Van Gogh Needs Help Fast
Donation protected
Van Gogh, the king of all kings when it comes to happy go lucky, snuggly, sweet, silly, overgrown puppies, is very, very sick. We have been battling a mystery since 2 Fridays ago when he started throwing up here and there. Van being Van, we figured he must have ate something that disagreed with him, and figured we would start meds from last time this happened and give him a couple days to pass it.
Sadly, the vomiting increased and so did his downhill slide. We went to the vet, did x-rays and saw a "something", along with a lot of irritation, which seemed to more of an issue that the object. He was treated with a bunch of sub-cutaneous fluid, given medication and we went home. He resumed his vomiting withing 20 minutes of getting home, so we went back the next morning to try again.
Van spent the whole day getting fluids, more xrays and pumped full of meds to help with all his issues. I picked him up that night with a list of instructions, a bag of meds, special food and high hopes. They said it might take a couple of days to get him right, but I was ready. He ate a little food. He took his meds, and he vomited less. Seemed like progress! The next day, was awesome. His tail was wagging, he wanted his special food and was taking his meds happily. That night he even played for a bit with our neighbor and Skye. He chewed on his favorite pretzel toy before bed. Everything seemed like we had turned the corner.
Until the next morning. Van woke up and instantly started vomiting. He ate a ton of leaves and spent the rest of the day throwing them up along with anything else we could get in him. He didn't want his food, my food, cat food... anything. He didn't seem to even want water. I had to force his meds in. This continued all day into the next day. Sunday began the same way. Vomit 1st thing. Then more, and more. Huge amounts that smelled like death. He didn't want food or water because nothing stayed down. Not even the tiny amount of water from an ice cube stayed in him. He was constantly tired from all this. He was beyond dehydrated. He seemed disoriented when he was walking around. The only time he seemed at all ok was when he was asleep or if you were holding him. So far from the happy, wiggly guy we all know.
This bring us to today, where we had still hoped the new day might bring new news. He was soo thirsty, but I only let him have a little at a time in hopes of keeping it in. He tried his best to potty. Nothing came out, and the vomiting started again. Sigh. Back to the vet.
More xrays. More meds. No answers. We debated the cost of all this. Of all the options we had on the table. They called a specialist to see if she could come to help find the issue, because obviously there still was one. Thankfully she could, and did. She did a very expensive ultrasound. At this point I was praying she would find something. Anything. Both thankfully, and disastrously, she did.
Van has a partial blockage of his intestine and it is very inflamed and very stuck. As long as it is there he will continue down this terrible path, and even worse, his intestine will suffer long term damage and need to be removed. They recommended he have surgery as early as possible. Preferably, 1st thing tomorrow morning.
In the past 3 vet visits we have paid $406, $542, and today's bill was well over $700. Tomorrow's surgery will add to this another colossal sum. The high end estimate we have been given is $2300. That's $2300 we don't have. Those of you who know us know we spare no expense when it comes to our dog's happiness or care, but today we are in a spot no pet parent wants to be in. We want to help him, but do not have the funds to do so. So what do you do? You panic. You start begging friends and family. You cry. You try and bargain with the vet. You start a fundraiser and ask people who have never even met your dog to help you even though the world around them is in total chaos right now. Why? Because we desperately love this dog and because we would never, ever give up on him, no matter how empty our wallets might be.
It is so hard to ask for help. But I have to try.
Sadly, the vomiting increased and so did his downhill slide. We went to the vet, did x-rays and saw a "something", along with a lot of irritation, which seemed to more of an issue that the object. He was treated with a bunch of sub-cutaneous fluid, given medication and we went home. He resumed his vomiting withing 20 minutes of getting home, so we went back the next morning to try again.
Van spent the whole day getting fluids, more xrays and pumped full of meds to help with all his issues. I picked him up that night with a list of instructions, a bag of meds, special food and high hopes. They said it might take a couple of days to get him right, but I was ready. He ate a little food. He took his meds, and he vomited less. Seemed like progress! The next day, was awesome. His tail was wagging, he wanted his special food and was taking his meds happily. That night he even played for a bit with our neighbor and Skye. He chewed on his favorite pretzel toy before bed. Everything seemed like we had turned the corner.
Until the next morning. Van woke up and instantly started vomiting. He ate a ton of leaves and spent the rest of the day throwing them up along with anything else we could get in him. He didn't want his food, my food, cat food... anything. He didn't seem to even want water. I had to force his meds in. This continued all day into the next day. Sunday began the same way. Vomit 1st thing. Then more, and more. Huge amounts that smelled like death. He didn't want food or water because nothing stayed down. Not even the tiny amount of water from an ice cube stayed in him. He was constantly tired from all this. He was beyond dehydrated. He seemed disoriented when he was walking around. The only time he seemed at all ok was when he was asleep or if you were holding him. So far from the happy, wiggly guy we all know.
This bring us to today, where we had still hoped the new day might bring new news. He was soo thirsty, but I only let him have a little at a time in hopes of keeping it in. He tried his best to potty. Nothing came out, and the vomiting started again. Sigh. Back to the vet.
More xrays. More meds. No answers. We debated the cost of all this. Of all the options we had on the table. They called a specialist to see if she could come to help find the issue, because obviously there still was one. Thankfully she could, and did. She did a very expensive ultrasound. At this point I was praying she would find something. Anything. Both thankfully, and disastrously, she did.
Van has a partial blockage of his intestine and it is very inflamed and very stuck. As long as it is there he will continue down this terrible path, and even worse, his intestine will suffer long term damage and need to be removed. They recommended he have surgery as early as possible. Preferably, 1st thing tomorrow morning.
In the past 3 vet visits we have paid $406, $542, and today's bill was well over $700. Tomorrow's surgery will add to this another colossal sum. The high end estimate we have been given is $2300. That's $2300 we don't have. Those of you who know us know we spare no expense when it comes to our dog's happiness or care, but today we are in a spot no pet parent wants to be in. We want to help him, but do not have the funds to do so. So what do you do? You panic. You start begging friends and family. You cry. You try and bargain with the vet. You start a fundraiser and ask people who have never even met your dog to help you even though the world around them is in total chaos right now. Why? Because we desperately love this dog and because we would never, ever give up on him, no matter how empty our wallets might be.
It is so hard to ask for help. But I have to try.
Organizer
Joy Rohrs
Organizer
Magnolia, TX