Dear friends, family, and Tahoe community,

It would mean so much if you would please consider helping us raise funds for Dallas' beloved Kookaburra (aka Kookie) who had to undergo a high-risk surgery on January 2nd, 2025. While the surgery went well and we are now hopeful for a full recovery, we are continuing to monitor Kookie closely.

Backstory:

On Saturday, December 28th, Kookie began getting sick. While at first we assumed she must have just eaten something odd, we grew concerned when the vomiting did not stop.

We were able to get her into Alpine Animal Hospital Monday, December 30th for a checkup and bloodwork. Seeing no immediate concerns about blockage, the vet sent Kookie home with some anti-nausea medication.

The morning of New Years Eve, however, Kookie was no longer able to use her back legs. She seemed very disoriented, confused, and was having difficulty focusing. We rushed her to the emergency pet hospital in Reno where they assessed that she was having neurological issues in addition to a blockage in her colon. Because of the neurological event, the doctor would not qualify Kookie for surgery - the concern being she was not a good candidate for anesthesia. We were being told that there was no hope and that the next best steps were to put Kookie down - and we were absolutely devastated.

We made tentative plans for an at-home euthanasia so that she could pass comfortably around those she loves most. On the drive back to Tahoe, however, Kookie seemed to make an incredible rebound. We noticed that she was responding to Dallas voice and was able to follow Liv with her eyes as she stopped for gas in Carson City. Questioning if the neurological event was still an issue for our Kookie, Dallas decided to call our local vet at Alpine Animal Hospital for a second opinion.

Back in the vet office in Tahoe, Dr. Lindsay Sjolin agreed that whatever had happened to Kookie that morning had seemed to pass and was willing to perform the surgery for us that Thursday. But because Kookie had seemed to have some unknown neurological event (blood clot, minor stroke, etc.), there was a high risk that we could still lose her under anesthesia.

We are so relieved that Kookie made it through surgery and are continuing to closely monitor her as she recovers.

As you can imagine, we underwent thousands of dollars in veterinarian bills between multiple vet visits with our local vet and the emergency pet hospital in Reno. Of course the results have been worth every penny and we are so grateful to have Kookie with us still after such a close call.

Any financial support will go towards helping us cover the expenses of Kookie's surgery, her medications, fluids, x-rays, blood work and labs. If we are to exceed our goal, the remaining funds will be donated to the Pets In Need Fund through Alpine Animal Hospital so that we can give back to our community in the ways you've given to us.