Rey's Recovery: A Family in Need

My name is Kristi. I started this GoFundMe on behalf of my brother and his family and their dog that is more than just a pet. Thank you for reading their story below, as told by Kathy, my sister-in-law:

Rey's Story

"Last Tuesday morning, our dogs Belle and Rey got into a package of gum with Xylitol being the first ingredient. It was a brand new package, and they ate the entire thing. According to ASPCA Poison Control, 2 pieces could be lethal. Based on the amount of toxin in her system, Rey likely ate at least 75 pieces. Within a half hour she lost the use of her back legs and began to vomit. We rushed her to the ER. At that time we had no idea what the cause was - it wasn’t until later that we realized it was the gum and were encouraged to bring Belle to the ER also, even though she showed no signs of toxicity.

"Although Belle’s liver enzymes were high, she was never critically ill and needed mostly just glucose and liver monitoring and fluids. Rey, however, went downhill rapidly. Her blood stopped clotting. She was dangerously dehydrated. She was dying. There was little to no hope.

"But God.

"Are we supposed to pray for our pets? Does God heal animals like this?

"I don’t know the doctrines or the theologically correct answers. But I do know God is intimately involved in my life. Every detail. I do know he loves me. I know he loves my family. I know Rey is part of his creation. I know he found his creation good. Very good. And I know that this precious little dog has been the embodiment of faithfulness and unconditional love through years of suffering in our lives. Cancer. Financial difficulties. Anxiety. Stress. PANDAS. Diabetes. Autism. Loss. Strained relationships. So I pleaded with God to save her. To allow us to keep her. To perform a miracle.

"He is.

"She is still so so sick. She needs intensive care for likely another week to the tune of close to $28,000, in addition to what has already been spent. I have absolutely no idea how we will manage that. But I also had no idea how she could possibly pull through, and look at her now! The same God who has brought her this far can provide the means to continue.

"So there is the long lead up to the details:

"Her blood is clotting. She is eating baby food. Her ALT (liver enzymes) are still over 5,000, but that is down from over 8,000, which is down from being completely unreadable. The internal bleeding no longer shows up on ultrasound. Unfortunately, her Bilirubin is still extremely high. That is extremely problematic. She is receiving plasma, IV fluids and antibiotics, proteins and water through an NG tube, and a host of other infusions and injections.

"Please pray:

"Cost. We simply don’t have the funds.

"Continued healing for my sweet girl.

"Our family. This crisis came in the middle of other crushing stress. I absolutely believe that the timing is intentional as God seeks to keep us looking to Him, but oh my, it’s so painful. We need help that only He can provide."

Back to me:

Thank you for reading Rey's story. All funds raised here will go to Rey's veterinary expenses. Additional money will go to defray the cumulating costs of the other ongoing and chronic human medical conditions in their family that Kathy mentioned above - primarily cancer (she herself is a recent breast cancer survivor), PANDAS, autism, and diabetes.

If you are able to contribute, thank you! If you pray, thank you! If you share this with others, thank you! Please feel free to contact me with questions.