Support Maggie's Urgent Medical Care Costs

(Above: The day we adopted Maggie 3/17/23)

** MAGGIE IS FINALLY HOME ♥️ **

** UPDATE: 7pm, Thursday, 10/10/24 **

I honestly didn’t know if this day would ever come but it HAS and Maggie is finally home after 7 days in 2 different hospitals and we could not be happier tonight! She was a trooper on the almost 2 hour car ride home out of Philly during rush hour, road closures and detours and she just had some dinner and meds and is fast asleep on her NEW dog bed (the old one and 5-6 towels had to be tossed from the mess of last weekend). She is exhausted and so am I but it’s so great to have her home that I’m running on adrenaline I think. The vet and staff grew very fond of her and were sad to see her go but happy that she was leaving in far better condition than when she arrived 5-1/2 days ago. The vet even gave me his email and cell phone and said if anything concerning pops up to reach out to him, which I hope I won’t need to but certainly will if I have to. This past week was such an exhausting roller coaster and I am glad the ride is over. She still has some minor GI issues but we’re hoping she will stay the course and continue to improve and feel better and better each day. THANK YOU all of you for your prayers, donations, texts and DMs asking how Maggie was doing. We are eternally grateful to each and every one of you for everything ♥️

** UPDATE, 6pm, Tuesday, 10/8/24 **

Today is day 3 for Maggie at UPenn and day 5 of her hospitalization total including the 2 days at BluePearl in Levittown Friday and Saturday last week. While her vomiting seems to have been controlled, she still having really bad diarrhea that the docs are having difficulty getting under control. She’s showing more interest in eating but no so much drinking (which is why she’s still on IV fluids although they’ve been trying to slow that down in hopes that she’ll show more interest in drinking water). They’re treating her for ulcerative gastroenteritis although the cause isn’t clear and it might never be at this point. SOMETHING definitely upset her GI tract but what exactly has yet to be uncovered. So they continue to treat her symptomatically with prescription wet dog food specifically for dogs with diarrhea, IV fluids to keep her hydrated, IV meds to keep her stomach calm and settled. I just wish there was something they could give her to get her diarrhea under control. The doctor and I were trying to problem solve the diarrhea issue together on the phone a few minutes ago and I suggested a dry kibble version of the wet food (which he confirmed they do have and can give her). I said maybe since she’s used to only ever getting kibble, maybe if we use that instead of the wet food, it will trigger her thirst and she might be more inclined to start drinking more water on her own. He loved that and thought it was definitely worth trying so they will start her on some dry kibble tonight and pull back on her fluids slightly and see if that helps any. He said he was hoping he’d be able to send her home late tomorrow afternoon but when she will still having multiple episodes this afternoon, he decided she still needed another 2-3 days with them so they could try to get the diarrhea under control and reduce the likelihood of having to come back. So she is still at UPenn and is still being well care for. Oh they also said her liver enzymes came down slightly today which is a good sign. Please keep the prayers coming for my sweet Maggie. Thank you so much all of you who are reading these updates and messaging me your well-wishes for her. I sincerely appreciate the prayers❤️

** UPDATE: 6pm, Monday, 10/7/2024 **

Well, it’s Monday evening and I spoke with Dr. Holtzman at UPenn twice today. Maggie is now stable (thank God) with no vomiting for the past 12 hours and although she still has bloody diarrhea (I’m so sorry), it is slowing down (thank God again!) Her liver enzymes are very high likely due to the severity of her dehydration. She is being given round the clock IV fluids to rehydrate, IV meds for nausea and vomiting and is finally resting comforably per Dr. Holtzman. He doesn’t think she’ll be ready to come home tomorrow but said “maybe, if she continues on the upward trend, she might be able to come home Wednesday night.” Of course we miss her terribly but she is in the best hands right now and I want her to get better so I was in total agreement to keep her there as long as he thinks she needs in order to feel better. I want to thank you ALL for your continued prayers, support, texts, donations, emails, DMs etc. Maggie is so loved by so many so thank you again for all of your support.

** UPDATE: 11pm, Sunday, 10/6/2024 ** - Magee took a turn for the worse today and I brought her over to University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital tonight at 7pm. She has been admitted and will be here for several days. Internal Medicine will see her first thing in the morning and she will likely have another ultrasound to try and determine the source and cause of her GI bleeding and diarrhea. She will be on IV fluids for severe dehydration and IV meds to calm her GI tract down and settle her stomach. I will know more tomorrow but right now she’s pretty sick. Thank you for all the prayers and support. Maggie and I really appreciate it ♥️

** UPDATE: 9pm Saturday, 10/5/2024 ** - Maggie is home, AMA if you will, simply because I could not afford another $800-1000 for overnight care. The vet understood but warned that if she doesn’t eat or drink OR continues to have episodes of vomiting and GI upset, that she needs to return. The total bill was $2387.60 and the good news is she didn’t need surgery for a bowel obstruction. The frustrating news is that we still don’t REALLY know why she got so sick all of a sudden last night all day today. She had tons of labs, round the clock IV fluids for dehydration, IV meds for nausea and vomiting, an ultrasound, X-rays etc and no definitive cause was really ever identified. She came home on several meds and special food and is being slowly introduced to chicken and rice in very small quantities until I know she can keep it down. The financial impact this has had on me is huge and could not have come at a worse time and I thank each and every one of you who has donated thus far. I will continue to update you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and support for Maggie.

** UPDATE: 3pm Saturday, 10/5/2024 ** - Initially the vet said the “conservative best case” estimate was $1800 (we are FAR beyond that as my most recent updated estimate was $1690 and that was BEFORE the x-ray and Addison’s test). The “higher end worst case” estimate was $2500 should she need surgery for a blockage. Hopefully she won’t need surgery but either way we’re already pushing $2000 and it’s not over yet.

** UPDATE: 2pm Saturday, 10/5/2024 ** - As I type this, she is still in the hospital as they continue to run more tests, give her meds to calm her GI tract and slow the vomiting (which has stopped at this point) and give her IV fluids for dehydration. She had an ultrasound this morning which showed “significant irritation and a large amount fluid in her stomach” (despite still being NPO, nothing by mouth). They are doing an x-ray to further check for an obstruction due to the “unusually large amount of gas in her intestines” (still no explanation for that). If no obstruction, no surgery. They will then test for something called Addison’s Disease as she is presenting much like a dog who may have that which causes similar symptoms to gastroenteritis (it’s apparently hard to diagnose because it mimics a lot of other conditions. If no Addison’s and no obstruction, she can come home later tonight - I’m still waiting to hear back on this.

GOD MOVES MOUNTAINS and I am humbly asking Him to do that for me today, right now, immediately through all of you who stay long enough to read this. I have never in my life had to ask for help from strangers like this, but I have no choice. I desperately need your help! My 18-month-old pup, Maggie, turned violently ill late last night, vomiting over a dozen times in less than 90 minutes, and she had horrible “GI upset” to put it nicely. Thank God for the garage because it was covered - I no sooner finished cleaning up one large spot, she’d lay down and then vomit again 5-6 minutes later. This went on for nearly 2 hours. I ended up taking her to the emergency animal hospital near me at 2am last night, and they admitted her right away.

I am in desperate need of your help - I simply do not have the money nor the credit to charge this amount. Payment plans are not an option at this facility (believe me, I tried). So with nothing else to lose and nowhere else to turn, I am humbly asking for your help with this. My finances and credit have made it nearly impossible to pay for any emergencies like this if/when they arise, and I am asking for your support for Maggie. She is the sweetest, most loving little MooMoo, MoonPie, MooBear you will ever meet, and she has done more for me over the last 18 months than I ever could do for her. I thank you in advance for any and all contributions you can make to this effort.