Success Story:
Cali Survives Against All Odds
Cali
It started back in August when my mother passed away suddenly. I was having a really tough time coping with it, as I have no brothers or sisters to share the grieving with. I couldn’t seem to get myself back into the swing of things; I had that big empty place in my heart. So this is where a little yellow Labrador named Cali entered the picture. My mom always loved labs, and her favorite color was yellow, so I decided to start searching for a new four-legged best friend.
Cali was originally purchased from a breeder by a gentleman as a gift for his fiancé. They eventually came to find that they just didn’t have the time to devote to a puppy, so they started the search to give their puppy a great home. I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, it was the perfect fit.
I had Cali for about 3 weeks and noticed that she hadn’t put on any weight, had no energy, and was very lethargic. Not your typical lab, to say the least. Several trips to the Michigan State University animal hospital and $1000 later, she was diagnosed with an intrahepatic portosystemic liver shunt. Her body was unable to detoxify her blood due to the fact that her blood wasn’t flowing thru her liver. Ultimately, she needed an operation to survive. I discussed all the options with the doctors at MSU. The best solution was an invasive surgery that only had a 50 to 70% survival rate, and was thousands of dollars. What was I to do? I couldn’t afford paying for the surgery, and even more discouraging was the dismal success rate. When I would look into those sick little eyes, I felt so helpless. I started researching liver shunts every spare minute I had. I was looking for an alternative to the surgery, but one was not to be found. I sent out numerous applications for financial help to organizations set up to help dogs, but received no response. It was at about that time that our luck would change. I received an email from Mina and Sarah that would ultimately save Cali’s life. They had seen my story on a Labrador chat board and wanted to help. The ladies explained that at the University of Pennsylvania Dr’s Chick Wiess and Allyson Berent we’re performing a new procedure to correct the abnormality. It was much less invasive and the success rate was great. After some further investigation and conversation with the doctors, Cali, my father and I were on a plane to Philadelphia.
The procedure itself went well, although Cali did have trouble waking up from the anesthesia because of her condition. If we had decided to get the surgery back in Michigan, there’s no guarantee that my good friend would be here today, as she would have been anesthetized for a much longer period. The entire staff at the Matthew Ryan Veterinary Hospital did an exceptional job and provided Cali with the best treatment she could have possibly received. Knowing that Cali was personally being cared for by Dr. Berent put my mind at ease; she is a superb doctor and even better person.
This whole scenario wouldn’t have been possible without the help from Mina and Sarah. Their generous donation to help Cali was and always will be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Even more important was the support they offered, it was invaluable!
The little yellow dog is doing great now. You’d never even know that she was sick. Cali and I are best buddies, and in some way she has eased the pain of my loss. I like to think that my mom sent her my way from above, and that she ended up with me for a reason, because I was a sure bet to save her.