Help Heal Chase and Anabella's Wounds

Hi, my name is Kimberly and anyone who knows me knows my passion for animals. As a disabled woman, I have not found the time or the right person to share my life with, and so, do not have any children or family of my own; my animals are my life.

I adopted Chase what will be two years ago this January, after having lost Stanley, my faithful service dog and companion of 14 years, the year before. Chase (or Chi Chi, as he is affectionately called) has been such a light in my life and for all those that meet him! He is a sweet, smart, loyal, lovable little Chihuahua. Then there's Anabella, a dachshund miniature pinscher mix, who is my late Dad's dog; my father, Bob, passed away less than a year ago on March 9th, 2024. My sister, Jennifer, had been caring for Ana until I was able to take her in a little over three months ago. She is an affectionate, goofy, playful little bundle of joy that always makes me smile!

This GoFundMe is to help cover the cost to save their lives after a horrible accident they suffered on Election Night, November 5, 2024. We were out for our usual evening walk when a much larger dog attacked not one but both of my dogs, mauling them within an inch of their lives. This was easily the most horrific thing I have ever witnessed in my life. I was also bitten and injured in my attempt to save my dogs, but my wounds are nothing in comparison to what they suffered. Fearing for their lives, I rushed my dogs to the emergency vet where they were so critical that the clinic had to close their doors and divert incoming traumas to other facilities.

Unable to bring myself to look at Anabella's injuries before handing her off to the vet, I was later told that she had such significant chest wall trauma that you could see her lung breathing through her broken ribs! Due to the severity and complexity of her injuries, the emergency vet wasn't qualified to perform the surgery needed to save her life. All they could do was wrap her wounds and put her in an oxygen chamber to try to stabilize her until she could be transferred to the veterinary surgery specialist when they opened in the morning (12 hours later). Thankfully, she survived the night. After being evaluated by the specialist, I was told the only reason you wouldn't do this surgery is because of the cost. He said while her injuries were life-threatening, dogs in her situation recover remarkably well from this operation. He was not wrong! Despite looking like Franken-dog with 31 staples in her side, after two nights in the hospital, I was able to bring her home.

Chase's injuries were also life-threatening, and he also would not survive without surgery. The emergency vet said he immediately needed to have an exploratory laparotomy to evaluate the extent of his injuries. He had an abdominal wall hernia, dozens of puncture wounds in his intestines that needed repairing, and a portion that was so badly damaged it required a small bowel resection. And while he survived the surgery, he was not out of the woods, as sepsis was of great concern with this type of injury. He was transferred to the ICU at the veterinary specialists with Anabella the following morning. After 4 nights in the hospital, he miraculously avoided sepsis and was able to come home. Unfortunately, he had also suffered significant nerve, muscle, and ligament damage to his back left leg, which remains mostly paralyzed, causing him to walk on three legs (a "tripawd"). He still has a chance at regaining more function back in that limb as nerve growth is slow and I have already seen small improvements in his ability to feel and use his leg the last couple of weeks! He also recently started aqua therapy and therapeutic ultrasound sessions with a rehabilitation specialist; I am hopeful that physical therapy will help get him back to walking on all fours!

If you've read this far, THANK YOU. It has been difficult for me to write about this experience, and even harder to ask friends and kind strangers to help out financially. But I feel compelled to raise as much as I can to help contribute to paying off their vet bills, as the only reason they were able to have their surgeries and are still alive is because my family selflessly put up their credit cards. Otherwise, I would have had to put my animals down over cost. All money donated will first be used to cover the cost of Chase's aqua therapy ($760) and any additional funds raised beyond that will go towards helping pay their outstanding bills. I set an initial goal of $5000, but the total vet bill is just shy of $20,000 (~$10k per dog). So anything you can afford to give, however small, will truly make a tremendous difference.

THANK YOU AGAIN for reading. Thank you for CARING. And THANK YOU for your donation or any kind words you can contribute!