Princess’ Pneumonia Medical Bills

Hi, my name is Pam and Princess was my pit bull mix and sweetest girl in the whole wide world who suddenly became sick with a fever on Thursday night, 10/26/23. She was taken to her local vet on Friday morning with a fever of 105 and some panting, then sent home on antibiotics. By Saturday morning, she was huffing and huffing to breathe and had to be rushed to The Blue Pearl Emergency Vet in Richmond who immediately put her on oxygen. X rays of her lungs were bad and she needed overnight care, but they closed that night, so she then was taken to the Fredericksburg VA veterinary Center where she was put on oxygen over night and where she could stay in a 24 hour a day facility. Sunday, she was still working hard to breathe and then had nasal cannulas placed. I needed time for her meds. To clear the pneumonia infection they diagnosed her with while the oxygen helped her to breathe. The hope was the meds. Would work, her lungs would clear, and she could wean off oxygen . I had good news Sunday night and Monday that she was resting more and breathing a little better. Her respiratory rate had begun to improve ! Things were hopeful. Things were looking like a potential to come home Tuesday, 10/31/23 with an oxygen chamber I rented, but despite reports of improvements that morning, at 2:10 PM she stopped breathing on her own and I was called that Princess, my otherwise healthy and lively dog had passed. Ultimately, her heart stopped and she died. I did everything I could to keep her on her meds. And on oxygen for as long as I could to get the infection to clear, but this pneumonia or whatever infection this was was too much. I was crunched for time bc this also was so expensive . All in all from her vet on Friday (409$) , the ER Saturday morning( $1115.02), and then the ER in Fredericksburg ($6,435.04) her bills rose to about $8,000 somehow. More than what most people would ever spend on an animal. It wasn’t mentioned to me about putting her down and it seemed all the vets had high hopes of recovery until that last day.

Princess is my child and I love her so much. It’s just been me and her. I’m a clinical social worker and do therapy for other people, give to others constantly, and then my beloved dog is taken from me. She was rescued from a pound in 2018, and we have been side kicks ever since, so I think she was about 8 when she passed away. She didn’t have a grey or white hair on her yet and was still playing tug of war, running, playing, searching to table scraps, and jumping in the bed at night when we go to sleep. This is unbelievably hard on me and I’m so sad that she endured such suffering. I also have put some of this on credit cards and it will take me a long time to pay off, not to mention she’s not even here anymore. Any help or assistance is greatly appreciated towards her medical expenses . It may bring some relief to this traumatic situation . Thank you so so much to anyone who is willing to help.