I adopted Meeko on 1/4/23 from Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue of MN. I was told by the rescue and foster that he could see light/dark and big shapes due to a congenital eye condition that did not bother him in the slightest and did not need any treatment.

At our first vet visit, we were immediately referred to a vet ophthalmologist. After seeing a vet ophthalmologist at UMN, it was determined that Meeko was 100% blind and his eyes were causing him constant pain. They couldn’t determine what happened with absolute certainty but they believe that he got juvenile cataracts which went untreated and caused inflammation of the lining of his eyes. This inflammation caused his eye to shrink leading to glaucoma and his lower eyelid rolling in leading to his eye lashes constantly scratching the surface of his eye. All of this went untreated by his previous owner and all could have been treated and prevented from progressing. Each of the vets we have seen since have agreed that this is something that should have been caught by the rescue’s vet- they said he was seen 2-3 times while under their care.

Meeko had surgery to have both eyes removed (bilateral enucleation) on 3/23, which in itself was very expensive and unexpected as I was told he was completely healthy when adopting him. Since his surgery, we have had even more unexpected veterinary bills pop up.

On 3/24 Meeko started throwing up and ended up vomiting more than 15 times in less than two hours despite being on strong anti nausea medication. We went to the ER, just about 24 hrs after picking him up after surgery. After getting subcutaneous fluids, an injection of pain meds and some blood work, we headed home.

On 3/27 Meeko had not thrown up anymore but also was barely eating and drinking. He had eaten less than 1.5 cups of food and less than 1 cup of water over the previous 3 days. After more subcutaneous fluids, IV anti nausea meds, and IV anti anxiety meds, we again headed home knowing that if anything else happened, Meeko would likely need to be hospitalized.

And finally today, 3/28, Meeko started inconsolably moaning and whining and had shallow and fast breathing. This landed us back in the ER just 16 hours after leaving. He was admitted to the intensive care unit for pain and nausea control and IV fluids.

I love Meeko with my whole heart and we are such a good pair together. But because of the dishonesty and poor care provided by Meeko’s previous caretakers and now the many unexpected veterinary costs since his surgery, we are nearing $6000 in medical bills and know that may continue to grow pending his ICU course. We would greatly appreciate any support you are able to provide whether financial or simply keeping us in your thoughts and sending healing vibes our way!