Help Annie

The Cause

Annie, my 9 year old shitzu-poo was just diagnosed with a heart murmur and large stone that has grown to be larger than a golf ball.  Annie is in need of immediate surgery to remove the stone.  She is a petite dog but still, due to not eating much, her weight is down to 9 lbs. 

The surgery, tests, medication, hospitalization and care are going to amount to more than I can pay.  I have worked my entire adult life, but currently am not working and can not afford the medical bills.

How Did This Happen

Annie and her brother have always been rough and tumble dogs, going everywhere with me and on adventures, but last December Annie was diagnosed with crystals.  Medication prescribed by the Vet did not cure the problem.  Their whole lives, they have been fed good quality food and given good quality treats, with health being foremost of importance.  The Vet said the heart murmur was just a bit of bad luck and not genetic or due to diet.  The crystals may be due to the diet, which is disturbing, thinking I was always paying good money for what I thought was good food.  I am not a scientist, but would like to think I can trust big name brands, such as "Iams" to produce what they claim is healthy good food.

When Did This Begin

The symptoms began to appear on our walks, last fall, but I did not "clue" in.  She kept stopping and I thought she was just excited to be on our walk and wanted to mark her territory.  Annie did not show any signs of distress or being uncomfortable until December 2013.  She started taking too long to take care of business, to the point of her legs shaking, then she would just give up and lay in the snow.  Sometimes there was more blood than other times.  Annie stopped eating and was dull and listless.  I collected samples for the Vet to test and the type of crystals were diagnosed.  We were given a prescription for an expensive medication, but that did not cure the problem.  We battled with this for the past year.  It was a yo-yo of getting better and relapses over the year.  I finally started making my own dog food with fresh vegetables and beef.  By fall 2014, I thought we had this beat because Annie was back to her bouncy, playful self and the business end of things was almost normal.  By late fall, the requests to go "outside" became closer together than even 30 minutes apart, but I always obliged.  By the first week of December "accidents" were happening more frequently in the house, making the house smell like a hamster cage.  By the second week, she had mostly lost control and the bed and couches had to be covered with plastic. All the blankets smelled like a hamster cage and needed laundering sometimes several times a day.  When Annie stopped eating, I got concerned.  She was refusing even fresh beef.  She just lay on the couch.  I took her to the Vet where they did blood, urine samples and x-rays.  They gave her IV and attempted to get her to eat.  The Vet showed me the x-ray that distinctly revealed the large stone.  The Vet said it is very painful and required surgery to remove it.  The added concern is also the heart murmur.

Request For Assistance

The cost of the surgery and medical help, including medication and follow up appointments is expected to be about $2,000.00 CDN.  I can not manage this cost on my own, so I am asking if I could have assistance in paying for her bills to the Vet.

To actual donors, the name of the Vet including address and telephone number can be provided upon request.

Thank you for reading about Annie's story.