Help Ollie Get Better

On 6/17/24 Ollie started showing symptoms that were unusual for his playful self. Drooling, lethargy. We rushed him to the ER vet where he was found to have a fever and WBC elevation. We were sent home with a round of antibiotics and pain meds to fight off this infection and keep him comfortable.

Within 24 hours, his neck and jaw on his Right side became extremely swollen and firm to the touch, he was beginning to cough and the drooling was back.

We rushed him back to the ER 6/20/24 where x-rays were done and a sedating exam under anesthesia, which included shaving his little face to get a better look and feel for these unwanted masses. It was found that he has some sort of soft tissue cellulitis that originated from a cut in his mouth. The right side of his tongue is swollen with ulcers.

Despite all the poking and prodding during his exam and x-rays, his little knubby tail was wagging, telling us he was okay and a strong brave boy.

The plan moving forward was to start him on a stronger round of antibiotics and keep him comfortable at home with constant monitoring or send him to a speciality vet like UPenn if his symptom’s had gotten worse within 24hr for further diagnostics and exploratory surgery so they could pinpoint the next steps of care for our boy.

As of now, his symptoms aren’t improving and time is of the essence to get him to Penn Vet in the next couple of hours.

So many ER visit costs are beginning to add up and the thought of a whole other hospital is scary, especially the thought of not being able to afford a life saving surgery or additional diagnostics if he needs it. I am trying to raise money for any additional upfront costs that may accrue when we take him to PennVet

Ollie is the silliest boy. Lover of people and playing with big dogs. He is stubborn in his nature of course, and a cuddle bug when he wants to be. He deserves a chance to combat whatever this illness is and I appreciate whatever help he can receive.

Any funds that are not used towards Ollie’s treatment will be donated back to Watson’s Wish, a non-profit that assists dog owners in paying for their dog's life-or-death surgeries and hospitalization when they can't afford some or all of the costs.

UPDATE 6/21/24 AM: We took him to Penn Vet. Based on his exam, he needs to get a CT of his head and neck. It is a strong possibility that he heads to surgery today for exploratory surgery. They are going to start him on antibiotics and pain medication. He is expected to stay for 1-2 nights at PennVet. We love our boy and are so thankful for the support he has received and he is in good hands with the medical staff at Penn. Please keep thinking of Ollie

UPDATE 6/21/24 PM: The doctors believe Ollie has something along the lines of juvenile cellulitis, know as “puppy strangle” in other terms. He is currently in surgery. He is in the great care of his medical team at PennVet and we can’t thank everyone enough for the tremendous support for our boy. We appreciate you more than you know. Please keep Ollie in your thoughts and the team of doctors and nurses operating on him.

UPDATE 6/21/24 6PM: We have gotten word that Ollie is out of surgery. On examination he was found to have a lot of unhealthy tissue and an exploded lymph node which they had to remove. They tried to get as much of the bad destroyed tissue out as they could and sent samples. We were told that he was taken to the ICU after surgery and currently stable but he may need an additional surgery depending on the results of his samples and his condition over the next 12 hours. We are so heartbroken and we don’t know what the next steps will be in Ollie’s plan of care but we aren’t giving up. We will be raising his fundraising goal to account for any additional and unexpected costs during his hospitalization. Please continue to keep Ollie in your thoughts and thank you for the love and support everyone has shown for him and us.