Vet Expenses for Pete

Hi there,

my name is Bethany, and I’m the dog mom of a very handsome and very friendly Aussie / Coonhound mix. He’s one of the happiest dogs I know and has never met a person he hasn’t instantly loved. His favorite things ever are long walks in the park, chasing his best dog friends at doggy daycare, performing a vast array of tricks in exchange for tasty milkbones, and snuggling up with me in bed on cold days. But he hasn’t been up for much of that lately.

On Saturday, the 15th of January, Pete developed a large swelling on his neck. It seemed to happen overnight. The previous day he had been more lethargic than usual, which is odd given how much energy he typically as, and then Saturday he was all swollen. We went to the vet, tried antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory, and things only got more swollen. On Wednesday that week, we did diagnostics and it was determined that the mass was an abscess in Pete’s neck. They sedated him and opened it up to drain it, flush it, and inserted a penrose drain to allow the remaining fluid and pus to leave his body.

After five days with the drain in his neck, they removed it, and were surprised to find that it was still producing a significant amount of fluid. We waited for 4 more days to see if it would clear up on its own, and there is still swelling and pus drainage from the incision site. Pete’s been lethargic, less than excited about his food (and trust me, he is the most food motivated guy you will ever meet), and generally not himself through all of this.

Returning to our primary vet, we were told we would be referred to a specialist that would be more comfortable performing a second surgery on Pete’s neck, being that it is a sensitive area with many nerves and arteries and requires a lot of delicate effort to work around. It is thought that there could be a foreign body lodged somewhere deep in his throat, and that this second surgery and further testing at a specialty clinic could reveal what the cause of the abscess, since we have been uncertain of its origin since the very beginning.

The estimate for the diagnostics and treatment at this time is around $5,000. It would mean more to me than anything if you could help me get Pete this surgery that could bring back the happy-go-lucky guy that I’ve been missing for so long. I can’t say how much I appreciate any support you give to Pete and I, whether you donate or simply share this page to get the word out about our situation. We will continue to update you all on our journey and appreciate you all being here to help us through it.

All of our love goes to all of you. Thank you.