Help Us Save Lady's Life With Emergency Surgery

Hello, friends—

My name is Katie, and the first thing that you know about me is that I am an absolute animal lover. I work as a pet care specialist servicing Downtown Wilmington and Leland, NC. This is my first time making one of these, so please bear with me, as I am extremely emotional.

I am here today, humbly asking you for help. My mom and I have the world's sweetest pup, Lady, who as of yesterday, Saturday, May 26th, was diagnosed with severe open pyometra and will require emergency surgery, as well as post-op hospitalization. Lady recently came into our lives as a welcomed inherited/adopted fur baby from MD, but was, unfortunately, still intact, or not spayed. We had a routine vet appointment this coming Tuesday, May 28, for routine testing to get her ready to be spayed, but sadly, this illness occurred rather suddenly.

Per Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral in Wilmington:

Lady has an open pyometra, which is an infected uterus. She should have surgery as soon as possible to prevent worsening and systemic infection. Pyometra develops after a heat cycle, typically in older animals due to retained fluid in the uterus and bacteria ascending into the uterus. When the patient develops polyuria (urinating more than usual), polydipsia (excessive thirst), anorexia (not eating), and vomiting, these are signs of endotoxemia, toxins from bacteria that are moving into the bloodstream. If she does not have surgery, there is a high likelihood the uterus will rupture.

The vet explained that a normal-sized canine uterus is about the size of a pinky finger. Lady's uterus is ten-fold the normal size with multiple pockets of bacterial fluid, which is what lends to her diagnosis as being severe. Her stomach is extremely distended, she can barely walk, and our poor baby is incredibly uncomfortable. We are scared and are doing all we can to save this sweet soul.

The vet sent us home with multiple oral antibiotics, anti-nausea, and pain medication, which bought us a little bit of time. They gave us 24-48 hours to come up with the funds to perform surgery, if not, they said palliative care and euthanasia would be our only options. That's not an option for us, as she has quickly become a beloved member of our family, and with surgery, she has a great prognosis.

The emergency veterinary clinic quoted us $5,000 for surgery and hospitalization. This is a substantial amount of money and quite frankly, we are a little embarrassed to be asking for assistance, however, with the positive prognosis with surgery, as well as this sweet girl having many wonderful years left to live with us, we believe it to be worthwhile to perform surgery.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and a very warm thank you in advance if you can help. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.