Help this cherished dog (Hank) make a full recovery

Hi, this is Ric Zimmerman. Many of you already know why Hank is so special to me. He came to me 2 1/2 years ago after my son’s untimely death. He has not only been a faithful companion and light in my life but also a last living connection to my son.

At 10am on Thursday Aug 8, 2024 our lives changed in an instant. In a freak accident while on leash, Hank’s behind was run over by a passing pickup truck. Thankfully, the driver stopped and helped us get to the first vet of the day.

We quickly learned the closest open emergency vet was 2 hours away in Traverse City. There, Hank was found to have 3 separate fractures to his pelvis. His lungs were compressed and now swollen and liver enzymes elevated. It was bad. There was no question though. I had to save this dog if medically possible.

The staff at Bay Area Pet Hospital were amazing. They helped Hank stabilize and arranged for the surgery to be done down by Detroit. Hank stayed 3 nights in TC then we had to care for him at home Sunday night before he could be admitted for surgery Monday morning. That was a long night. I “slept” on the floor with him.

We left Monday 4:30am to drive the near 3 hours to Oakland Veterinarian Referral Service hospital. Dr. Bula and her team worked their magic installing a metal plate on the worst of the fractures. It was a long day of surgery. First they had to go in and rule out hernia. Hank’s muscles had also started to pull the fracture wider so Dr. Bula had to massage him to pull it all back together.

After 2 more nights in hospital Hank came home. Since then it’s been constant supervision and medication to give him the best chance to heal. His progress so far has been outstanding and it warms my heart.

Like human medical services, skilled veterinarian teams do not work for free or for cheap. Not counting upcoming follow up visits, the total for all care now stands at $13,718.59.

While I am happily retired from the state of Texas (29 years service) this tragedy comes at a time when my emergency funds are extremely low. Well, now gone and then some. I’ve put all this cost on credit cards, which will cause a money struggle over the next few months. Asking for just a portion ($6,000) of total costs to help us get through this.