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Zelda is a sweet nine-year-old boxer-pit mix, always eager to greet you with a strong wagging tail. I am fundraising on behalf of my sister, who adopted Zelda into our family as a two month puppy. For those of you who have met her, you've seen her do fun tricks on demand like "close the door" and will slam the door shut for treats. Since Friday January 10th, Zelda has been in urgent care at MSPCA Angell Memorial hospital. The veterinarians have officially diagnosed her with a bleeding disorder called Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia which causes her immune system to destroy her platelets. Platelets are necessary to clot blood. With a low platelet count, her body has been bruising easily and she has been bleeding from her gastrointestinal tract and mouth.
She was taken to the vet immediately when she had blood in her stool and developed a red eye. Her platelet count measured at around 16,000 when she was admitted in the hospital. Most healthy dogs have at least 150,000 platelets. By Sunday, she had a blood transfusion and her platelets decreased rapidly to 5,000. Over a 24-hour period this past weekend she went through four blood transfusions. Yesterday afternoon her body went into severe shock after uncontrollably ejecting blood. After having little hope that Zelda would make it through last night, she woke up in the morning greeting staff members at MSPCA with her tails wagging. She is still in critical condition with only a slight increase in her blood count and was administered her fourth transfusion today. In order for her to have any chance, her vets say that she'll need a full week at the hospital and a six month period of recovery.
Our family has been hesitant to reach out for help, but this has been a very desperate situation for my sister and her husband. He recently loss his job and they are also expecting a new addition to the family this summer. The vets have said that Zelda's recovery will depend on the amount of treatment invested in her, and most owners in their situation are forced to give up early on.
They have done their best to be responsible pet owners, buying the most comprehensive pet insurance plan offered in anticipation of emergencies and taking her in for care at the first warning signs. After calling the Nationwide insurance to verify the treatment coverage today, the response she got from a representative was to submit the expenses and they will "cover what they can". Because her condition is linked to an autoimmune disease they are quoting her of an estimate coverage of only up to $850/year for this diagnosis. Each blood transfusion has cost them over $800 and the overnight stays have averaged to $1600 per two nights, along with the initial vet visit. There was no way for them to to have anticipated this kind of emergency that would put Zelda in the hospital for this many days.
In the next few days, we are desperately raising as much as we can to help pay for the costs so that they don't have to make the choice between saving Zelda or avoiding debt prior to starting their family. I've seen the joy Zelda has brought to my sister and our family over the years and we don't want to give up on her.
We appreciate any prayers and any monetary contribution you are able to make. Any funds raised will go towards the medical costs to support Zelda's emergency care not covered by the insurance along with medication and to support her through recovery.
This is a photo of Zelda in the hospital Sunday morning. We will keep you posted on her treatment.
She was taken to the vet immediately when she had blood in her stool and developed a red eye. Her platelet count measured at around 16,000 when she was admitted in the hospital. Most healthy dogs have at least 150,000 platelets. By Sunday, she had a blood transfusion and her platelets decreased rapidly to 5,000. Over a 24-hour period this past weekend she went through four blood transfusions. Yesterday afternoon her body went into severe shock after uncontrollably ejecting blood. After having little hope that Zelda would make it through last night, she woke up in the morning greeting staff members at MSPCA with her tails wagging. She is still in critical condition with only a slight increase in her blood count and was administered her fourth transfusion today. In order for her to have any chance, her vets say that she'll need a full week at the hospital and a six month period of recovery.
Our family has been hesitant to reach out for help, but this has been a very desperate situation for my sister and her husband. He recently loss his job and they are also expecting a new addition to the family this summer. The vets have said that Zelda's recovery will depend on the amount of treatment invested in her, and most owners in their situation are forced to give up early on.
They have done their best to be responsible pet owners, buying the most comprehensive pet insurance plan offered in anticipation of emergencies and taking her in for care at the first warning signs. After calling the Nationwide insurance to verify the treatment coverage today, the response she got from a representative was to submit the expenses and they will "cover what they can". Because her condition is linked to an autoimmune disease they are quoting her of an estimate coverage of only up to $850/year for this diagnosis. Each blood transfusion has cost them over $800 and the overnight stays have averaged to $1600 per two nights, along with the initial vet visit. There was no way for them to to have anticipated this kind of emergency that would put Zelda in the hospital for this many days.
In the next few days, we are desperately raising as much as we can to help pay for the costs so that they don't have to make the choice between saving Zelda or avoiding debt prior to starting their family. I've seen the joy Zelda has brought to my sister and our family over the years and we don't want to give up on her.
We appreciate any prayers and any monetary contribution you are able to make. Any funds raised will go towards the medical costs to support Zelda's emergency care not covered by the insurance along with medication and to support her through recovery.
This is a photo of Zelda in the hospital Sunday morning. We will keep you posted on her treatment.