Support Ella's Recovery from a Medical Emergency

This is one of the hardest things to do for multiple reasons... I am asking for help with the cost of care for our sick pup, Ella. 2024 was not a kind year with experiencing severe back-to-back health issues for myself and with the loss of a loved one. We had hoped 2025 would be more gentle to us.

Sadly, we are off to a rough start. Yesterday, January 7, 2025, around 4:45 pm, I had covered Ella up while she was laying beside me on the couch because she was shivering like she was cold; this is normal for her. I got up off the couch a little after 5 pm to start making dinner. I was opening the fridge and opening bags of food, and this always makes her head perk up or she comes running over, but she did not do either. This made me extremely worried; I called her name and she did not budge, so I ran over to her, yelling her name, clapping, snapping, and there was no response. Ella was just laying there with her eyes open and glassed over; they were not moving when I was doing any of those things. I lifted her head and there was a puddle of drool and still no movement; she was breathing.

I frantically called our local vet, and they told me to take her over to Shores Veterinary Emergency Center in Harrisburg, PA. When we arrived, Ella was a little bit more alert; the staff took her back right away. The nurse informed us Ella had a fever and her heart rate was accelerated. They gave her IV meds and took an X-ray, which showed Ella's stomach was very enlarged and full, but they could not tell why. They gave her meds to make her vomit, and they did not work. Bloodwork came back normal except for low sodium and showed she was dehydrated, which they said made sense with the circumstances, but they could not give us any indication as to why this was happening.

The vet has kept Ella to continue monitoring her vitals, rerun bloodwork, and take new X-rays today to see if the blockage in the stomach has had any movement. These X-rays were sent out to a specialized radiologist for their feedback. The updated X-rays show non-specific colitis and no obstruction, along with what they noted as unrelated to the current issue, but the images also showed her liver is small for her breed and her spine shows arthritis and spondylosis. It has been recommended to complete an ultrasound to assist with additional imaging to determine the next steps.

As of when we left last evening, Ella's vet bill was at $1,454.46. The total we were estimated for these services, in addition to updated bloodwork, additional X-ray, and overnight care, was $2,800 - $4,000. We were required to pay a $2,000 deposit towards these services prior to leaving her last night. I was also updated this afternoon, our current bill is now at $3000. Unfortunately, these charges will continue to grow; the ultrasound fees are not included in this estimate along with additional days for her stay and what treatment might be needed.

We have had family and friends ask if they could help financially as Ella is loved by so many. I spoke with the vet, and they asked if it was more than two people that would like to contribute, the office would like us to collect the money to pay them directly, which is why we are creating this fund so we can apply what is raised to her incurred bills.

Ella is more than just a pet to us; she is our family. She's been our support while we have all gone through these hard times over the last few months, and we want to ensure we are doing everything possible for her. As much as we know Ella is our responsibility, we would appreciate any help financially. I know it is hard times for all, but any amount helps, no matter how big or small. With all that our family has endured the last few months, we have been asked multiple times if there was anything anyone could do for us, and we would decline; we are asking for your help now. We are honestly at our breaking point with recovering from my own medical bills, being mentally drained, and trying to recover from these hardships. Truly, thank you, this means more than you'll ever know.