5
out of 5
VETERINARIAN: Dr. Blom
POSTED: | BY: Patrick Lynch
THANK YOU HEALTHY PAWS!
Words can't express how grateful I am for your kind words checking in and most importantly Phoebe's insurance policy. She is the first dog I have ever decided to "insure" and I have rarely really needed any large amount to cover expenses, but this most recent surgery maxed out my credit card and left my bank account at zero. I am fortunate enough to have a family who helped me get rent and other things covered, but I am so thankful that 80% of her surgery was covered, and most importantly to relieve stress the direct deposit went through so quickly. This allowed me to focus on her recovery and her care which is my number one priority!
I would like to think that I would have gone with surgery even if I had no insurance, but I don't know how true that is. Unfortunately, one option my long time veterinarian brought up was palliative care until eventual euthanasia. For that reason, I sought a second opinion and have switched my veterinary hospital. It was so hard not to have an answer and I was honestly struggling to stay positive. Phoebe was in pain, struggled getting up from the ground, and her right rear leg could not bear much weight if any at all. She looked at me everyday like she was asking for me to help and it was heartbreaking. I felt on a daily basis that I was failing her. Through my second opinion, the options seemed more bright. We were referred to a specialist who reviewed her x-rays and came highly recommended. She relaxed in his care. I trusted him. We decided to proceed with the surgery option. It was the right choice and went great!
After her surgery, the first five days were the hardest because she really didn't sleep much: 1 hour the first night, two the next, and progressively more each night. Like her sleep pattern, she has also been more and more able to walk, and bearing more weight each day on her right rear leg (the surgery knee). She will begin short walks in the neighborhood next week, which will be the first time she has left our home in over two months besides vet visits. We have a follow up appointment next Monday, but I felt you deserved a little more of an update than a short email.
THANK YOU HEALTHY PAWS!