Porter's Journey to Recovery

It's been a long and bumpy road for the Braley family this past week after a freak incident jeopardized the life of their beloved goofball dog, Porter. Last Friday (5/2/25), Porter accidentally inhaled two foxtails while playing in the backyard. Fortunately, his pet parents, Molly and Jesse, witnessed the event so they could watch his behavior and intervene as soon as possible. Other than some sneezing into the next day, Porter seemed to be in good spirits until Saturday night, when suddenly his health took a drastic turn.

Porter was admitted into VCA Valley Oak Saturday night with irregular breathing, a rapid heart rate, and an elevated temperature. While VCA was able to detect a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and run blood tests, they were unequipped to run proper diagnostics on a dog of his size, so he was rushed to UC Davis for CT scans and to explore options.

UC Davis worked quickly to identify and localize the two foxtails that tore through Porter's pleural cavity. His sternum had to be cracked open to remove the foxtails and damaged lung tissue. While he was open, they flushed his system to reduce infection and ensure no remaining holes for air to leak out of. He was monitored for the following several days and is finally back at home, exhausted and on the slow road to recovery.

In total, Porter's recovery will cost this family $20k. For Molly and Jesse, there was no other option but to save their dog. Molly and Jesse would never ask for a dime, but as a family friend and fellow animal lover, I humbly ask on their behalf for support. Please help this family by donating to Porter's recovery and/or sharing this with your friends and family.