Hello everyone, I'm Stacy, Remi's Mom. On Saturday evening, Remi had eaten her dinner at 5 pm and at around 8:30, she started pacing. Her stool had been a little soft for a couple of days, so I took her out to potty. When we came back inside, she was still pacing, so we went back out again. She dry heaved twice and then wanted back inside, where she continued pacing the floor. At this point, I thought she was having a pancreatic flare-up until I noticed her belly was a little swollen and hard. She then proceeded to dry heave again, and I noticed her belly swelling had doubled. She continued to try to vomit, and each time her stomach area would grow larger in size. We knew that this was no longer pancreatitis and started calling emergency vets. She was still pacing, only to stop momentarily to stretch her abdomen (exactly like they do after a long sleep), while clenching her toes on the carpet in pain and drooling. After googling her symptoms, we had a really bad feeling that it was bloat. We had to get her to a vet.

We loaded up and drove to the local emergency vet. Upon arrival, we learned that they do not treat bloat at that location and gave us the name of another ER vet. We packed her back into the car and headed in that direction.

Once we arrived, they immediately rushed Remi to the back for x-rays. The vet soon came into the room and told us that yes, Remi does have bloat and she needs emergency surgery. She then quoted us a price of $10k, and our jaws hit the floor. Knowing that there was no way we could come up with that kind of money, we asked if there was any other vet that they knew of that could perform the procedure. Luckily, they recommended another ER vet about an hour south that could do it for $5k. We got the approval from the vet that Remi was stable enough to make the hour drive, and they called ahead to let them know we were on our way. We then paid the $200 for the x-rays, and we were out the door.

We had asked the vet if there was anything that they could give her for the pain to make Remi more comfortable for the drive, but unfortunately, they couldn't because it would interfere with the anesthesia for the surgery. She sat with her head in my lap crying, dry heaving, and her little toes gripping my legs the entire drive down. Once we arrived, they rushed her to the back to get started on bloodwork and anesthesia while we talked with the vet. She then went over the details of the procedure and assured us that she was in good hands.

Remi had a very successful surgery, accompanied by perfect bloodwork. She's home now resting and recovering, taking it day by day.

This girl is my entire heart, and I don't know what I'd do without her. I'm disabled and dealing with a lot of health issues, and she brings me so much joy every day. Being disabled, I'm on a very limited income, and I have no idea how I'm going to pay for all of this. I hate asking for help, but I don't know what else to do. If you decide to donate, ANY amount is greatly appreciated, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart in advance. I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and thank you for taking the time to read about our story.