Support Zelda's Battle with Heart Disease

Zelda was recently diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition which is tragically incurable. On September 28th, Zelda unexpectedly started coughing up blood-tinged fluid and was having trouble standing. We rushed her to our local emergency vet, who misdiagnosed her with pneumonia after taking an x-ray and seeing fluid in her lungs. She spent 24 hours receiving IV fluids, which are actually harmful to her condition, until one of their vets took her case seriously and admitted their office didn’t have the specialists to properly understand what was causing her symptoms. It was suggested that I transfer her to VCA West LA and see a cardiologist. This first veterinary practice charged me $4,643 for slowly killing my dog, giving her simple IV fluids, and leaving her to lie on the floor. I then had to pay $1,250 for a pet ambulance as Zelda was too unstable to be transferred without high-flow oxygen.

At VCA West LA, Zelda was finally able to see a cardiologist and receive life-saving care, but unfortunately, she had to spend 4 full days hospitalized until she was stable enough to be released. The cost for her 24-hour care here was $3,500 per day.

Since her hospitalization, she has been sent home with 3 medications - Vetmedin, Torsemide, and Spironolactone - and is on hospice care. She has been seeing the VCA cardiology team for recommended check-ups and is stable, enjoying the rest of her life at home.

Luckily, both hospitals accepted Care Credit, which is a credit card for medical treatments that gives me one year to pay off my balance without interest. However, this unexpected tragedy has left me with over $22,000 in medical bills, and a continuing cost of $300/month for Zelda’s medication, and $500 each time she needs to go back for a check-up. (Her heart and kidneys need to be closely monitored under these medications.)

I always thought I was prepared for emergencies with a savings account of a few thousand dollars, and never knew how expensive vet care could be (coupled with the $6,000 I was robbed for her initial misdiagnosis). If Zelda or I have ever made you smile, we massively appreciate your donation to this cause, if you can afford to give one.