The straw that broke the camel's back.

My name is Janice Heller and I have four Australian Sheppards. They are my fur family - a mommy dog, a daddy dog, and a brother and sister from her only litter. The puppies are two years old now. This story is about Nino Daddy dog.

Now for the straw. I have four Australian Sheppards. They are my fur family - a mommy dog, a daddy dog, and a brother and sister from her only litter. The puppies are two years old now.

Two weeks ago, all four of my watchdogs tried to race out the door to bark at something. The daddy dog, fatty Nino hit the metal doorframe with such force he dislocated his hip. He immediately fell to the floor and went into shock. Thus began a three-day search for care.

We got Nino to the Emergency Vet and had to wait a few hours to get x-rays. They confirmed the hip was badly dislocated. The vet sent us home and said he would reduce the dislocation by morning and call us. Reluctantly, after they sedated him, we left.

The next morning, we were called to pick Nino up. St Francis Emergency Hospital did a good job with what they could do. Our instructions were to cage him and keep him quiet for 4 weeks. If all goes well the hip would stay in the joint, but could at any time dislocate again. That will be $800.00 dollars, please!!! Home, we went!!

Here comes the straw!! If that wasn’t enough, eight hours later, his hip fell apart the second time.

Searching for a vet who included orthopedic surgery in the practice and had an appointment available that day or the next was impossible. I called ten offices; they didn’t think an animal with a broken leg was a priority. I was going nuts. So was Nino, if you could imagine. The vet we finally saw did give us pain pills and sedatives for him.

Nino’s nickname was Smiling Jack; he was never unhappy and always sweet. But now, he could no longer walk let alone smile. It was so overwhelming to see him in such pain and disorientation.

I finally found an emergency vet with an orthopedic physician available to see him immediately. The saga continues.

They decided he would have to have the head of the femur removed, leaving him with a leg held in place by muscle, tendon, and ligament. Maybe he would regain use of his leg. Since the other options, a full hip replacement or to wire everything together, offered no guarantee of permanence, this was the only feasible option, so we agreed.

The straw is becoming heavier. We would have to provide a large deposit immediately or my Nino could not receive care. How much, we muttered under our breath. To start, $4395.57. I almost fainted. In that same moment the secretary said, “Try Carecredit.com,” which I thankfully did and received $5000.00 dollars in credit instantly.

Nino had a successful operation. He has been caged for two weeks now, off of all drugs, and is beginning to smile again.

Normally my income as a midwife, acupuncturist, and midwifery educator would allow me to pay these bills, and I would not need to ask for assistance. However, in September, I had a disastrous experience in the hospital. I was there to receive a CAT scan for a kidney stone that my doctor insisted on, but which I was sure had already passed. I went in feeling well - no fever, no confusion - and the results of the CAT scan verified there were no kidney stones. However, I was told I had pneumonia. Imagine my surprise, as I had no cough or congestion. I was amazed at that diagnosis. Nevertheless, I was admitted that day and began an antibiotic regime.

Within two days. I started having strange symptoms including a mild heart attack, which thank God, resolved. But shortly thereafter, I went into a coma. My daughter was told I was going to die very soon, and to prepare my funeral arrangements. Before she could get over the shock, she was pressured into several difficult decisions. All of which, thank God again, did not come to fruition.

My dedicated and loving daughter along with my dear friends, a doctor and a chiropractor, went to the ICU doctor and emphatically said, “Stop the treatment, now! She was fine when she came into the hospital. Now she is dying.” I had been placed on an antibiotic called Cefidime, which crosses the brain-blood barrier. No one knew at the time that I was allergic to it. With good luck and the persistence of my friends, the drugs were discontinued. Within a few days I was slowly coming back to myself.

Many wonderful friends came to see me even though I was still delirious. They prayed for me to be okay. I could feel the strong energy. It felt so real and powerful. Many others expressed love and sent healing.

Thirty days wore on. Many nights, a close sister-like friend stayed in my room to be vigilant over me. How secure I felt until I was informed that the hospital doctors discovered that the antibiotics had destroyed my kidneys. Thus, I had to start dialysis, which I remain on to this day, six months later.

This wasn’t the straw!!!!! When I went into the hospital, I had two lovely women due to give birth and I was close to one of the families. I have been a practicing midwife for 44 years so this was heartbreaking. I was extremely sad not to be doing their care. Fortunately for the ladies, they received the necessary care from other supportive midwives and doctors. I am also an acupuncture physician and at the time of entering the hospital my practice was full. And lastly, I was teaching sciences online at the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery. A perfect trio of work. My bills were always current, and I always had enough income.

With no warning, I was unemployed. And as a result of the long hospital stay, I was extremely weak and unable to take births, clients, or teach.

The straw is beginning to bend. Everything was put on American Express. Although it seemed threatening at the time, it provided a lot of UberEats, dog food, and groceries. My daughter was now my main caregiver and so could not continue developing her personalized gift basket business. The hope is that when I can return to taking care of myself, her gift basket business will once again grow. I also pay an aide to come twice a week for bed-bathes, laundry, and cooking. She provides lovely support.

I have extended my mortgage to get funds to help pay bills, which are building up again. I am budgeting as much as I can.

Now, I find the weight of the straw too much.

That broke the camel’s back. I cannot in anyway repay the large sum of money I owe Carecredit along with my other current credit card debts that have cascaded putting me on the brink of financial collapse.

Thank you for listening to my story, and I appreciate any generosity you could offer. I am seeking $10,000. I desperately need to catch up after being jobless for six months.

I will show pictures of everything.