Dilbert with his ER Bills and Heartworm Treatment

Hello everyone, I'm Emma Ravage and I'm making this GoFundMe to help pay for my dogs emergency room bills. Even a little bit would help me out of this scary financial situation.

Starting from Friday September 30th, my dog Dilbert visited the ER for the first time. He had coughed up some pink foam and was not as happy as usual, so I brought him in. They weren't sure what was wrong, and financially I was in a bad spot, so we decided he should go to the regular vet in the morning. Overnight, he had a weird coughing fit and I felt uneasy, so early that next morning I brought him back to the ER. There, he promptly coughed up blood twice in front of the doctor. We found out that day after blood work and full body x-rays that he has Asperate Pneumonia (he vomited at some point, inhaled some of that vomit, and it turned into a serious bacterial infection in his lungs).

From there, I was instructed to watch him very closely for any negative changes that might indicate him having to be hospitalized. They really emphasized that this infection kills dogs. They let me take him home because we caught the pneumonia pretty early, and they thought he'd do better at home (he's an anxious boy at the vet).

I ended up having to take him back for a third visit late that night because he was extra lethargic, wouldn't eat and was coughing up fluid and blood.

Now, after days of antibiotics he's on the mend! He still cannot eat his normal kibble because it hurts too much. But he's on wet food and chicken + rice. He can now go up the stairs without a struggle, and is wagging his tail and being the sweet boy that he is!

[Add on] On October 12th, Dilly had his post ER checkup for another round of antibiotics and x rays. Immediately, his veterinarian asked for a heartworm test. Lo and behold he has heartworms and not pneumonia. I received the cost estimate of $2600 for his treatment today, October 21. That means I'll be paying an extra $2600 on top of the $2143 that I've already paid. 

Now, to talk about the financials.

Dilly's initial visit was $388.44 (which I paid for in cash). His second visit was $1437.11, and his third visit was $317.49. for a total of $2143.04. This doesn't include the $500-$900 worth of after examinations, x-rays and medication he will be receiving for the next month and a half (assuming there are no complications). His antibiotic alone is $250 every two weeks, and their suspecting he'll need six weeks worth. I also missed two days of work, which really is going to hurt me next paycheck.

As of right now, $1754.60 of the ER bills are on a Care Credit card. I have to pay off the care credit card in full in 6 months, or I pay a 26.99% APR for the entire total. Truthfully, based off my current financials I'm not going to be able to pay it off in time. I'm trying to sell some furniture and things to help.

The other unfortunate kicker is that I have been working on getting some dental works done ($2200 of dental work to be exact), and what I had gotten done so far has drained my savings. I had to have a pretty intense procedure that we only completed half of my mouth. I was supposed to get the other half done on October 5th, but had to reschedule after all this veterinary stuff (I was told I shouldn't reschedule, but I had to). I'm scared when my new appointment rolls around, I won't be able to pay for it as I'm still paying back Dilly's medical bills.

I'm not hoping for much, but even a little could help curb my monthly payments and make paying this off in 6 months feasible. I now have Dilly and my cat, Kira on pet insurance to help mitigate this type of thing in the future.

No matter what, I would have paid even more if it meant my Dilbert would be okay at the end of the day. You could ask anyone, Dilbert is a once in a lifetime dog.

Thank you for reading, and possibly even donating! Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!