For those that don’t know me, I’m a vet tech of almost ten years that has devoted my life to working with animals. This has ranged from working in ER/ICU to large animal medicine to teaching a veterinary science program. From the time I could walk, I knew working with animals was what I’d be doing. Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of animals make it back to their families from a truly critical state. I’ve cried with clients, laughed with them and celebrated their pets small victories after a life-threatening event.

Anyone that knows someone that works in veterinary medicine knows we often will adopt the animals with medical issues as we are medically equipped to take care of them, especially if they’re at risk of being put down.

Six years ago this week, I brought Waffle home. I had met her Veteran’s Day weekend when I picked up an extra ER shift at work. She came in that night after being hit by a car a few days prior and lost since it happened. When she came in, she had urine leaking into her abdomen from a tear in her ureter, as well as a dislocated hip that was no longer able to be put back in place. Both issues were now surgical. At this time, she was an estimated 2 year old otherwise healthy dog. She was in immense pain but never once growled or tried to bite us. I knew right there she was an amazing dog, I said I’d take her in a heartbeat if I could. She was surrendered back to her original rescue who kindly paid her bills and then adopted her out to me. She’s had bloodwork done every 3-4 months for six years to check on her one remaining kidney to monitor for kidney disease which has not occurred yet. We’ve fought to get her through her acute kidney injury and peritonitis, her hip surgery, active heartworm disease, resolved her frequent urinary tract infections. Right now is the healthiest she’s ever been prior to her back injury.

Waffle’s favorite words are “do you want to go to work?” She loves going to work with me. Over the last several years she’s helped veterinary students at Tufts learn how to do point of care ultrasounds, bloodwork, sterile urine collection, as well as teach my high school veterinary science students anatomy, use of anatomical directional terms through labeling, behavior and restraint. She’s taught the future of veterinary medicine and she’s loved every minute of it.

Waffle isn’t my first dog, but she’s my soul dog. I had insurance on her for years, but with some significant life changes I had to drop her insurance and I haven’t been able to put her on a new insurance plan prior to this happening.

Two nights ago, I got a call from my boyfriend that her hind leg wasn’t working as I was heading home from a 12 hour ER shift. She jumped down a stair and landed wrong. We rushed her to my work’s other location expecting her to have a dislocated hip, but instead found that she’s herniated a disc in her back. We do so many procedures at my current job, but back surgeries are not one of them. Waffle has no use of her hind limbs, as they are flacid behind her while she uses her front legs. I’ve worked with patients with this issue for the last decade, but anyone that has been through this knows it’s a challenge mentally, physically and financially. We’ve been trying rest and pain management, but are seeing no improvement so I’m looking to fundraise for her to get back surgery.

For anyone that knows Waffle, they can say how sweet of a soul she is. She greets everyone with a kiss and like they’re her best friend at first sight. Seeing her unable to move and not her spunky self is breaking our hearts and we just want her to be able to pull through this. Anyone that knows me, knows I don’t ask for anything from anyone. I don’t ask for assistance, I just need my Waffle girl to get better. Six years together is not nearly enough and she has so much life ahead of her still.

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