Help our Riley
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
Our 1.5 year old Aussie, Riley, began vomiting a few days ago for no apparent reason. After about 48 hours with no real improvement, we decided to take her to the emergency vet hospital on Sunday night (3/18) where they did bloodwork and an X-ray. Her labs showed extremely worrisome results (BUN of 13, BUN of 153, and potassium of 8.7 - all extremely high and dangerous levels) showing significant kidney damage.
Due to her potassium so high, she was at risk of seizures and cardiac events. They hooked her up to an ECG/EKG, initiated continuous IV fluids, medications, and antibiotics.
They decided it was best to keep her overnight for monitoring, and luckily we were able to stay in a bed at the pet hospital with her that night.
The next day, with hopes that things were improving, we were informed they had only worsened, and it was urgent to take her to an internal medicine pet hospital in San Diego to see a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and for an ultrasound of her kidneys.
We drove her down immediately where she was admitted overnight for close monitoring and efforts to lower her dangerously high lab values.
After multiple tests from identifying a cause, from autoimmune disorders (such as Addison’s disease or Lupus), to endocrine disorders (such as diabetes insipidus), to congenital disorders (such as renal dysplasia), to ingested toxins (such as ethynyl glycol or NSAIDs), to bacterial/viral causes (such as leptospirosis).. we are still stuck with no definitive causative diagnosis.
Due to her need for more intensive medical management, they are again transferring Riley to the ICU where she can receive the best attention possible.
If this all sounds like a lot, it is. Currently, our vet bills have been $7,000 for Day One, and an estimated $20,000-$30,000 for Days 2 and 3. Luckily, we do have pet insurance for Riley (as all pet owners should).. so insurance is agreeing to pay up to 90% of emergency care costs, however.. pet insurance only reimburses these charges, and not only everything is deemed as a “emergency care cost”..
Right now, we feel extremely helpless. What was originally “maybe just a bug”, turned into a nightmare. Doctors still are not sure what the cause is, but she is stable. Until they are able to try their absolute best in finding the problem, there is no way we can predict a certain outcome.
This is all extremely expensive treatment, but we are not ready to give up until we have answers. We have two lab tests pending which we will know about tomorrow, and have the possibility of dialysis treatment (likely only once) to see if her kidneys may be able to reset and heal themselves after a little help.. which is $3-$5k per session..
For Riley’s dad, Peter.. Riley is his world.
We were hesitant to ask for help from friends & family for days, but at this point we feel helpless.
Riley is a special girl and does not deserve to die. This all feels so unfair.
Thank you for giving us the time to hear our story. We would be extremely grateful for any donations or even just a share. ❤️
Hold your pet extra close tonight.
We miss our babygirl.
Our 1.5 year old Aussie, Riley, began vomiting a few days ago for no apparent reason. After about 48 hours with no real improvement, we decided to take her to the emergency vet hospital on Sunday night (3/18) where they did bloodwork and an X-ray. Her labs showed extremely worrisome results (BUN of 13, BUN of 153, and potassium of 8.7 - all extremely high and dangerous levels) showing significant kidney damage.
Due to her potassium so high, she was at risk of seizures and cardiac events. They hooked her up to an ECG/EKG, initiated continuous IV fluids, medications, and antibiotics.
They decided it was best to keep her overnight for monitoring, and luckily we were able to stay in a bed at the pet hospital with her that night.
The next day, with hopes that things were improving, we were informed they had only worsened, and it was urgent to take her to an internal medicine pet hospital in San Diego to see a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and for an ultrasound of her kidneys.
We drove her down immediately where she was admitted overnight for close monitoring and efforts to lower her dangerously high lab values.
After multiple tests from identifying a cause, from autoimmune disorders (such as Addison’s disease or Lupus), to endocrine disorders (such as diabetes insipidus), to congenital disorders (such as renal dysplasia), to ingested toxins (such as ethynyl glycol or NSAIDs), to bacterial/viral causes (such as leptospirosis).. we are still stuck with no definitive causative diagnosis.
Due to her need for more intensive medical management, they are again transferring Riley to the ICU where she can receive the best attention possible.
If this all sounds like a lot, it is. Currently, our vet bills have been $7,000 for Day One, and an estimated $20,000-$30,000 for Days 2 and 3. Luckily, we do have pet insurance for Riley (as all pet owners should).. so insurance is agreeing to pay up to 90% of emergency care costs, however.. pet insurance only reimburses these charges, and not only everything is deemed as a “emergency care cost”..
Right now, we feel extremely helpless. What was originally “maybe just a bug”, turned into a nightmare. Doctors still are not sure what the cause is, but she is stable. Until they are able to try their absolute best in finding the problem, there is no way we can predict a certain outcome.
This is all extremely expensive treatment, but we are not ready to give up until we have answers. We have two lab tests pending which we will know about tomorrow, and have the possibility of dialysis treatment (likely only once) to see if her kidneys may be able to reset and heal themselves after a little help.. which is $3-$5k per session..
For Riley’s dad, Peter.. Riley is his world.
We were hesitant to ask for help from friends & family for days, but at this point we feel helpless.
Riley is a special girl and does not deserve to die. This all feels so unfair.
Thank you for giving us the time to hear our story. We would be extremely grateful for any donations or even just a share. ❤️
Hold your pet extra close tonight.
We miss our babygirl.
Co-organizers (3)
Sydney Harris
Organizer
Carlsbad, CA
Peter Gilcrest
Beneficiary
Cindy Gilcrest
Co-organizer