Owning a pet is a big commitment, and you should only do it if you’re prepared to provide them with the love, care, and attention they need.
Sometimes, dogs get sick and require urgent medical care, and that care can end up being quite costly.
One man from Wigan, a town near the west coast of the United Kingdom, found this out when one of his beloved pups got sick. Jaxon Feeley, a motivational podcast host, has two dogs that he loves with all his heart, Rambo, a 2-year-old Weimaraner, and her older brother Rocky.
Weimaraners are an exceptionally playful and energetic breed, and Jaxon knew right away that there was something wrong with Rambo when she wasn’t acting like her normal self.
He kept an eye on her, but when she started throwing up multiple times in one night, he knew he needed to get her to the emergency vet clinic. Rambo had a terrible stomach flu that quickly developed into hypovolemic shock when she was unable to keep anything down.
Hypovolemic shock is caused by a rapid loss of blood or other fluid, in Rambo’s case, water, which leads to the heart being unable to pump on its own.
Jaxon knew that the medical costs to help Rambo would be incredibly high, but he was willing to do whatever it took to save her life, even if he had to sell his house. By the end of the first week in the emergency vet clinic, Rambo’s medical bills had already exceeded £11,500.
Unfortunately, though, she would get worse before she would get better.
Rambo soon developed pneumonia to the point that one of her lungs collapsed. Her lungs became severely infected, and she quickly developed pulmonary edema, meaning fluid was draining into her lungs.
Rambo had to have the fluids drained from her lungs multiple times a day, and the outlook was not looking good.
“Rambo could not have been any more unlucky with what has happened.” said her vet tech. On top of everything else, the poor dog was still unable to eat or drink anything on her own and had had no solid food in over a week.
The vet also said that she might have developed an abscess on one of her lungs that would require very costly surgery.
Jaxon was incredibly worried about his beloved pooch, and he and his other dog, Rocky, stayed in his car in the vet parking lot for most of the week. He would go in to see her as often as her could, multiple times a day, just to reassure her that he was close and that everything that was happening was for the best and to make her better.
Bills kept mounting, though, every day in the clinic cost another £1,000, and soon the total was over £20,000.
Jaxon started a GoFundMe to help cover the expenses and quickly raised enough to continue Rambo’s treatment. And amazingly, Rambo started getting better.
With the care of the vet staff and her loving father and brother by her side, Rambo made a full recovery.
In just 72 hours, the dog’s condition improved drastically. She went from being on the brink of death to eating, drinking, and playing. She was soon released back to her father, who was overjoyed to have her home.”
