Help Save My Mother's Dog, Cassie
My Mother is 74 and has no means, financial or otherwise to help her dog, Cassie who is at the University of Wisconsin Vet School with two severe abscesses in her head.
I received a call on Sunday night, 12/23/12, from my aunt. that my mom was in the hospital and in ICU. She had gone in the day before but didn't tell family. She had fallen Thursday, on the ice in the backyard, taking her dog, Cassie, out. She smashed her face, gave herself two black eyes and was knocked unconscious. The doctors believe this is what started it all. My mom is 74 and on a pacemaker, has atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure. She is still working nights because she has no retirement. At this point, she will not quit work. Yet she is at a point she can barely take care of herself. Because of all this she ended up with severe pneumonia and her heart was in atrial fibrillation. On the drive up there Monday, Christmas Eve, I received a call from my mom's neighbor who was watching the animals (mom has two dogs and a cat). She believed Cassie (her 7 1/2 yr old lab mix) was dying. She said the side of Cassie's face was swollen and she was drooling, couldn't eat and couldn't lift her head much. I asked if they could find a vet that would come in (Christmas Eve) near them. They live in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota. The town is called Ashby and has about 400 people. The next closest town is 15 miles. They found a vet to come in, in a near town. He gave Cassie some antibiotics and pain medications.He said Cassie had an abscess and it was from her ears(Cassie's ears are in horrific shape and they have had a poliferation of skin so it looks like a head of cauliflower is coming out of them). Cassie also had a temp of 104.8 at the vet's office
When I arrived at my mother's home, after visiting the hospital, the next morning, Cassie's face was worse. Her third eyelid was up. The neighbor who was taking care of her said she seemed to be more alert, but looked much worse. She was also in pain. The closest emergency vet was 80 miles away in Fargo, ND. I drove Cassie there. The vet said she needed more antibiotics and more pain medications. She said she didn't believe she was given enough at the first vet Cassie was treated and we drove back to Ashby.. Cassie seemed a little more comfortable that night but the next day, Wednesday, the eye didn't look any better. iI forgot to mention that this whole time Cassie was in so much pain that she couldn't eat or drink because she couldn't open her mouth. I was trying to syringe feed her water and food. That next morning, after the second vet, I tried placing a couple of pain pills in her mouth and sat there while she didn't spit them out. I went to the hospital to sit with my mom (who had gotten out of ICU that day). I was trying to keep her from losing it over Cassie and trying to figure out what to do about Cassie. When I got home later in the afternoon,Cassie was crying out in pain. I was trying to figure out what to do and found the pills from the morning on the couch. She had no pain medications that day. So I started getting them in her. We were up all night with my syringing pain medication and food in her trying to get her comfortable. Finally around 5:00 am she seemed to be resting more comfortably. Later that morning I went back to the hospital and my mom was better. I told her I had to get Cassie to a hospital and asked if she would be ok if I left that day to find Cassie treatment. She agreed. So i left Ashby that day. I ran her by to see my mom. It was a heartbreaking sight seeing my mom sitting, on the floor,in the foyer of a hospita, holding Cassie and sobbing that she loved her and would miss her. At that time, I didn't even know if Cassie was going to live. Her eye appeared to be coming out of her head and she was twitching her head from pain. l left drove Cassie eight hours to the University of Wisconsin vet school. I knew Cassie had to be close to me in order to take care of her through all of this if she made it. I live near Chicago and the school is only a couple of hours away. At this point I felt Cassie was going to lose one eye and maybe die. They have had her since and she is recovering. This actually has nothing to do with her ears (which I wish it did because that is something that is going to have to be addressed laterl) but something else. It seems that she got something in her mouth which pierced the roof of her mouth. The bacteria then spread behind her eye. She had two major abscesses behind her eye and in the roof of her mouth. The vet called them retrobulbar abscessed. While they were looking at her eye that one burst. She is on heavy, heavy, narcotics. She is able to drink water but so far has only eaten one thing of baby food. I have spent $2200 but need approximately 5000.00 more.
I don't know what will happen to my mother if Cassie doesn't make it through this.
I received a call on Sunday night, 12/23/12, from my aunt. that my mom was in the hospital and in ICU. She had gone in the day before but didn't tell family. She had fallen Thursday, on the ice in the backyard, taking her dog, Cassie, out. She smashed her face, gave herself two black eyes and was knocked unconscious. The doctors believe this is what started it all. My mom is 74 and on a pacemaker, has atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure. She is still working nights because she has no retirement. At this point, she will not quit work. Yet she is at a point she can barely take care of herself. Because of all this she ended up with severe pneumonia and her heart was in atrial fibrillation. On the drive up there Monday, Christmas Eve, I received a call from my mom's neighbor who was watching the animals (mom has two dogs and a cat). She believed Cassie (her 7 1/2 yr old lab mix) was dying. She said the side of Cassie's face was swollen and she was drooling, couldn't eat and couldn't lift her head much. I asked if they could find a vet that would come in (Christmas Eve) near them. They live in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota. The town is called Ashby and has about 400 people. The next closest town is 15 miles. They found a vet to come in, in a near town. He gave Cassie some antibiotics and pain medications.He said Cassie had an abscess and it was from her ears(Cassie's ears are in horrific shape and they have had a poliferation of skin so it looks like a head of cauliflower is coming out of them). Cassie also had a temp of 104.8 at the vet's office
When I arrived at my mother's home, after visiting the hospital, the next morning, Cassie's face was worse. Her third eyelid was up. The neighbor who was taking care of her said she seemed to be more alert, but looked much worse. She was also in pain. The closest emergency vet was 80 miles away in Fargo, ND. I drove Cassie there. The vet said she needed more antibiotics and more pain medications. She said she didn't believe she was given enough at the first vet Cassie was treated and we drove back to Ashby.. Cassie seemed a little more comfortable that night but the next day, Wednesday, the eye didn't look any better. iI forgot to mention that this whole time Cassie was in so much pain that she couldn't eat or drink because she couldn't open her mouth. I was trying to syringe feed her water and food. That next morning, after the second vet, I tried placing a couple of pain pills in her mouth and sat there while she didn't spit them out. I went to the hospital to sit with my mom (who had gotten out of ICU that day). I was trying to keep her from losing it over Cassie and trying to figure out what to do about Cassie. When I got home later in the afternoon,Cassie was crying out in pain. I was trying to figure out what to do and found the pills from the morning on the couch. She had no pain medications that day. So I started getting them in her. We were up all night with my syringing pain medication and food in her trying to get her comfortable. Finally around 5:00 am she seemed to be resting more comfortably. Later that morning I went back to the hospital and my mom was better. I told her I had to get Cassie to a hospital and asked if she would be ok if I left that day to find Cassie treatment. She agreed. So i left Ashby that day. I ran her by to see my mom. It was a heartbreaking sight seeing my mom sitting, on the floor,in the foyer of a hospita, holding Cassie and sobbing that she loved her and would miss her. At that time, I didn't even know if Cassie was going to live. Her eye appeared to be coming out of her head and she was twitching her head from pain. l left drove Cassie eight hours to the University of Wisconsin vet school. I knew Cassie had to be close to me in order to take care of her through all of this if she made it. I live near Chicago and the school is only a couple of hours away. At this point I felt Cassie was going to lose one eye and maybe die. They have had her since and she is recovering. This actually has nothing to do with her ears (which I wish it did because that is something that is going to have to be addressed laterl) but something else. It seems that she got something in her mouth which pierced the roof of her mouth. The bacteria then spread behind her eye. She had two major abscesses behind her eye and in the roof of her mouth. The vet called them retrobulbar abscessed. While they were looking at her eye that one burst. She is on heavy, heavy, narcotics. She is able to drink water but so far has only eaten one thing of baby food. I have spent $2200 but need approximately 5000.00 more.
I don't know what will happen to my mother if Cassie doesn't make it through this.
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