Help with ER Vet Costs for My Sweet Rescue Pittie

Meet Brahma, the big-headed, slobber monster. This past week, while being watched by a dog sitter, Brahma got into the trash and ate a ball of aluminum foil that blocked his intestines and punctured his colon, which led to two emergency surgeries to save his life. He pulled through despite a 50/50 prognosis, but the bills are more than $10,000 and I could really use some help!

 

A Brief History of Brahma

Brahma was adopted from Austin Pets Alive (APA) in July 2019 at approximately two years old. He was one of many bully breeds at APA and didn’t get much attention due to his breed and a deformed front paw, but his kind and loving personality earned him a spot as a favorite among the staff and volunteers. His kind demeanor, goofy personality, and lack of adoption love was a perfect reason to take him home!

 

Since then Brahma has been an amazing companion and friend. Having him around during the long COVID lockdown and many life changes was a huge help and he was a constant reminder to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Those of you that know me well know that I have always had a special connection with pets and I often like animals more than humans (sorry not sorry).

 

Summary of the Incident and Surgeries

Last week, while I was out of town for a rowing competition in Tennessee, my dog sitter accidentally left the pantry open while away from the house and Brahma got into the trash (Sunday afternoon). When I returned home on Monday evening it was clear that Brahma was in bad shape. He hadn’t eaten since Sunday and I immediately noticed that he was lethargic and in a lot of pain. I dropped my suitcase and rushed him to an overnight emergency vet in Temple, Texas (all the facilities in Austin were at max capacity). Once at the vet, I found out that Brahma had a ball of aluminum foil and some plastic wrap that had blocked his intestines and punctured his colon.

His first surgery was done overnight between Monday and Tuesday, which removed the debris and sutured the two sections of his intestines and colon. The surgery seemed to be a success at the time. Tuesday morning, I had to pick Brahma up and find a normal vet that could accept Brahma for continual care (monitoring and IV fluids/drugs). He had staples from his sternum to his groin and a catheter hanging out from his arm. Despite this emergency situation, I still struggled to find a vet that would accept him due to the overwhelming volume of animal patients in Austin and the surrounding areas. After calling 15 clinics (and maybe threatening to show up at their front doors), I finally found Daylily in Hutto, which was willing to take him. At this point, I felt relieved that he was in safe hands and hopeful that his condition would improve.

Unfortunately, the next morning brought dire news… Dr Ward from Daylily noticed that Brahma’s energy level and mood had deteriorated overnight and he would no longer eat food. An ultrasound revealed fluid build-up in his abdomen and a fluid sample revealed bacteria and white blood cells, indicating that he had sepsis (leakage of his intestines/colon into his abdomen). I was advised to pick him up immediately and rush him to a specialist surgeon that could do another surgery to clean out his abdomen and repair the leaking sutures in his intestines and colon. I was also cautioned that the prognosis with septic pets is 50/50. Cue panic...

I transferred Brahma to Dr Zacher at Central Texas Veterinary Specialty and Animal Hospital in Round Rock. Dr. Zacher was incredibly impressive and I was so glad to have Brahma in the hands of an expert with a long history of experience working on GI/colons and septic cases. Wednesday afternoon, Dr Zacher did the second surgery and ended up removing a section of Brahma’s intestines and a section of his colon. The surgery was successful, although there is still a risk of additional leakage or infection. Brahma stayed a few more days before Dr Zacher felt confident enough to let me take him home to begin the long recovery process.

Today is my first day at home with the boy and I am so relieved to have him back. Huge shout out to Dr Ward at Daylily in Hutto who quickly diagnosed his sepsis and Dr Zacher at Central Texas Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital who performed his second surgery. We are not out of the woods yet, but I am so relieved that he is doing well. If he makes it through the next 2-4 days without additional sepsis, then chances are good he will recover in ~2 weeks and resume a mostly normal life. Fingers crossed!

 

Cost of Medical Care

Now that the fear of him dying is starting to subside, the stress of medical bills is starting to set in. So far, the bills total more than $10,000 for two surgeries, five days at the hospital, and all of the various medications needed. In order to make things work financially, I have already taken swift steps including using CareCredit to buy myself six months to repay the $10,000 without interest, drastically cutting back my expenses (TV services, guitar lessons, and even 401k contributions), and I plan on Ubering for Austin City Limits (ACL) to earn some extra cash. Despite those steps, I still fear that I will not be able to repay it all within the six-month timeframe.

 

 

I have been blown away by the love and support from friends and family. Thank you to everyone that called, texted, or messaged me to offer support, positive thoughts, and/or prayers. I hate to ask for more, but I need some help to make ends meet. If you can, please consider donating to help me cover Brahma's expenses. Whether or not you can afford to donate a bit, please consider sharing this GoFundMe with other friends and family that may not be on Facebook. My goal is to raise $5,000, which is half of the bills (so far). Even a few thousand dollars would be incredible, help offset the cost of the bills, and give me a reasonable chance of tackling the remainder of the bills.

 

Gratefulness List

While things have certainly not gone well this past week, there are a few things that I am incredibly grateful for:

• First, I am grateful the incident didn’t happen one day earlier, as the dog sitter may not have noticed how bad it was in time to get him to an emergency clinic before I got home. He could have gone into organ failure and died before I got home.
• Secondly, I don’t have $10,000 available, but I am grateful that I have a good job and felt secure enough to put my butt on the line and say yes to the surgeries. I am aware that there are many people who might have been forced to put their loved pet down in that situation.
• Thirdly, I am grateful that I am currently working from home and can be there to monitor and care for Brahma.
• Lastly, I am grateful for the perspective that an event like this provides. Brahma being healthy and the support of family and friends are the most important things. All of the little stuff in life doesn’t matter as much as I might feel in the absence of an emergency. That has been a great reminder to appreciate everything that I have been gifted in life.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for any kind words, love, and/or donations you can offer!