Support for Theodore’s Vet Expenses After Being Hit by a Car

On Monday, May 12, just before 5pm, our sweet boy, Theodore (8.5 month old Boston Terrier/Pug), was struck by a car outside our house. Seth hurried to get him 1/4 mile down the street to our normal vet office (he was already scheduled for a 5pm appointment). They got him in quickly and their care and attention to his rapid treatment was something that we appreciated very much and was CRUCIAL to where he is now.

His breathing was labored, his BP was low, and he was bleeding from his mouth. Upon doing X-rays, they found that he had pulmonary contusions (bruising on his lungs). They gave him some pain meds and directed us to the 24 hour emergency vet hospital in Byron Center.

When we arrived there, they got him in and after his initial exam we were informed that he was in critical condition and prepared for the worst case scenario. We knew about the contusions on his lungs, but this vet was very concerned about brain trauma. She said he seemed dull and not very aware or coherent. This was a shocking piece of info for us because in the car, Seth accidentally said “hungry” which is a key word for Theo and he did react to hearing that at the time—my brain began to spiral.

After an hour, we were able to see him. He was laying on his side and lifted his head a bit when he saw us. We assured him we were right there and we love him. We encouraged him to fight. He was on oxygen and we already knew he would have to stay the night.

Another hour after that, we were allowed back in and now he was laying down normal, no longer flopped on his side. He seemed more aware and it looked like the oxygen and fluids had been helping.

Two more hours passed and we were able to see him for a 3rd time. We went home between visits 2 and 3 to change our clothes, let Layla out to go potty, and get a blanket for Theodore that smelled like Layla and home for comfort and encouragement. I wrapped the blanket around him and gave him smooches on his little head. At this time, I did notice some blood around his right eye, but figured it was just residual from the trauma. We again reminded him how loved he is and begged for him to keep fighting, letting him know he’s been doing a great job. He was, again, more responsive than we’d seen him so far.

At midnight we got a call from the vet (we had gone to Seth’s sister’s house to eat and try to relax around 11:20pm)—my heart clenched and I couldn’t breathe. He was okay, they just wanted to give us one more update for the night. They were concerned about potential internal bleeding, but explained it as it’s not the same as in humans, they dont need to rush him into surgery. Most of the time it corrects itself.

Seth’s sister brought us back to get my car and before leaving at 1:30am to try to get some rest, we asked for another update, we didn’t want to disturb his rest because we know how important that is for him right now. We were told he was about the same as the last time we’d seen him (around 11pm).

We came home and tried to sleep—I’m fighting the end of a cold where I just basically cough all night. Seth got 3-4 hours of sleep and I got maybe 2. Between the coughing and the anxiety that I was going to receive a phone call with bad news, I couldn’t do much. Belle (cat) and Layla (our other dog) laid with us and kept us company.

When we woke up Tuesday morning, I called the vet for an update. Thankfully, he made it through the night and seemed to be doing better, though he’s still not out of the woods. He hasn’t eaten, but we did offer him some food when we got there. We brought Layla in to see him, she was nervously pacing and looking all over for him at the house. I wanted her to know that he was doing okay, but also show her where her best friend was.

While at the vet that morning, we were informed that all the testing they had done came back with good results. They checked his blood levels (checking for internal bleeding), his kidneys (because of the pain meds he was on), his blood pressure and I believe a couple other things that I’m not able to recall at the moment (darn those 2 hours of sleep). He responded well to seeing Layla and seemed to be in much better spirits. He got up and was able to walk a little bit around his oxygen chamber, which made me happy that his little legs are okay.

At this time, they were thinking he may have to stay another night to continue the oxygen, but we were just so grateful for the progress that he had made so far.

We gave him a couple hours to rest before coming back to see him Tuesday afternoon and when we saw him, he got up, wagged his tail and looked so good (considering what he had been through). Each time we saw him, we were able to touch him, pet him, talk to him, and just reassure him that we were there and encourage him to keep fighting for himself and to be able to come back home.

The vet took him off oxygen around 3pm Tuesday and we showed up a little after 5pm to check on him. They let us know that he’d been off the oxygen for about 2 hours and his vitals looked good.

HE WAS ABLE TO COME HOME. When around 24 hours prior to that we thought we were going to lose him forever. The tears of relief FLOODED me before I even understood fully what they were telling us.

•Make no mistake, he is far from “normal” but he can finish healing at home with his family at this point.

•We do still have to monitor his breathing (which is going to be crucial in the next 24-48 hours. After that the risk decreases significantly).

•We also have to watch his right eye as there is some blood surrounding it from the trauma. As long as it doesn’t swell or gain additional blood, it should be okay.

•Cognitive function seems to be intact. He still recognizes words like “hungry” “food” “sit” and his name. We will continue to work with him and make sure other commands are still there, but we don’t want to overwhelm him all at once. Slow and steady is the name of the game.

•We were able to get him to eat some soft, fresh dog food once he was home. They couldn’t get him to eat at all at the vet and when we tried at the hospital, he showed interest, but didn’t actually eat anything. That being said, his jaw is our biggest unknown at the moment. The vet initially thought it could be broken due to the blood all over his mouth when Seth brought him in. When they did the xray, it showed something that they couldn’t quite make out, but Theo wouldn’t let them check it out by looking in his mouth. They gave us two options: 1.) sedate him to get in and check it out or 2.) let it be for now since there is no protruding bone or anything that would require surgery anyway and monitor how he does with food. We chose option 2 because with his lungs already being weak, we didn’t want to put any additional stress or strain on them or his heart.

•He has peed multiple times since getting home around 7pm Tuesday evening. No BM yet, but constipation is normal with pain meds. We are going to go get him some broth and wet food to try to combat that issue today (Wednesday, May 14).

•He has two pain meds: Carprofen (basically like our ibuprofen—a pain/anti-inflammatory med) and liquid Gabapentin (a controlled substance used typically for treatment of nerve pain and seizures—no he’s not had any seizures to this point, so likely just for the pain).

Obviously, this was unexpected and I (like most people) don’t just have $3500 laying around—yes I have some emergency funds, but not to that extent. I told the vet to do what they needed to make sure our Theo boy could come home with us eventually and we are grateful for everything they did. If you are not able to donate, I completely understand, but please, consider sharing this.

We are so incredibly thankful for Theo’s care team and our support system as well as all the thoughts and prayers that were directed towards him and us during this truly devastating time.