Emergency Surgery for Maggie May

Hello, our names are Alex and Charlotte and we have three basset hound children, Freya, Penny and Maggie May. Maggie May, who just turned 13-years old two weeks ago and is our first and most dear (though we love them all equally of course), is currently undergoing emergency intestinal surgery to stop septic fluid from leaking out and filling her body. The doctors don't know if it's something she ate, or possibly cancer that has broken through the intestinal wall, and they don't have time to test for cancer due to the severity of the leak.

The past year she has been battling IBD, which we have tried a handful of treatments for. She had been losing weight and lost her appetite, which was so difficult to see. Even at 7-years older than our next oldest, Maggie always had far more energy and a zest for life than the more lazy and more basset-like Penny and Freya. To see her activity down, not wanting food (and they all eat better than we do), losing weight, and not wanting to go on walks was just heartbreaking.

Just six weeks ago our Doctor put her on Prednisone due to other treatments not working very well, and the results were instantly visible. She started eating twice a day again, often wanting intermittent treats and small meals. She had that happy smile on her face (those of you who have had the pleasure of being around Maggie know what I'm talking about, her almost human-like smile and eyes), was amped to go on walks and had gained back 5lbs.

Then this past Monday night she ate something off the ground on our nightly walk, which is something we are constantly on the lookout for. Bassets are renown for their noses and are constantly on the lookout to eat anything they can find. Often we catch it in time and yank whatever we find out of their mouths, but this was one of the too frequent times when they beat us to the punch. The entirety of Tuesday Maggie wouldn't eat or drink water, and was often dry-heaving or throwing up bile. By late that night she had become weak, disoriented and was drooling constantly.

At 3am last night/this morning we rushed her to the Emergency Vet, not wanting to wait any longer. Then we got the call that no pet owner wants to get - Maggie was in need of emergency surgery and the outcome would be 50/50. There is a chance she might not make it through the surgery, there's a chance it might be cancer, which would lead to a quick demise. But there's also a chance it was in fact something she ate and that they can repair her intestines, bringing back our healthy, happy girl after some rest and recovery.

There's nothing we wouldn't do for our Maggie May. Six years ago she needed an emergency neck surgery after finding a blown disc in her spine that set us back $10,000. We drained our savings and took out a small loan to cover costs. This intestinal surgery will cost a minimum of $15,000 and upwards of $19,000, and we simply don't have near the money to cover costs. We maxed our credit card and used all the savings we could, and we could really use all the help possible to help us cover costs.

Unfortunately, whether our Maggie May makes it through or not, the costs will remain. We humbly ask for you help and support.