Ernie, Vet’s Service Dog, Needs Your Help

A MESSAGE FROM ERNIE

Hi! My name is Ernie, and I am not feeling great. I have been very sick. Not even french fries, my all-time favorite treat, are appetizing. I still like to be outside and smell all the smells, but it is painful to move, so I usually sit down on the first patch of grass I can find and take in what I can from there. Not all of my friends are able to visit me at the hospital, so my human calls them on the phone and we video chat. I want to get better soon so that I can run around outside, play with my friends, and be with my human. I miss my human when I am in the hospital, it is the only time we have ever been apart. She is a 100% disabled Air Force Veteran and I work as her service dog. She is not very good at asking for help so I make sure she takes care of herself. Sometimes she has medical episodes that I can detect even before she can. I let her know that she needs to take her medication to try and prevent the episode, or get to a safe place where I can help her recover from an episode if it cannot be avoided. This was my first job. Later we learned that sometimes her hands don't work well, and I started to learn to help her pick up and carry items, open and close doors, and things like that. Sometimes she gets very sick and she has to go to the hospital. When she goes to the hospital, I go and stay with her, but when I am in the hospital she is only allowed to visit, so she visits me every day and even sings to me, which she never used to do in public. Thanks for stopping by and reading about my story. I'm tired; I am going to take a nap now. Nice to meet you!

 

A MESSAGE FROM CARLY

Hi there, my name is Carly and I am Ernie's human. He's not the type to brag, so let me do it for him. Ernie is exceptional! He has saved my life more than once and has even been at the right place at the right time to be able to help other veterans in crisis as well. Ernie is only four years old and we have been working together for the last two years. We hope that we will be able to work together for several more before he enters the golden years of retirement. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Even if you are not able to donate, your positive thoughts and prayers go a long way.

 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ERNIE?

Put shortly, we don't know for sure. He has been sick with a fever for a week. He has not wanted to eat or drink, and it is painful for him to get up or move. On a good day he would eat two tablespoons of wet food, a few bites of grilled chicken, and a couple of small pieces of duck treats (what a bourgie boy!). He barely drinks any water.

Blood tests, urine tests, tests for tick diseases, multiple x-rays, a scope to check his esophagus and stomach, ultrasounds, stomach and lymph node biopsies, more blood tests, more x-rays, joint taps, and many more tests... we still don't know but we aren't giving up. We don't know what caused Ernie to get sick, but one thing is becoming clear, he has a lot of inflammation.

 

HOW DO WE HELP HIM GET BETTER?

We have been giving him IV fluids to keep him hydrated, antibiotics to fight possible infections, grilling chicken and shredding duck treats to try and entice him to eat, making sure he has a super soft and fluffy spot to lay down, letting him rest as much as he can, wheeling him outside on the gurney so we can have visits in the grass in the sun and under the trees, and letting the doctors do their amazing work! Steroids are used to treat inflammation, but if Ernie has an infection that we haven't found, steroids, while treating the inflammation, would also give an infection a chance to flourish.

 

HOW WE ENDED UP AT CORNELL

Earlier this year, after a combination of slipping on ice and continued running, jumping, and work, Ernie tore the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL, the dog equivalent of the ACL) in one of his knees. The veterinarian told us then that there was a 50% chance that he would tear his other CCL within the year. Sure enough, shortly after, the second one went. The best option to regain full functionality would be to perform a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) in which part of the top of the tibia bone is cut, rotated, and secured with a metal plate and screws.

According to the internet, a single TPLO surgery can cost as little as $1,200; however, as I began researching a much different picture emerged. I learned that while an accrediting agency exists for board-certified orthopedic surgeons, it is not a required qualification to perform surgery as a veterinarian. Because Ernie performs work as my service dog and is not just my pet, I wanted to make sure that we found board-certified orthopedic surgeon who would have the experience to help ensure the best outcome, especially since the estimates I was receiving were between $3,000 - $4,000 per leg, not including follow-ups and post-surgery rehabilitation. A friend suggested that I look into veterinary teaching hospitals as they often subsidize the cost of procedures as teaching hospitals, and even though students are learning from the procedures, the faculty and staff are often exceptionally experienced. The closest options were the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital in College Station, TX, and the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, both more than 600 miles away and a day's drive away. I contacted Texas A&M and was informed that they would not perform simultaneous bilateral TPLO. When I contacted Colorado State University, I was told that there was one professor there who had done it less than a handful of times in her career and under exceptional circumstances; I could schedule an exam but they could not make any promises. Then, after a serendipitous chain of events, in March 2022, we were incredibly fortunate to be connected to Dr. Krotscheck, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and professor at the Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital whose specialty includes cranial cruciate disease treatment modalities and has experience performing simultaneous bilateral TPLO. Dr. Krotscheck recognized the benefits of simultaneous bilateral TPLO for Ernie and, after examination, determined he was a good candidate. In addition to the affordable cost, because it is a teaching hospital, we were also given a discount because of Ernie's work as a service animal. Ernie did great in surgery and, after nine weeks, was cleared by orthopedics. We were also able to take advantage of the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation service at the hospital. Ernie loved his exercises in underwater treadmill therapy to improve function, reduce pain, and accelerate recovery. Finally, we graduated from rehab and were ready to head home!

We road tripped home visiting friends along the way, celebrating a military retirement, an Alive Day celebration (the day a friend survived a bomb), and a military promotion. We even got to see a few new places along the way; we took scenic 98 across northern Florida, stopping for lunch on St. Geoge Island one day and New Orleans the next. After a few days' rest in Austin, TX, at a friend's, we began our last leg home on Sunday, June 5th. We started out early and by 10 am I had noticed that Ernie wasn't acting like himself. By the early afternoon, he still had not drunk anything since getting on the road again. When we got home that evening, he only ate a little bit of wet food but we were able to get some liquids in him, which seemed to help a bit, but by the morning he was declining again and clearly had a fever. We drove an hour to a veterinarian that could see him for an emergency visit. They admitted him, started giving him fluids and tried to diagnose what was going on. The doctor ran several tests ruling out the usual suspects and even consulted with specialists at Cornell. After two days and no improvement, the local veterinarian was leaving on a planned trip out of the country and the referred veterinarian qualified in internal medicine would not be back from his own trip for several days. Still without a diagnosis, reaching the limits of care available in the local area (300 mile radius) and unsure how much time we might have, we made the decision to fly back to Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital where the doctors knew Ernie, were familiar with his recent medical history, and have access to all of the resources and knowledge that we might need. A fraught trip full of delays, rerouting, and worry was also peppered with reminders of strength and kindness, some of which I have included thank-yous below.

 

THANK YOUS!

Thank you to the AMAZING! staff, doctors, students, etc., at the Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital for your kindness, care, attention, respect, time, energy, expertise, and generous discount that made and continues to make accessing the care that Ernie needs accessible and leaves me without the proper words to express my thanks and gratitude!

 

Thank you to the Ruidoso Animal Clinic, especially Dr. Favis, for accepting Ernie as an emergency visit, providing the best care available, consulting with specialists, and continuing to assist and engage in Ernie's care even after he was transferred.

 

Thank you to my friends, family, and strangers who have supported us through this time, from transportation, airline miles, and lodging, to prayers, thoughts, and positive messages and anything in between! I am not known for accepting help much less asking for it, and I have been continually humbled by the outpouring of overwhelming genuine caring and kindness, especially from strangers. I would like to share a few of their stories here.

 

@ Lisa, a fellow passenger waiting on the flight home to Dallas, TX, from the Roswell Air Center in Roswell, NM, where I was holding Ernie's IV bag, alternating between holding it up as high as I could and resting it on top of my head to give my arm a break, offered me a selfie-stick she had to use as an IV pole. That adjustable selfie-stick-IV-pole held Ernie's IV fluids elevated for 12+ hours, providing hydration and even affording me the opportunity to try and attempt a quick nap on the concourse floor when I was struggling to stay awake.

 

@ Ester, the American Airlines reservations agent and the third person I was transferred to speak to, worked tirelessly to try and find an alternative routing option after our flight encountered a 5+ hr delay, scouring for any option that would get us as close to Ithaca, NY, as soon as possible. She spent more time and energy looking for options than I'm sure she was minimally required to and even took the time to explain why company policy would not allow her to put me on the best alternate flight that I was able to find rather than just dismissing me. She reminded me that even if a system seems broken, there are often good people working within who see the issues and are still trying to do the best they can to get the best outcomes within the limits the system imposes.

 

@ Matt, a young man also waiting overnight for a connecting flight at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, TX, saw us outside arrivals as I tried to give Ernie some fresh air, even at 3am with a light breeze it was still 74 degrees out. Offering us a cold bottle of water and a soda, he said, "I thought you two might want something cold to drink." This young man and his observation reminded me that kindness can come from anyone at any time, all we need to do is look for it.

 

@ the American Airlines employee at the baggage counter at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Dallas, TX, (whose name I cannot remember) that offered to keep an eye on Ernie (at this point in his own wheelchair because it was too difficult for him to walk between gates) so that I could go to the bathroom, wash my face, and change into clean clothes. Thanks to this kind gentleman, though still exhausted, I at least felt a bit more human.

 

@ Corrine, a United Airlines Supervisor at DFW, knows her job inside and out. Called by an employee unsure about a service dog with an IV flying, she already knew and understood the federal laws and airline policies that applied without having to be directed to them. She even knew the nitty-gritty of the agent's job so well that while Corrine finished getting us checked in, the agent that called her over commented that she had never seen a supervisor that knew how to do what Corrine was doing.

 

@ Shanequella, the young nurse seated next to us on the flight from DFW to Dulles, saw me fiddling with Ernie's IV and reading medical literature on my phone (there was an air bubble in the line, the bag had stopped dripping, and his paw below the catheter had started to swell, we had just boarded and I was unable to reach anyone by phone before take-off to confirm what I should do) she looked at me and then at his IV then asked sincerely with kindness and clarity, "What are you trying to do? I am a nurse."

 

Thank you; thank you to all of you!

 

WHAT YOUR DONATION WILL SUPPORT

Funds raised will be used to cover Ernie's medical expenses and costs associated with accessing medical care. Of course we hope that this will be a short stay and his care will not need to be extensive. Unfortunately, we have learned that we cannot always predict the outcomes and life is not always simple. If more funds are raised than are needed to cover Ernie's medical and associated costs, funds will be used to cover continuing care and end-of-life care if it should come to that. It is also possible that Ernie may recover but he may no longer be able to perform his work as a service animal. If this is the case, Ernie will be retired and spend the rest of his years as a spoiled pet. Hopefully, before Ernie is retired, I will be able to begin looking for/training/working with a new service animal. If Ernie is no longer able to  do his work as my service animal and significant funds have been raised, some funds may be used to cover costs associated with finding and training my next service animal.

 

WHAT IF WE RAISE MORE MONEY THAN WE NEED?

Excess funds will be used to create Ernie's Fund. Ernie's Fund will provide financial assistance to defray the costs of accessing qualified medical services for service animals in need.

 

$16,095.81 in veterinary bills in the last three months with more to come.

$5,915.67 - Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital

$7,418.25 - Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital 

• Three days and two nights of hospitalization, pre-op exam and x-rays, anesthesia, simultaneous bilateral TPLO, medical grade hardware, pain medications, post-op exams, antibiotics, rehabilitation and physical therapy, underwater treadmill therapy, ear drops