Support Matilda’s Fight for Justice & Medical Care

Please note: If/when we are reimbursed by the vet who caused Matilda’s suffering, We will pay it forward by donating the amounts of each received donation to Animal Rescue groups & organizations.

5/24: Matilda is improving every day, eating better than she has since May 2 and no longer needing any appetite stimulants or antiemetics, tolerating her antibiotics well, major activity restrictions are lifted but she is still taking it easy, she gets tired easily and sleeps a lot…her body is working hard as she sleeps. She is a happy girl and loves her new LambChop toy

5/22: I’ve been getting messages saying ‘don’t worry, Bailey’s malpractice insurance will cover it all’.

Well, I’ve got news for them.

It’s not an easy process, it can take years and full reimbursement is not guaranteed.

I have to do a formal demand letter and send to YAH. Then they send it to their malpractice insurance company. The insurance company has their own attorneys (who work for them) take over. Their job is to fight claims like mine, protect their money. They fight to NOT pay out claims.

The one attorney we met with is $600/hour, which we cannot afford. So we have to take on corporate insurance attorneys by ourselves.

If we hire that atty, we would have to spend (and lose) thousands. Attorney fees cannot be reimbursed in Vet negligence cases like this.

We are actively researching and looking for other legal options, other attorneys.

***Any advice, direction is appreciated***

Update 5/15: Please don’t stop sending healing prayers and thoughts. I just received an email from Cardiology:

“Matilda's clinical signs and findings met the modified Duke criteria for diagnosis of infective endocarditis (mild AI, febrile, predisposing cardiac disease, & worsening heart murmur). As long as she is tolerating the antibiotics, I would recommend continuing for a full 8 week course. We will still plan to recheck an echocardiogram on her in the next 5 weeks to ensure that the lesion is not progressing”

The bacteria from the peritonitis traveled to her heart. She has a faulty heart valve that is prone to bacteria being able to colonize on it and form a lesion.

And now here we are. I am beyond livid, it just keeps getting worse. I am overwhelmed with guilt for choosing that vet, trusting that vet.

On the morning of May 2nd, My very healthy, 2.5 yr old German Shepherd, Matilda, had a scheduled routine spay surgery at Youngsville Animal Hospital.

Two days later, she’s in emergency surgery at Blue Pearl specialized emergency hospital due to life threatening peritonitis/septic abdomen and resulting paralytic ileus, 104.2 fever.

The ER surgeon re-opened her belly and found the cause of infection…her abdominal cavity (peritoneum) was contaminated by foreign objects that fell inside of her open abdomen during the routine spay surgery at YAH.

The contaminants were an alarming amount of **long strands of Matilda’s HAIR** and that’s how that vet closed her up, a good amount of long hairs scattered inside of her peritoneum.

In order for that hair to have fallen inside her peritoneum, there was a massive departure from the most basic standard of care and practice. It is INEXCUSABLE, SHOCKINGLY INEXCUSABLE .

This extreme level of carelessness caused unnecessary suffering and the potential death of a loving soul, my best friend.

It is terrifying that a licensed professional allowed this to happen. These kinds of things happen after a back room, clandestine, illegal surgery…not by a professional in a supposedly controlled clinical environment/OR.

My baby went in a healthy, vibrant being and is now fighting for her life in ICU. IV fluids, IV pain meds, broad spectrum IV antibiotics, close monitoring; JP draining infection/fluid from her abdomen, protein malnutrition, …and a $16, 000 bill that is increasing daily .(Not complaining about the $$; Blue Pearl deserves every penny)

The good news is that my husband and I rushed her to an ER in time, exceptional Drs diagnosed the septic abdomen and I opted for aggressive treatment, surgery to re-open asap. Abscesses had not yet had time to form around all those hairs, her abdomen had to be lavaged several times by the surgeon, antibiotics and treatments started asap. I pray that has given her a fighting chance. It is still touch and go, she needs to get through the vulnerable, unpredictable days until her chances of recovery greatly increase. I would panic every time I got a phone call, terrified of getting the news that I couldn’t bear to hear.

5/10: The final Blue Pearl bill was not something we should have ever had to deal with. The vet practice who is responsible is not helping, not cooperating or communicating, not offering to pay a dime. Rather, they are trying to evade accountability & posting personal attacks against me in several public community forums.

As the money is due now, We had to put it all on credit cards and try to manage with this big debt and interest payments.

In addition, there are the resulting added expenses of several medications, months of treatment and monitoring of a bacterial endocarditis on her Aortic Valve (caused by the peritonitis infection) , cardiology consultation & ongoing Cardiologist monitoring the infective endocarditis, undiagnosed heart disease, worsening Grade IV Heart murmur , Aortic Insufficiency . We do not know what all of the resulting long term effects will be on Matilda yet, but we do know she will be followed by cardiology for her infective endocarditis and previously undiagnosed cardiac disease for the remainder of her life.

Matilda’s life and survival are our priority.

Our legal goals are to hold that veterinarian accountable for her negligence and her actions.

We are selling cutting daily living costs to a minimum. Several of Our friends, family members, neighbors and strangers encouraged us to start this GoFundMe.

I do not want another soul to have to go through this or share our fate.

If you are not able to donate $ towards her vet bill, it’s ok, we understand. We will find a way…there’s always a way.

Instead, you can donate your time by sharing our story as warning to others who already have their beloved pets going to Youngsville Animal Hospital or for those looking to find a new vet.

And most importantly, I do ask that you donate a prayer for Matilda or send her thoughts of love and healing and justice ….and maybe add a little “P.S.” in your prayers for my husband and I, for strength and energy as we see this through for Matilda…and everyone else’s beloved pets.

Kind regards

Matilda

(and Tara & John)