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Midge is a sweet little dog who was rescued and adopted by her devoted Mom, Anna in 2018. She came with a broken leg, and Anna lovingly nursed her through her recovery, and the two became inseparable.
Late last Friday evening Midge was not acting herself and Anna noticed she had very pale gums and seemed dizzy and confused. She was immediately on alert and had the vets on standby. On Saturday morning, with no real change she decided to take Midge to KVEC in Peterborough where they began diagnostics on her heart, thinking they would likely find underlying heart disease. A blood panel revealed Midge was very anemic but thankfully x-rays showed she did not have any fluid around her heart or in her chest. She was not losing blood visibly through her urine or bowel movements and was not vomiting, and there was no sign of internal bleeding, so the medical team concluded that she was likely suffering with an autoimmune disorder or toxicity in the blood, potentially from eating onions or perhaps she had contracted a tick borne illness. Since she was relatively stable at that time, they released her and suggested that Anna follow up with her regular vet the following week to redo the bloodwork to see what direction her her RBC's (red blood cells) were heading. However, Anna opted to bring Midge back to KVEC on Sunday to retest after a sleepless night and no improvement in her signs and symptoms. The bloodwork taken that day showed a very slight improvement. Hopeful that Midge was now recovering, she returned home and booked a follow up appointment with her regular vet the next day (Monday), just as an added precaution. A third blood draw showed that things were actually worsening again, and Anna and Midge were sent immediately to Toronto Emergency Veterinary Clinic (TVEH). Midge was admitted and earlier today she was seen by Internal Medicine Specialist who assessed her further and explained to Anna that little Midgies RBCs are reproducing so her body is trying to compensate which is the good news, however, they are not reproducing fast enough and the cause remains a mystery. Midge is now waiting for an ultrasound and more bloodwork as well as a 4DX test to rule out tickborne illnesses. It is expected that Midge will need to remain in hospital another 2-3 days, while they work on diagnosing her and coming up with a treatment plan. In speaking with Anna late last night and again early this morning, it was clear how worried and exhausted she is. It’s been a very emotional and tiring four days but, but she told me that this little girl is her world and she will do whatever she needs to to ensure her recovery.
Anyone that knows Anna knows that she does not like to ask for help for herself, but gives tirelessly in support of others, particularly to dog rescues which are near and dear to her heart. As a small business owner in the middle of a pandemic and with some other unrelated recent unexpected expenses just last week, the financial toll this has taken has been immense, and I, as her friend, wanted to start this fundraiser to help alleviate this financial hardship.
After paying just over $1,000 at KVEC, she was given an estimate from TVEH for a range of $3,390 to $5,650 as well as the bill she will need to pay her own vet, but has not yet been invoiced for. For any pet owner, prepared or not.. this is a lot. If you are able to help in any way, please know that Anna and Midge will be forever grateful, and your kindness will not be forgotten.
In the meantime, please keep this little fighter in your thoughts as we wait for more answers. As Anna so often says, "for all of her 4 pounds, she is the toughest dog I’ve ever met"....so we have to believe Midge will recover!
Late last Friday evening Midge was not acting herself and Anna noticed she had very pale gums and seemed dizzy and confused. She was immediately on alert and had the vets on standby. On Saturday morning, with no real change she decided to take Midge to KVEC in Peterborough where they began diagnostics on her heart, thinking they would likely find underlying heart disease. A blood panel revealed Midge was very anemic but thankfully x-rays showed she did not have any fluid around her heart or in her chest. She was not losing blood visibly through her urine or bowel movements and was not vomiting, and there was no sign of internal bleeding, so the medical team concluded that she was likely suffering with an autoimmune disorder or toxicity in the blood, potentially from eating onions or perhaps she had contracted a tick borne illness. Since she was relatively stable at that time, they released her and suggested that Anna follow up with her regular vet the following week to redo the bloodwork to see what direction her her RBC's (red blood cells) were heading. However, Anna opted to bring Midge back to KVEC on Sunday to retest after a sleepless night and no improvement in her signs and symptoms. The bloodwork taken that day showed a very slight improvement. Hopeful that Midge was now recovering, she returned home and booked a follow up appointment with her regular vet the next day (Monday), just as an added precaution. A third blood draw showed that things were actually worsening again, and Anna and Midge were sent immediately to Toronto Emergency Veterinary Clinic (TVEH). Midge was admitted and earlier today she was seen by Internal Medicine Specialist who assessed her further and explained to Anna that little Midgies RBCs are reproducing so her body is trying to compensate which is the good news, however, they are not reproducing fast enough and the cause remains a mystery. Midge is now waiting for an ultrasound and more bloodwork as well as a 4DX test to rule out tickborne illnesses. It is expected that Midge will need to remain in hospital another 2-3 days, while they work on diagnosing her and coming up with a treatment plan. In speaking with Anna late last night and again early this morning, it was clear how worried and exhausted she is. It’s been a very emotional and tiring four days but, but she told me that this little girl is her world and she will do whatever she needs to to ensure her recovery.
Anyone that knows Anna knows that she does not like to ask for help for herself, but gives tirelessly in support of others, particularly to dog rescues which are near and dear to her heart. As a small business owner in the middle of a pandemic and with some other unrelated recent unexpected expenses just last week, the financial toll this has taken has been immense, and I, as her friend, wanted to start this fundraiser to help alleviate this financial hardship.
After paying just over $1,000 at KVEC, she was given an estimate from TVEH for a range of $3,390 to $5,650 as well as the bill she will need to pay her own vet, but has not yet been invoiced for. For any pet owner, prepared or not.. this is a lot. If you are able to help in any way, please know that Anna and Midge will be forever grateful, and your kindness will not be forgotten.
In the meantime, please keep this little fighter in your thoughts as we wait for more answers. As Anna so often says, "for all of her 4 pounds, she is the toughest dog I’ve ever met"....so we have to believe Midge will recover!