that, she developed pancreatitis, and we agreed to try an experimental drug to help her fight it.

Piper spent six days and five nights in the hospital. We visited her every single day, and it was heartbreaking to see her in such rough shape. She finally came home on September 5th, but the very next day she had to go back to the ER with a high fever. More tests followed -x-rays, bloodwork; thankfully no pneumonia or new pneumothorax. They believe her symptoms are from the pancreatitis. Right now she’s still in a critical recovery period, but she’s home with us, taking lots of meds, and fighting to get better.

All of this has left us drowning in vet bills. The costs are just like human medical bills, and they add up fast. We would do absolutely anything to save Piper, but we can’t do it alone. She is our baby, and we’re humbly asking for help with her medical expenses and continued care. Any amount helps, and we’re so grateful for the love and support!