Help Save Iris

I don’t even know where to start. I’m terrified, I’m ashamed, I’m heartbroken, this all happened so fast and I’m so scared that my last memory of my sweet girl will be what I saw yesterday and I’m so sorry to have to dump this on everyone but I really don’t know what else to do.

on Saturday January 15th I fed everyone as usual and let them all out in to the back yard. Iris and Selma wanted to stay in which is normal for them. They would rather sleep on our bed than dog holes and play with the rest of the pack. I went to the kitchen and opens their beef tracheas, Selma snatched hers and ran to her spot but iris turned away- immediately I was like whoa, what’s wrong with you?! I called her up on to the bed and took a very close look at her face, I noticed her chin looked a little puffy so I started to feel around and open her mouth to see if she had a broken tooth or something. I felt a hard swelling under her chin where it should be soft, but nothing stuck in her mouth, no broken teeth and nothing else visible. I called our primary vet and asked if there was anyway they could see her (I know it’s very short notice). They said to give ahead and bring her in and they would have a look but it’s Saturday and they close at 12:00. I took iris in and she was examined and recommended to go to ER, they said it could be an abscess and she should probably be sedated to really check. I called the ER vet we regularly use and they were unable to take her due to the wait and the amount of patients, so I took her to our second choice, VSH in San Marcos. She was dropped off at 1:20PM, put on IV fluids started on antibiotics, sedated examined and had a culture taken from the back of her throat. I do believe the vet who examined her was a student and very new because she at first said Iris was totally normal and she saw no swelling, and then during the exam didn’t do a few that’s that I found out the next day should have been done while she was under. This vet sent her home with one antibiotic, and said she really didn’t know what was going on. I picked her up at midnight, with an hour drive back home and a very sleepless night.

by the next day the swelling had tripled in size and moved to the loose skin in her neck, I called this same hospital back and asked them to send her records to our regular ER vet (I know it’s pretty sad to say you have a regular emergency vet, but when you have this many dogs, you do) and I took her straight over. My concern was she sounded like she was having trouble breathing and I was very worried at this point. They took her in, put her on oxygen and reviewed her records. The doctor here told me in the notes it says there is a laceration under her tongue on the right side and he said it should have been probed or had a CT scan while she was under because it sounds like a foreign body like a fox tail or splinter might be inside. He recommended at this point to give her another antibiotic on top of the other and anti inflammatory and and a medication to protect her stomach from ulcers. He said give the antibiotics 5 days or so to work and we will go from there. I took her home with her new meds and started them right away. The next day the swelling was gone from her neck. I still felt a little harness in her jaw but it seemed like less and I believed she was getting better.

A few days pass and I noticed she was sounding stuffy while she was breathing. Like congestion, or a runny nose. She was eating fine, taking her meds no problem and the fluid never returned to her throat. I decided to text her primary vet (who I might add is an absolute blessing, she is always available to chat about things with the dogs, and is more than a Vet, she’s a friend who cares deeply about every animal she sees and I’m so lucky to have her.) Dr.Serdy made time to see Iris on her lunch break yesterday. So at 1:45 I loaded her up and we started our drive in to town. 5 minutes in to the drive I knew we were in trouble. Iris began gasping, gaging pacing and looked in very very serious distress. I pulled over in the side of the road, got her out to see if she would calm down. I peaked at her gums and they were white, panicking I loaded up quickly, called the office and said she need immediate attention as soon as we arrive. That we were in serious trouble. We still had 10 minutes before we arrived and I have never been more scared. I could see her in the mirror stating to fall over and for a second I heard silence. When we arrived the team took her as quickly as possible and I waited. Scared, confused as to what was happening. My beautiful friend didn’t deserve this. No dog does. I waited 30 minutes, and Dr.Serdy came out, her eyes full of tears and my heart dropped. She asked me to come inside, I think she really wasn’t sure what to say and finding the words were hard for her. She told me she wanted me to see Iris in case she died so that I could say goodbye to her. She told me that her throat was completely swollen shut, she tried to get a tube down to open the airway but wasn’t able to, she tried smaller and smaller tubes but she was losing her and had to act fast. She very quickly cut in to her trachea and performed a tracheostomy allowing iris to begin breathing. Not know what caused it and not knowing what the next steps were she prepared me for the worst and I entered to room to see my baby girl, in a way that no one should ever have to see their dog. I think people probably think I’m a lot tougher than I actually am, because I don’t really talk about stuff like this, but it killed me. I quietly left the room and got out of the hospital as fast as I could before bursting out in tears.

My vet called 17 hospitals before she found one that thought they could help her. They were calling in a team to do everything they could for Iris. The next issue is that she had a temporary breathing tube in her throat, was on oxygen and an anesthesia machine and needed to be moved to another hospital. Her tech Tammie volunteered to ride with us, and monitor her breathing, oxygen level and keep her sedated the entire hour drive to the next hospital. (Again, I have never had a Vetrinary staff go out of their way like this to help one of our dogs, I’ve never heard of it, never seen it and I’m beyond grateful for everyone at the High Valley Animal Hospital, they are more than just Vets, you’re not a paycheck to them if you take your pets here.)

At the next hospital they took her to surgery immediately, to put in a more permanent breathing tube. The night doctor came out to explain that it is very possible she has a tumor, but also possible it is an abscess. Iris needs around the clock care at this point. She was stable through the night, had X-rays and is prepping for a CT scan as we speak. The vet who has been assigned to her has spoken with me twice today, she is trying a much stronger antibiotic and they are now looking for a possible foreign body. If they find it, they will have to figure out the best way to remove it. If it’s a tumor, they need to discuss the best way to remove that and move forward. After surgery iris has to say on her breathing tube, she can’t eat, she can’t drink and it means many more days in the hospital. Her first visit at VSH was 2200.00, her second visit in poway was 1800.00 yesterday I paid 5600.00 for one day of care, today we just paid an additional 8027.00, none of this includes her possible surgery and the treatment after. I’m absolutely terrified. We are out of money, and doing everything we can to keep her alive. I’m so sad to do this, I feel like I have failed her as an owner and like I’m not able to provide care. It’s so the most heartbreaking and hopeless feeling in the world to have her life depending on money but that’s where we are right now. If there is any possible way you can help, anything at all, it would mean to world to us.

Iris is one of my best friends, she’s a member of our family, she is very loved and very missed right now. I would do anything to bring her home.