Our friend Dusty suffered a terrible accident. While running through the woods this past Saturday 9/24, Dusty was snagged on a sharp branch, suffering a deep laceration across her abdomen that requires major surgery.

If you would like to know more about her injury, there are details at the bottom of this post, but they are a bit graphic.

Brighid + James, Dusty's parents, have covered her initial medical costs (~$6,000 for emergency care, pain management, x-rays, two nights of hospitalized care, etc.). Still, the animal hospital needs another $6000 for the surgery to close her wound. There will also be aftercare, as her recovery will be long, but the surgeon guarantees that she will get back to being her regular, adventurous self after she pulls through.

This is an immediate need; however, Dusty's parents are reluctant to ask for this help. They have agreed that we can post this GoFund Me with the caveat that any amount donated will be matched and paid back to the community beginning in the Spring of 2023. This will be paid back via donations to animal welfare organizations and community organizations, including Oregon Humane Society (where they met Dusty), Shelter Dog Hero, One Tail at a Time, Project Pooch and GoFundMe for fundraisers within the community. They greatly appreciate anything the community has to offer to Dusty's care and want to give it back as soon as possible.

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What happened -

Brighid took Dusty for a hike, which they do every weekend, and drove out to the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge. At the beginning of the hike, Dusty was running through the woods, jumped over a log, and the stump of a broken branch protruding from the log caught her abdomen, ripping it open from just below her ribcage to her lower belly. After hearing her shriek in pain, Brighid initially thought that Dusty had hurt her paw, but quickly saw a large flap of open tissue hanging from her belly, including muscle tissue, with some organ tissue exposed. Thankfully, they were still close to the car and Brighid had a first aid kit. She wrapped Dusty's belly with a bandage and drove her 40 minutes to the nearest pet ER, Pacific Northwest Pet ER in Vancouver, WA.

They initially thought that Dusty would not be able to pull through, because the wound is so extensive and they expected further internal damage. After two nights in the ICU, she finally got to see a surgeon who said there was no further internal damage and that her wound was treatable with surgery and a long period of aftercare.

Dusty is currently at home until the surgery, which has not yet been scheduled but is planned for later next week (week of 10/03). Her wound is bandaged via suture hooks in her belly skin, holding a large bandage with a lot of padding. She is on a few pain medications and antibiotics, but happy to be home and giving lots of kisses.