We learned a lesson and we need your help.

Hi friends, this week we learned a few lessons, and we need to ask for your help.

Many of you know and love our sweet pup Sunny. We rescued her from Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary and she had been found wandering up in the Mount Spokane area after being abandoned. Sunny is my daughter Marina's ESA and is such a smart and sweet girl. Our neighbors call her noodle due to her penchant for slithering up on her belly and rolling over for belly rubs. She also gives us hugs and "snuzzles" where she rubs her face on our necks. Sunny just celebrated her first birthday this February and has been such a great addition to our family. I've always been more of a cat person, but I have completely fallen in love with our sweet girl.

On April 12th, Sunny underwent a routine spay procedure. In the following days, she was throwing up some but she was eating a bit and eliminating waste fine. She was drinking water like a horse, but I initially discounted it because she loves drinking water, and had what we suspected was a UTI in the past. She stopped throwing up on day three and we thought she was doing okay, but then she resumed throwing up, became lethargic, and stopped eating entirely. By Sunday night, I was extremely worried, and her breath smelled like rotten fish. Having lived with a veterinary employee and helped with 50-100 rescue cats in the past, I was concerned that this was a sign of kidney failure.

I took her to a vet on Monday, but my concerns about her breath were dismissed because her incision looked fine and she did not have a fever. She was sent home with anti-nausea meds and continued to deteriorate. I was able to set up a second appointment at the vet by Wednesday, however, when I talked to the doctor who originally spayed her, she told me that this was an emergency. I took her immediately to the ER and explained everything to them.

When I showed up to the ER at 4 pm on Wednesday 4/19, she was still walking around and did not have a fever, and the vet tech assured me that because she did not have a fever or outward signs of infection she didn't think there was an internal infection or problem. I shared my concerns about the renal failure smell. I waited anxiously at a nearby establishment until 9 pm, when I was told that she was in kidney failure, her kidneys were totally swollen and urine was backing up. She was hospitalized overnight with fluids, antibiotics and IV support. The doctor told me that with how bad her bloodwork was, she may not make it. The next day, he told me that she either had an infection of some kind or had a congenital condition that was exacerbated by some part of the spay operation. I spent the day trying not to cry, with my heart breaking for her, and for my daughter.

In order to test for congenital abnormalities, they needed me to transfer her up to an animal hospital in Lynnwood, about 20-30 mins from our home. They called me at 10:54 on Thursday right before a work meeting where I was set to present at 11 am. They let me know that I had to come to get her and take her to the other hospital for intake before noon. A gracious colleague helped take over so that I could get out of the meeting, and I took her to the hospital. Since then, she has been hospitalized and is receiving fluids, antibiotics, and the love of staff.

Yesterday we were able to visit her. She hadn't eaten for 4 or 5 days, and she finally ate chicken before we came. Because she hasn't eaten and she's still not out of the woods, we were able to bring her a host of people food to try. We got her to eat two chicken nuggets, and four beef dog treats. She was so happy to see us, and I can tell she is trying to get better. At the end of our visit, she was tired and laid back down to rest. Today we are going out to see her again at 3pm.

Her ultrasound results did not show genetic structure issues, but she could have a congenital issue that we still can't see, or she may have had prior damage from leptospirosis prior to being vaccinated. There's really no way of knowing, and we are taking things day by day. Her bloodwork improved slightly yesterday, and we are praying she will pull through.

This brings me to the lessons - The first is to never discount your own experiences or be afraid to speak up. Had I pushed back against the vet on Monday, Sunny would have gotten critical care two days earlier. The second is to get pet insurance! Our neighbor Samm has helped and supported us throughout this process. As a professional dog walker, she has cared for Sunny as family since we got her. Well, she had initially told me I should get pet insurance. I've never had pet insurance before, and being a cat lady who has had very healthy pets, I've never thought about the need to get it. I considered it, but was getting quotes of around $100 a month for our pets. I figured that I am fiscally responsible enough to deal with most veterinary issues without getting insurance. Well, I was wrong, and Samm was right. I paid $200 for the consult on Monday. I paid a deposit at the first ER for around $3800 for projected hospitalization costs. While I will get some reimbursement there, I'm not sure how much it will be given that she was hospitalized from 4pm Wednesday until 11am the next day. The current animal hospital she's at had me put down another deposit of $4386. This is the low end of what we may pay, and we have no idea when they may release her. At this time, we are cautiously optimistic. We will update you as we know more.

After this ordeal, I have promised myself I will get pet insurance, because most of us don't set aside $7000+ dollars for veterinary emergencies alone. If you are able to help pay for Sunny's care, we would be eternally grateful.

I'd also like to say that this isn't anyone's fault. All veterinary professionals involved have acted in Sunny's best interests and using the best medical discretion that they can. The doctor that did Sunny's spay and the rescue she's from have been in constant contact, and have supported us throughout. Despite the doctor being out of the country on vacation right now she has been incredibly responsive and helpful. If she hadn't, I wouldn't have understood the gravity of the situation, and Sunny may not have survived. I am so thankful for all of the support I have received from Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary, Northeast Spay and Neuter Alliance, the veterinary staff from both hospitals, our vets at North Seattle Veterinary Clinic, and our friends and family. Thank you for listening to our story. I know it's a tough time right now. Any amount counts and is appreciated.