Fund for Ernie's Oral Surgery

After living alone for the first time in my life, I found myself often isolated when I wasn't out studying with friends or had company over. I often keep myself busy with my schoolwork and was in need of companionship at the end of the day. That's when I started looking into local animal shelters to adopt a little furry friend who I could find comfort in caring for. Looking particularly at the cats, I came across Ernie, a black Domestic Shorthair mix. When I met him at the foster care home, his eyes were completely dilated and he didn't want to leave the darkness under a desk in the corner. I knew I saw myself in him and wanted to bring him home to regain his trust.

Since I adopted Ernie so quickly, I never thought of obtaining pet insurance since Seattle has a policy where his first appointment would be free as long as it was within the first week of adoption. This was when we, Antara (my partner) and I, discovered Ernie had a chipped tooth. At the time, it wasn't an issue as it was a clean break and he seemed unbothered. We ended up paying no mind to it as we wanted to focus on making Ernie comfortable in his new home.

It took about 1.5 months for Ernie to come out of his regular hiding spots of the closet, under the bed, and under the sofa. Now he sits with me as I study, eat, exercise, sleep, etc. Almost every morning Ernie comes and checks on me, whether it is to get me out of bed since he knows I've been awake for a bit or he just wants to have breakfast together. He comes and comforts me when I am feeling sad and cries at me when I am cooking in the kitchen. He's everything I could ever hope for as a furry companion.

Last week, I took Ernie for his annual check-up expecting nothing out of the ordinary. That's when I learned that he was in pain from his chipped tooth. Since last year, the chip has increased with the pulp of the tooth being fully exposed, as well as the gums on the left side of his mouth becoming more inflamed. Cats are known to hide their pain, and I've noticed that Ernie has been sleeping significantly more than usual and is less active. The vet noted that the day he stops eating his food would mean that it would be too late. Ernie is only 4.5 years old. I want him to live a long and happy life and I am worried that I am causing him more pain and will lose him.

This past year I've found myself paying over 7K in personal medical expenses, including a surgery, out of pocket. I previously went part-time for a year and had extra savings to cover this. However, currently I am a full-time student and am finding it hard to have enough expenses necessary to pay for Ernie's Surgery. I've called several vets in the area and estimates for a tooth extraction are up to 2.7K, which includes bloodwork, hospitalization, anesthesia, x-rays, medications, and the surgery itself. I have pet insurance for Ernie, but they are unable to confirm whether this would qualify as a pre-existing condition and how much they are able to cover. They said that I would have to pay out of pocket and they might give me a refund, but that's up to their discretion afterwards and they don’t do pre-approval. I am seeking financial support for Ernie's surgery and will give back or donate any extra funds to other pets in need. Based on the amount raised, Antara and I plan on splitting the difference in cost. Thank you again for all your support.