Pennies for Penny

To make a long story short:

Penny went in for intestinal surgery and had a rough time recovering. After taking her to an overnight ER vet, I found out that there was a complication with the surgery and she was septic. Penny underwent an additional surgery two days later. After surgery, the vet informed me that it would take a miracle for her to recover fully. Despite the warnings, we remained hopeful, and with each day, she got a little stronger. However, with these many days in the ICU, came thousands of dollars in bills. I'm grateful to my parents for helping me with these bills and wish there was some way I could repay them, especially during the holiday season. They'd hate that I'm even typing this, but I have no words to explain how incredibly thankful I am for their generosity.

 

 

 

And to make a long story, longer:

I took Penny to the vet on Friday, December 10th, for an intestinal surgery for eating socks. After finishing surgery, the vet called to let me know they had to go into her intestines, which made it a more invasive surgery.  Throughout the weekend, I watched Penny, who struggled to lift her head, let alone stand up-- which everyone knows is not who she is. On Sunday night, I took her to the after hours vet because her stitches were bleeding. While speaking to the vet, I asked every question I needed answered; whether or not she looked healthy, whether or not she needed fluids, whether or not she was doing okay, despite never really having an appetite. The vet reassured me that it wasn't uncommon for her to look the way she looked, so we went on our way.

 

 

 

 

The following morning, I called the vet to ask my same questions. I informed her that Penny wasn't eating, so I wasn't able to give her medications. This vet told me that was not normal and to bring her in right away. Penny spent the day at the vet, receiving fluids. Later on in the day, the vet informed me she was worried that Penny might have another bowel obstruction. Immediately worried at this possibility, I took her in to the overnight ER vet. The doctor took one look at her and said, "I don't like the way she looks" and did an ultra sound right away. She found that there was bacteria in Penny's bloodstream, due to the wear and tear of her intestines. I had to decide between an additional surgery for her or to say goodbye that night. The doctor performed surgery at 12 AM on Tuesday and called me at 4 AM to let me know it was complete. She said it was the most fluid she'd ever seen in a dog of her size, her blood pressure was extremely low, there were multiple adhesions, and she was uncertain if she was going to make it out of recovery. "She will need a miracle," she said.

 

 

 

 

We agreed to give Penny a fighting chance. Most of the doctors seemed optimistic, despite one that strongly hinted that there was no way in hell she would make it out of this. It was slow moving the first couple days; a nurse told me that she could feel my energy and that if I gave up, she was going to give up. I sat with her for hours each day, just to let her know I was waiting for her. Two days after surgery, she stood up and started walking. She started eating food slowly. Three days after surgery, she pooped, and I about lost my mind. With each little step of progress, the vet felt comfortable to send her home. Though we are not officially out of the woods, we are headed in the right direction and I have my baby back home with me.

 

 

 

 

I don't think it's a secret that Penny has had her ups and downs with eating things she shouldn't. It's because of that fact that I really didn't want to even do this. However, the only reason I've made it to this point is because of the generosity of my parents. If it wasn't for them, the outcome would have been totally different, because I couldn't have even afforded the second surgery. After a video of Penny went viral on TikTok, I was amazed at the generosity of total strangers, and reconsidered the idea of a GoFundMe. Any little bit will help; I would just love to repay my parents in any way for never giving up on my best friend.