Saving Isaac the Therapy Dog
Donation protected
In 2013, Isaac was picked up by animal control as a stray. He was timid and nervous, so he was muzzled and a catch pole was used to move him around. When his time at the shelter ran short, Coastal German Shepherd Rescue OC pulled him, promised to work with him, and to find him a family who would love him forever. Isaac quickly scored a great foster home with a mom and a dad, 2 kids, and 2 other dogs. He did so well there, his foster family decided they couldn't imagine him going anywhere else and they made him an official member of their family.
Since then, Isaac has watched his human siblings grow up and has helped his family foster many other dogs in need. He's shown them the ropes and been a great canine sibling. Isaac went through obedience training, passed his Canine Good Citizen Test, and eventually became a Therapy Dog, helping young children improve their reading skills by being there to listen as they read aloud. No judgement, no correcting, just listening and love.
On the evening of November 17, 2019, Isaac didn't want to eat his dinner. That's a huge red flag for a dog who absolutely loves his meals. He went to lay down and grunted, obviously in pain, even though everything else about him seemed normal. His family was worried enough that they took him to the ER. X-Rays were taken and there appeared to be a blockage in his intestines.
Upon further examination, the vets discovered that Isaac had a mesenteric torsion. That's a rare and usually fatal condition in which the bowel twists on its mesenteric axis, resulting in a strangulating mechanical obstruction of the cranial mesenteric artery and its branches. His condition was now critical and, even though putting him under anesthesia would be a very high risk, it was the only choice if he were to be saved.
His family would do anything to save him, so Isaac went into surgery early this morning and made it through that around 4:30 AM. He’s in critical condition, not out of the woods. The vet said had he come in 30 minutes later, Isaac would have died. His blood pressure was so low that he almost died a few times during surgery. When they untwisted his gut, they weren’t sure the blood supply was still active, but it slowly pinked up and appeared to have blood everywhere. Truly a miracle. There are so many complications that we must watch for now, many of them very serious, so this is going to be a long and scary road. About 6 hours post op, his family was allowed to visit with him. He immediately perked up when he saw his human sister and felt the love.
While he's not out of the woods yet, he has survived the surgery and is being monitored in CCU. He has a cardiologist monitoring him, as he now has an arrhythmia. His family absolutely adores Isaac and would do anything for him. That said, very few people are prepared for an unexpected $10,700 bill. That's what they've already paid. Being in the CCU runs, on average, $4000 per day.
Isaac has done so much and helped so many, as a therapy dog and as an ambassador of the breed, that we wanted to start this page to help him. We don't know what his life was like prior to being rescued and then adopted, but we do know that he's one of a kind, has a heart bigger than all of the United States, and we want to help him and his family. We don't want money to be an issue in his recovery. Can you help Isaac?
Photo above from 11/18/19, when visiting Isaac in the CCU.
Photo above from 11/19/19, when visiting Isaac in the CCU.
Since then, Isaac has watched his human siblings grow up and has helped his family foster many other dogs in need. He's shown them the ropes and been a great canine sibling. Isaac went through obedience training, passed his Canine Good Citizen Test, and eventually became a Therapy Dog, helping young children improve their reading skills by being there to listen as they read aloud. No judgement, no correcting, just listening and love.
On the evening of November 17, 2019, Isaac didn't want to eat his dinner. That's a huge red flag for a dog who absolutely loves his meals. He went to lay down and grunted, obviously in pain, even though everything else about him seemed normal. His family was worried enough that they took him to the ER. X-Rays were taken and there appeared to be a blockage in his intestines.
Upon further examination, the vets discovered that Isaac had a mesenteric torsion. That's a rare and usually fatal condition in which the bowel twists on its mesenteric axis, resulting in a strangulating mechanical obstruction of the cranial mesenteric artery and its branches. His condition was now critical and, even though putting him under anesthesia would be a very high risk, it was the only choice if he were to be saved.
His family would do anything to save him, so Isaac went into surgery early this morning and made it through that around 4:30 AM. He’s in critical condition, not out of the woods. The vet said had he come in 30 minutes later, Isaac would have died. His blood pressure was so low that he almost died a few times during surgery. When they untwisted his gut, they weren’t sure the blood supply was still active, but it slowly pinked up and appeared to have blood everywhere. Truly a miracle. There are so many complications that we must watch for now, many of them very serious, so this is going to be a long and scary road. About 6 hours post op, his family was allowed to visit with him. He immediately perked up when he saw his human sister and felt the love.
While he's not out of the woods yet, he has survived the surgery and is being monitored in CCU. He has a cardiologist monitoring him, as he now has an arrhythmia. His family absolutely adores Isaac and would do anything for him. That said, very few people are prepared for an unexpected $10,700 bill. That's what they've already paid. Being in the CCU runs, on average, $4000 per day.
Isaac has done so much and helped so many, as a therapy dog and as an ambassador of the breed, that we wanted to start this page to help him. We don't know what his life was like prior to being rescued and then adopted, but we do know that he's one of a kind, has a heart bigger than all of the United States, and we want to help him and his family. We don't want money to be an issue in his recovery. Can you help Isaac?
Photo above from 11/18/19, when visiting Isaac in the CCU.Photo above from 11/19/19, when visiting Isaac in the CCU.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lorraine OhHai
Organizer
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Cathy Cozier
Beneficiary
