Warrick Brown- spinal surgery

First of all, I HATE having to do a Go Fund Me. I hate asking for help or handouts, but I feel that this is the one time I need to do so as today I was presented with a life or death situation with my beloved Warrick Brown.

I adopted Warrick Brown 4 years ago. He is a very well-known boy in the Bull Terrier world, little bit of a celebrity in fact. I was simply picking him up to temporarily foster until he could get back to his breeder, but he and Rose hit it off like an old married couple. I came to find out that they in fact lived together for a few years and had a litter together. He fit in so well with ALL of the animals that his breeder graciously offered him to me and I eagerly accepted.

He has been my loyal companion, fiercest protector and can be found by my side no matter where I am. He is the smartest dog I have ever met and the sweetest boy around. All he wants is for me to lavish love and affection uponst him.

Last Thursday while playing with Rose she jumped up suddenly and sent Warrick (now 12 years old) flying up and backwards and he slammed with all of his weight onto our floor. That night I could tell he was sore, but by the next morning he was screaming in pain and we rushed him to Calgary North. They did radiographs where they discovered what they suspected as IVDD. I was given a medicine cabinet of pain meds, anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants. He actually improved over the next 48 hours and I thought we were on the road to recovery. Then on Monday night he started fits of screaming despite meds. You could see the panic and fear in his eyes and he tried to escape the pain. I called the emergency and they said to monitor him overnight. By morning the screaming had not stopped and we rushed him to Calgary North – as soon as we pulled up and they saw his condition, they immediately advised we rush him to CARE Centre where there are specialists. We dropped him off (curb side during Covid) and they reported back that night that there is no pain even after serious palpation. I insisted he is in pain but being very stoic and hiding it, but I could tell they didn’t believe me. The next day he was being discharged so we went to pick him up and as soon as he was placed in my truck he started to scream again. This time it was witnessed by a staff member who ran back inside to advise the vet. We readmitted him and he has been hospitalized ever since.

Dr. Diaz did neck radiographs as he suspected the pain was actually in his neck. There is an injury in his neck at C2, but without doing further testing we aren’t 100% it’s what is causing him so much pain. Today they did a CT Scan with a surgeon as Dr. Diaz is on vacation – he did try to come in on his vacation time to do the CT scan but was unable to make it work. At 2:57 pm I was called by the attending surgeon who did the CT Scan. She said the compression in L3 on his spine is so bad it’s at 50%. She said he is the toughest dog she has ever met to hide the amount of pain he must be in from them.

I asked what the options were, and she said surgery or euthanasia. I asked the price of surgery which is $10,000 and I asked how long I had to decide. She said he is currently under anesthetic and I have 10 minutes to decide before she wakes him up and he goes into surgery – this with 3 minutes left of my work being open for me to find out how much coverage I have left for his insurance (thank god for pet insurance). He is currently in surgery as we speak. Insurance has covered all of his testing and will cover most of his surgery. I have already paid his deductible and $1200 out of pocket. That unfortunately leaves me with about $3,000 to cover and why I am here. I never ask for anything, but I am hoping $5 here and there will add up from people who (hopefully) love me and Warrick, and I can help take a dent out of this massive bill. I had 10 minutes to make a life or death decision and the vet has assured me that age is not a death sentence and with his current health, bloodwork and fight to keep going, he still has years left with us.

I know there are people who have sick kids, lost spouses, lost jobs, etc.. so I feel incredibly guilty asking for help when there are so many others who need it. But I also know that GoFundMe allows small donations to add up. I do not ask for help lightly, but feel that I have put myself out there time and time again and hope that Karma is there when I need it.
If you feel more comfortable donating to CARE Centre directly, I can provide you with information.

If you do donate, thank you from the bottom of my heart. In all honesty I wouldn’t have gone ahead with the surgery without the pet insurance, but it is a testament to the fact that is literally life saving.