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Tinker is my 13 yr-old donkey. He had an emergency colic surgery at the veterinary school at UC Davis last Saturday night to relieve a sand impaction of his large intestine that was unresponsive to standard medical treatment. By that time he had not been eating or drinking for four days, and he was so dehydrated his kidneys were beginning to fail. He was in a lot of pain, but donkeys are very stoic and the only sign of his pain was that he wore his hooves down pawing the ground. Colic surgery usually costs $8,000 to $10,000, and I told the doctor I just couldn't afford that and would have to euthanize him. Then the doctor said he thought surgery could be done for around $5,000, a slightly less scary figure. So I authorized surgery because I could not bear to euthanize Tinker, even though I don’t have the money and am already in debt.
Although he is timid, he is very affectionate and craves human attention. He would have loved to have been a pack donkey, following some gold prospector all day like his ancestors did. His father was a wild burro captured by the Bureau of Land Management. I bought him 10 yrs ago for $150 to keep my retired horse Lucky company. Lucky was losing weight and getting stomach ulcers, and the vet thought the cause of his problems was loneliness. A donkey was a lot cheaper than another horse, plus I've always had a soft spot in my heart for donkeys ever since I was a child. Eeyore was my favorite character in Winnie the Pooh. But I never before had a valid excuse for getting one, until I needed a companion for Lucky. And it worked. Lucky recovered. The two are very bonded to this day.
There was no time to wait to try to raise the money. Tinker needed treatment immediately, or he would have died a painful death if he were not euthanized. Tinker went into surgery at 9:30 PM on Saturday Feb. 6. The surgery went well and he recovered quickly from the anesthesia, but there were complications having to do with the metabolic consequences of the four days of not eating or drinking plus damage to his intestinal wall due to the abrasive sand. He was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the vet school at Davis on IV fluids, antibiotics, dextrose, and other drugs for 3 days. He's still at Davis, and now the revised estimate is $8,000. That is an astronomical amount of money to me, but Tinker is a much loved pet, and also Lucky’s buddy, and to have had to put him down would have been emotionally devastating.
Tinker is now doing much better now and is off the I.V. fluids. Hopefully he will be able to go home soon. But now I am left with a staggering vet bill I can’t afford. I would be very grateful for any help in paying the bill for saving his life. My CareCredit card is maxed out and the balance on several 18-month zero interest charges for other vet expenses has to be paid in the next few months to avoid CareCredit’s exorbitant finance charges. It is very embarrassing to have to ask for financial help and I never thought I would sink this low. But I’m desperate. Please help if you can. Any amount no matter how small would be greatly appreciated.
Although he is timid, he is very affectionate and craves human attention. He would have loved to have been a pack donkey, following some gold prospector all day like his ancestors did. His father was a wild burro captured by the Bureau of Land Management. I bought him 10 yrs ago for $150 to keep my retired horse Lucky company. Lucky was losing weight and getting stomach ulcers, and the vet thought the cause of his problems was loneliness. A donkey was a lot cheaper than another horse, plus I've always had a soft spot in my heart for donkeys ever since I was a child. Eeyore was my favorite character in Winnie the Pooh. But I never before had a valid excuse for getting one, until I needed a companion for Lucky. And it worked. Lucky recovered. The two are very bonded to this day.
There was no time to wait to try to raise the money. Tinker needed treatment immediately, or he would have died a painful death if he were not euthanized. Tinker went into surgery at 9:30 PM on Saturday Feb. 6. The surgery went well and he recovered quickly from the anesthesia, but there were complications having to do with the metabolic consequences of the four days of not eating or drinking plus damage to his intestinal wall due to the abrasive sand. He was hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the vet school at Davis on IV fluids, antibiotics, dextrose, and other drugs for 3 days. He's still at Davis, and now the revised estimate is $8,000. That is an astronomical amount of money to me, but Tinker is a much loved pet, and also Lucky’s buddy, and to have had to put him down would have been emotionally devastating.
Tinker is now doing much better now and is off the I.V. fluids. Hopefully he will be able to go home soon. But now I am left with a staggering vet bill I can’t afford. I would be very grateful for any help in paying the bill for saving his life. My CareCredit card is maxed out and the balance on several 18-month zero interest charges for other vet expenses has to be paid in the next few months to avoid CareCredit’s exorbitant finance charges. It is very embarrassing to have to ask for financial help and I never thought I would sink this low. But I’m desperate. Please help if you can. Any amount no matter how small would be greatly appreciated.