urgent care for potato & his spinal injury
Donation protected
my name is emilee. my dog's name is potato. each morning i go to get potato from where he sleeps in the kitchen & he greets me by literally jumping up in the air, excited for the day & for his morning walk. yesterday (saturday, oct 5th) i woke up to find potato struggling in pain, unable to move his back legs. this completely broke me.
we rushed potato to an emergency vet & after some initial evaluations, it appeared that his spinal chord has been impacted by (likely) a ruptured disc. the cause of the ruptured disc isn't quite certain, but we believe it happened the day before, on friday evening, when we were playing with potato. it seems that potato's injury came from doing what he does best: he played too hard.
he's always done everything hard: he plays hard & he loves hard. and now i'm trying to fight hard for him, as hard as i can.
there is a lot of uncertainty in the path ahead, but the certain thing is that this is going to be expensive.
here is what has happened so far:
- potato has stayed the past 24 hours in the care of an emergency vet. the total fees have already accrued to $2,400.
- upon neurological examination, it appears that he has not only lost his ability to move his legs but also to feel his legs.
- we visited him multiple times yesterday, making trips to spend time with him. he would only eat whenever i fed him. i laid in the cage with him & tried my best to comfort him. my sweet boy has been so anxious & confused through all of this.
here is what is about to happen:
- he will be having an MRI today to determine next steps. i just put down a $10,000 deposit. that amount will cover the MRI, additional stay & care, medication. and then if surgery is needed, it will cover the initial part of surgery (which could cost another $3,000 - $4,000). i have felt overwhelmed & nauseated at the cost of the MRI & potential surgery. in an attempt to find reduced rates, i called around to other veterinary clinics. i learned that there are only two locations in the DFW area that do MRIs, & potato is at one of them (both clinics have comparable fees). i also learned that sometimes, CT scans are a cheaper option than MRIs, but in potato's case, with paralysis & spinal chord issues, he will need an MRI.
here is what might happen in the days/weeks ahead:
- there is a chance that after the MRI, potato won't need surgery & that he can recover with pain medication. in this case, his likelihood of walking again is 10%. if he is able to walk again, he will need physical therapy. if he is unable to walk again, there will be a lot of changes in his future, likely with a wheelchair/cart for his back legs, as well as accommodations made in his life for increased accessibility. i have no idea how much all of that would cost at the moment.
- there is a chance that after the MRI, potato will have surgery & there is a chance that things will go back to "normal" for him. this is the most hopeful option, but not necessarily the most likely option.
- there is a chance that potato's prognosis will look grim and that his quality of life will not improve (he is currently unable to relieve himself, so he is attached to a urinary catheter). i was told yesterday that the way things look, there's a 50/50 chance that he'll need to be put down.
the amount i am asking would cover:
- $2,400: vet costs so far
- $10,000: the deposit i have made for his MRI
- $3,000: potential additional costs for surgery
- $2,600: additional costs to get us going with his hopeful new life ahead: physical surgery, wheelchair/cart for his back legs, ramps to accommodate his accessibility needs, medications.
*in the chance that potato will need to be put down & won't benefit from the full donation amount, any amount remaining (likely $5,600) will be split & donated to dallas animal services (currently at 142% kennel capacity for dogs) & cody's friends rescue, where i adopted potato almost 4 years ago.
all of this is breaking me so much. anyone who has a pet can understand the immense pain that completely shatters our hearts when our pets are in pain. i just hate that money is a part of this too--it's made each decision a bit more confusing to make.
i’m no more special or important than the next person & i know we all experience sucky things in life. and most of all, i know grief is part of the human experience & life is unfair & we're all victims to the ridiculous costs of healthcare in america (adding to the sob story: i have thyroid cancer & have surgery this very thursday to remove my thyroid. so there are a lot of sucky financial fees i am currently accruing, with both my cancer & potato's health concerns. the timing of all of this is horrible but there is no right timing for any of these things).
i have always loved any chance to donate to causes, fundraisers, and individuals that i feel drawn to help. i want to give you the chance to decide how you want to help. if you can donate any amount, i would really appreciate that. if you can share this fundraiser with any friends, family, or social media pages, i would also really appreciate that.
potato loves life so much & has brought SO much love to my life. i want to do all i can to try to give him the best life he has, whatever is remaining of it. thank you for joining in our shared humanity & taking the time to give however you can, even if it's just giving some of your time & thoughts to someone who is feeling so much pain for her sweet potato boy </3
Organizer
Emilee Crowder
Organizer
Dallas, TX