Hi, I’m Virginia, and this page is for my best friend’s puppy, Evie. On 11/9 my friend got home after clinical and noticed Evie was heavily drooling, was very lethargic, and wasn’t wagging her tail. For anyone who has met Evie, you know this is not okay— she wags her tail no matter what, even if she is scared, her little tail wags between her legs! My friend took her to the emergency vet, as it was after 5pm, and Evie was quickly admitted for an array of blood tests and x-rays. As much as Evie wanted to go home that night, they did not know what was causing her problems. That night, Evie struggled to breathe and her oxygen levels plummeted in the middle of the night- had she come home, she wouldn’t have made it through. That evening, they could not intubate Evie because the swelling in her throat was so severe, so they placed a temporary tracheotomy below the swelling to allow her to breathe and put her on the ventilator to give her time to recover. Fast forward, and it’s 11/11 today. Evie was x-rayed multiple times for obstructions in her esophagus, stomach, and bowels. They thought they noticed a foreign object in her esophagus, so they performed a procedure where they take a camera down the back of her throat and use tools to try to remove it. However, after a few hours of looking, it was just incredible swelling- swelling so bad that it made it difficult for them to do anything else. My friend was able to spend a few minutes with Evie when she was between anesthesia, and she managed to wag her tail a few times for her mama! Right now she is breathing out the tracheostomy on her own and they have determined through a CT scan that she has an cervical abscess most likely caused by Evie’s favorite pastime- chewing sticks. Don’t worry, she will never be allowed another stick! Last night, they performed a performed a procedure where the placed a drain in her abscess to allow fluids to leak out in the hopes of reducing the swelling. It’s brought the swelling down some so far, but she has so much we have a LONG way to go! They are hoping to insert a NG tube to provide Evie with nutrients since she has not eaten in three days, although she’s been getting plenty of fluids and medications through her IV! However, she has been continuously regurgitating liquids which is incredibly dangerous- due to the swelling in her neck, any liquid getting into her lungs could cause pneumonia. In her current state, this could be deadly. Evie is only a year and 4 months old, and is still a puppy. We are incredibly thankful for the amazing team that has been taking care of Evie, but she’s not out of the woods yet. All that being said, the first night alone cost $1,100. If you’re not familiar, most emergency vets do not accept payment plans, and right now my friend has already put close to $8,000 on a credit card. It is a horrible choice to choose between money and keeping your fur baby alive. We are continually praying not only for Evie but the veterinarians and surgeons who have been working tirelessly for the last 72 hours to help Evie. Right now, my friend is looking at $12-15,000 in total for all of the medicines, surgeries, anesthesia, and stay at the emergency vet, particularly because Evie is in doggy ICU. My friend is a nursing student, and working as much as she can between classes and clinical, but no one is ready to face bills of this nature nor face the option of losing their dog or being able to pay for their life. Any amount that you can provide will go directly to Evie’s care, and is greatly appreciated.