Help pay Hunters Vet Bills

My name is Heather! I am organizing this for my dear sweet friend Brenna & her fiancé, Alex, for their wonderful and loved dog Hunter. 

Below is their story:

On December 18th, we brought our sweet fox terrier mix Hunter to the veterinary hospital with acute vomiting, limited appetite, and other gastrointestinal issues. He was examined through x-ray to assess any issues which weren’t found in these scans, and offered medication to treat the nausea and vomiting, then we were sent on our way.

On December 23rd, he had to be taken back in to another emergency vet with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms where further scans determined he may have a condition called gastrointestinal ileus, where his intestines essentially stopped doing their job, and limited movement caused issues in passing food and fluids through his intestines to aid in digestion. We were advised to admit him the next day to begin further testing and treatment.

Between Dec 24-27th he was admitted and treated in hospital, where a diagnosis of gastrointestinal ileus/gastroenteritis was confirmed, with no known underlying cause. He wasn’t able to eat or digest foods, wasn’t retaining fluids so was dehydrated and required IV medication to aid in intestinal movement. He was thought to be in a good enough place on the 27th to be released with the intention of furthering his treatment through home care (scheduled medications and feedings, plenty of fluids rest, and of course loads of cuddles). For whatever reason, whether he wasn’t quite ready to have been discharged or he wasn’t responding to oral medication the way he did to IV medication, he relapsed and ended up back in hospital January 1 with persistent vomiting, lack of appetite, lethargy and dehydration. Our boy was really not himself and we begun to worry more and more.

As of January 1, he was readmitted to hospital and we were told he’d likely need to be hospitalized for a period of 5-7 days to help make progress and allow his intestines to make a full recovery. From the first set of visits, between Dec 18-27th, we unexpectedly surpassed the amount that would have been covered by pet insurance, an amount we thought would help cover any emergencies that might come up. Unfortunately, the cost of owning animals and keeping them in good health when unexpected issues come up is incredibly high, with typical insurance policies seemingly never supporting these financial requirements. We’ve been left in a position where we need to make even harder decisions regarding the care and health of our sweet pup. At the time of writing, our insurance claims from these previous December visits are still being reviewed, so without knowing if they will be covered or not, it adds even further stress and anxiety to the position we are currently in, where we face even more thousands of dollars of care for him that are in the same policy period and not covered.

We both work full-time, are living the same situation as most millennials in our position and stage of life — paying off student loans and debt and now faced with a pile of unexpected veterinary bills that require funds we were simply unprepared to face. We have pet insurance which will hopefully cover the majority of the first part of his care, but with the amount of his previous stay, we’ve surpassed the maximum amount that our insurance covers in a policy period, meaning any care from January 1 onwards is not covered, and comes out of pocket.

As two people who care deeply for our dog and made the conscious decision to fit pet insurance into our monthly bills, it’s breaking our hearts beyond belief having to be in this position where we still struggle to cover the costs of his unexpected treatments not knowing exactly how much will be required of us, but we’re determined to do whatever we need to do to help our boy thrive in health and happiness, and sometimes that means seeking support outside of our own abilities, something both of us have never done and feel immense fear, sadness and discomfort in doing.

To put it simply, Hunter is the love of our lives, and for anyone who knows him, they know his capacity for love and affection. He is, as we always say “the goodest of good boys”, is so special to us, and we wish we could give him everything he ever required without needing to think twice about it. This situation has taught us the importance of that, and how incredibly challenging it is when you cannot easily make that happen.

We are asking for help, whether financially or through positive thoughts and prayers (all of which are incredibly and deeply appreciated beyond what words can express) to cover his veterinary treatment needs as broken down below.

We are so sad to be in this place, but uplifted by the thoughts and prayers by our friends, family and community, especially in a time where people are strained in finances and emotional energy. We love and appreciate you all.