Momoko’s Portosystemic Shunt Litigation Surgery

Momoko Needs your help:

When Momoko was 15 weeks, we went to get her last round of vaccinations. Unfortunately, the night before I (Momoko’s Mommy) pulled an all-nighter with her. She was pacing around the house, would not eat or drink, had a hard time keeping her head up, had a slight fever, and looked like sad Eeyore. She had her eyes closed and was in so much pain that her little head was wobbly.

We went to her appointment after the all-nighter, and the doctor suggested we get blood work instead of the shots. The Dr. came back and said that she was really sick and it was an emergency. Once we left to go to the hospital, Momoko wasn’t opening her eyes and could not get up. She was immediately sent to an emergency pet hospital where she was hospitalized.

Why does Momoko need your help:

At the hospital, Momoko was diagnosed with a portosystemic shunt. The blood vessel that was supposed to connect to her liver when she was in the womb did not connect. This means that her liver cannot do its job to filtrate toxins from her bloodstream which causes the unfiltered blood to go to her heart. When she eats protein, her body produces ammonia. Since her liver cannot do its job, ammonia attacks her brain which causes possible seizures, disorientation, extreme fatigue, and aloofness. The even scarier part is that dogs that take medication for this condition are only expected to live at most 2 years. On the other hand, dogs have a much better prognosis when having surgery to correct this defect. Getting surgery that is successful will allow her to live a healthy and normal life.

In order to get this surgery done, we will have to travel to UC Davis in California since they do not offer this procedure on Oahu. The surgery is estimated to cost anywhere from $12,500- $16,500. We are hoping to be able to have the procedure by March 2024. We also just received word that Momoko's pet insurance will not cover any fees related to her portosystemic shunt diagnosis as it was deemed a pre-existing condition. This makes it even more difficult to afford her procedure.

Thank you for taking the time to read!

When we first found out we were constantly on edge because we were so worried about her health and suffering. We are trying our best to seek God through this journey. We believe that God had Momoko choose us when we picked out our puppy because we are willing to take care of her and pay what we have to in order to help her live a happy and long life. God chose us to take care of her and bring her back to health. We are so blessed we can be Momoko’s Mommy and Daddy. Any help would be highly appreciated to help Momoko get the surgery she needs to be healthy. ❤️

Love,

Momoko