Our Puppy Soren Recover

Soren is the beloved 15month old puppy of Archer and Hazel (my 5 and 6 yr old children).

He is a rambunctious puppy who never stops moving and has a whole lot of love to give! He just wants to be with his people all the time, and thinks even though he is 12kgs now and up to my knee in height, that he is a lap dog.

His favourite thing is when we turn the tap on and the water comes rushing out! He loves wrapping his mouth around the tap and letting it fill up his cheeks, and he loves when we attach the hose and splash it around the yard! He runs around and flys through the air to catch the water in his mouth!

But Soren is a very curious puppy, and on the morning of the 16th October 2023 he became curious about a swarm of bee's that had gathered on a table in our yard. He got too close and we believe he tried to take a bite out of the buzzing ball of bees. He was attacked by these bees trying to defend their group, and stung we think at least 20 times, as well as swallowed some of them. In the process he was stung on his right eye and while scratching to get the stinger out he has torn off half his cornea in his right eye.

Because he has swallowed some bees, and this happened right after his breakfast, his stomach is now swollen so much that it is pushing all his other organs in to places where they shouldn't be, and putting pressure on nerves and arteries in his abdomen. He is in pain, and his blood tests are showing liver and kidney abnormalities.

He requires more time in treatment, but the vet bills have reached almost $6,000 in just 24 hours and there is still so much unknown. We are having to make some really tough decisions based on hypotheticals, and we are nearing breaking point with how much we can safely put towards saving our puppy without becoming financially unable to support the rest of our family moving forward. It is an absolute last resort that we create this gofundme page in the hopes that our friends and family might be able to reduce some of the financial burden so we can give Soren the best chance of getting through this terrible time and coming home safely to our family. We thank you for anything that you can offer.

UPDATE 19/10: thank you to everyone who has contributed in one way or another! It has been a rollercoaster few days for the little guy and for us. After a very scary 2 days, on Tuesday night due to financial constraints we organised a discharge plan and he came home with us, seemingly stable, and with a plan to return the following afternoon if nothing had changed. He managed to empty his bowels for the first time since the incident, and he seemed a little happier! There was hope!

However on Wednesday morning he was worse. He didn't have the energy or motivation to stand, he wasn't responding to the kids or to me, he was pulling away from me when I tried to pat him, and when I carried him outside to toilet he peed a large amount of blood. He was laying limp, and I told the kids to make sure they gave him a big hug and told him how much they loved him because i wasnt sure what the day would bring. We rushed him back in to the vet and more tests revealed he had devloped hemolysis - his red blood cells were breaking down because of the sheer amount of venom he had received from the bee stings. This explained the lethargy and the blood in the urine. We had thankfully caught it before it caused anemia, and he was treated with IV fluids and steroids for the rest of the day, but we weren't sure whether the treatment would work, or whether his levels would continue to decline. But his little body fought so hard and kept producing red blood cells! And he had more energy by the time I picked him up at 530pm on Wednesday! The vet had pulled out about 5 more stingers during the day.

He led me to 7 or 8 more bee stings overnight which I removed/cleaned! We have him on oral steroids now, and after a repeat blood test this morning his levels have gone up a little again! He is getting more and more of his energy back, and his cheeky little attitude is peaking out again the plan is to return on Tuesday for a follow up blood test and to check how the ulcer in his eye is doing.

I've also taken him to the groomer (which he loves) to have a shave so we can get more visibility of his skin and pick out any remaining stingers, and reduce the chance of infection. But also to give him a bit of a pamper after ALL he has been through. Needless to say, he is fast asleep low having his afternoon nap after a big day ❤️