I come to you humbled to ask for help.

I have had dogs all of my life. All have lived to see their elder years and none were free of their health hurdles along the way but with Sparrow I find myself trekking some unmanageable and often heartbreaking terrain.

Sparrow, who is now 2 1/2 is a rescue dog from Arkansas. She was taken from a hoarding situation where numerous other dogs were found in deplorable conditions. Only 25 were surrendered and many were pregnant. She was discovered, the size of chicken nugget, in a pile of her littermates, some of whom had already passed. She was so young that she had to be bottle fed before she could eat on her own. She was fostered by an incredible woman who's dedicated years to rescue efforts, and who I am still in contact with today. Whether it be genetics or her lack of natural weening that could have negatively contributed to an unbalanced microbiome or impacted her immune system remains to be known, but research has shown that this coupled with overvaccinating at a young age often contributes to what the vets over the last two months call Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Sparrow landed in hospitalization for GI issues first at 6 months. After determining that she had some food sensitivities, I began to home cook her meals. She recovered quickly and was sound and strong. We took countless hikes together sometimes over 12 miles a clip. Her energy far surpassed me and when I was tired, she was still itching to continue. We developed an incredible bond and explored lots of territory together. 

Today I am writing you in desperation, the only emotional state that has ever been an impetus for me to ask for help, as we get ready to take our 4th trip to the ER. Her health has continued to decline, and we've been on a  wait list to see an Internal Medicine Specialist which will hopefully provide the answers we are looking for. Each ER stay has been slightly different from the last. The first trip, she stayed overnight for fluids and supportive drugs for acute pancreatitis. When she did not cease vomiting even with antiemetics, they initiated x-rays which came back negative for obstruction. They discharged her the next morning at 7 and told me I needed to see my primary vet. I slept in my van with her in their parking lot until they opened at 10:30 so that I could plead my case to continue her care without an appointment. She continued to receive supportive care over the next two days. With drug maintenance at home and a prescription diet, she slowly began to turn the corner and I believed we were out of the woods. A week or so later, we were back at the vet to repeat the same supportive maintenance for a recurring bout. Slowly, she turned the corner once again. It was not clear what had caused that initial bout, they suggested maybe environmental factors or something I could have included in her diet may have triggered it. Inevitably a week or so later, we landed back in the ER at a different location in the middle of the night. This time, after another hospital stay, she was diagnosed with colitis/gastroenteritis and had an ultrasound and other extensive tests, all of which came back negative. After discharge we were given a plan at home to initiate, including drug maintenance and a new prescription food. She declined again, luckily it was on the morning of her follow up visit and after more blood work (results of which were not significant) to gain insight into her rapid weight loss and chronic diarrhea, they said we were dealing with what I mentioned above; Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It is a best guess type of a thing that can only be determined by an Internal Medicine Specialist. Her health remained sound enough to wait for the next available appointment with internal medicine which was scheduled for July 31st. In the mean time, I started to find support in IBS groups online and read research papers about the disease. Sadly, not much conclusive research is available to access on this topic, even for vets. IBD remains an elusive disease that affects each dog differently. There are many schools of thought about drugs and their impact vs re-establishing the microbiome and reducing inflammation naturally. Ideally, care would be integrative between medical interventions and a holistic approach.

With the addition of grad school,  it has been difficult to manage the balance between three jobs and my scholastic responsibilities and that has come with its own financial setbacks. I'm navigating solutions- and am waiting to hear if I am able to take a leave or extend my program to manage what's on the plate now. The cost of Sparrows care to date has a price tag of over $10,000 (is anyone ever prepared for that?!- like, I still can't even) and even with pet insurance, one of the best decisions I have ever made, I have used up the resources available to me to continue her care in the best possible way and so I've had to work harder and get creative. Specialist consults are not included and reimbursement is often minimal. The emergency fund is on its last legs and I have run out of time to complete my art fundraiser (my initial idea) as a way to support her further care as we find ourselves today, at another critical juncture. I think we've been doing pretty well so far getting things done (as we do)  but I'd like to make sure we can cover the specialist consults and tests and  the follow up check ups that are not covered by my plan. I'm hoping a surgical biopsy is not coming round the pike next but I'll keep you posted about the outcome today. 

We are headed to Stamford's Cornell (update we are now at VCA Katonah where they can triage Internal Medicine, woohoo, finally!) and I know this will eat up the remaining funds in the kitty. Emergency visits have been thousands a clip. It's a really unmanageable management plan. I think it was unclear to the vets we've seen that we were dealing with a chronic disease rather than acute bouts of gastric distress and so the road has been long and more information was collected during each cycle of decline.

 I understand many of us are also struggling. If you took the time to read this and are unable to contribute, that is enough - to be heard and be included in your prayers. But if you do have the means to donate what you can we will be forever grateful. We will get our Art fundraiser up soon so this is serving as a bridge until then. 🌹

Sparrow is a young, happy and kind little dog. She is my soul friend and a huge source of joy, comfort and support and I will not stop advocating for her or finding a way to get her the care she deserves. Can you help us make sure that she does?

We will keep you in the loop about the progress of our journey with weekly posts that show you the impact you are making on our lives. At the very least, if you find yourself reading this and have reached a point where caring for your pet exceeds your capabilities, and you may be considering unthinkable options, that you find, perhaps through this post, the inspiration or strength to ask for help. 

With deepest gratitude,

Joanie & Sparrow

A prayer:

Please guide me in providing the best possible care for my companion, and give me the wisdom to recognize and address any health issues they may be facing. I pray for their comfort and healing, and for the strength to make difficult decisions if necessary.