Emergency Surgery for River

River is my darling 7-year-old Husky-Shepherd mix dog. On Saturday, August 5, 2017, at 6:00 PM, we noticed that something was wrong with her legs and back, when not even an hour previous she had been just fine. Her back legs seemed to suddenly no longer work. She would drag herself across the floor with her front legs but if she tried to put weight on the back legs, they just slid out from under her. She didn't seem to be in any pain, but we called the emergency line for the vets at Advanced Veterinary Care in Effingham.

We met with the vet on-call, who did a quick manual examination and she referred us to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, IL.  An hour and a half later, I had her there, being examined. They called in a Neurologist, Dr. Vitali, to give a more comprehensive exam and as of this morning, August 6, they have take River in to have an MRI.

So far the tentative diagnosis is that she might have  intervertebral disc disease, where a disc has ruptured, causing the paralysis in her hind legs. If that is the case, she will need surgery to fix the issue. There is also a chance that it might have been a stroke.

If she requires surgery, the estimated cost for everything could be anywhere from $4500 to $5500, but that is just for the surgery and the MRI. I was asked to provided a half-deposit of the higher cost ($2750). I managed to scrape together $1200 for a deposit but the Neurologist has stated that that will cover only about half of the MRI. Before River can get surgery, I'll need at least  another $1550 in order to proceed. 

If you don't feel comfortable donating to GoFundMe, you can also donate directly to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital over the phone. Their number is [phone redacted]. Tell them you want to put money towards River. Her client number is 341245 and they have an MR# 00114188 (according to the invoice I received for the Deposit and the tentative treatment plan. I don't know if you need these numbers or if you can just tell them it is for River, Jennifer DeWeese's dog.)

All money donated will go towards River's surgery and treatment costs as well as gas money to drive back and forth from Effingham to Urbana. Any left over will be donated, either to the Effingham County Humane Society or to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital to help care for any other animals that may need it. 

River is the sweetest dog in the world. Please have it in your heart to donate to her or share this campaign to spread the word.