Joseph and Nicol
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Help Save our dog Sam!
Sam is a 9 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback-Lab mix. My wife and I adopted Sam in 2000, when he was one year old. Sam was abused by his former owners. He was starved, beaten, and possibly burned. He has the scars to prove it. My wife and I adopted him after we lost our 12 year old Rottie.
In February 2006, Sam was diagnosed with Addison's disease and dilated cardiomyopathy. The Addison's affects his thyroid, and the dilated cardio is a heart condition which causes the walls of the heart to weaken and not pump blood. We were told he had less than 6 months to live.
Devastated, my wife and I asked if there was any treatment for this. After several blood tests, several Echo's, and 2 specialists later, Sam is now on 4 different medications. He takes 7 pills a day. In the morning, he takes 2 Pimobendan, 1 Enalapril, and 1/2 Thyroxin. He also gets a shot of Percortin every month, just to keep him alive.
As you can probably tell, all of this is VERY expensive for us. The medicine and shot alone cost $500/month. We have to import the Pimobendan from Europe, it is not FDA approved yet. His primary vet visits average $200 per visit, and his specialists cost between $800-$1200 per visit. He needs to see the specialists quarterly for his Echo's and blood tests.
As a result of the treatment, Sam is alive and well. His vets are great. He leads a great dog life. He can go for short walks outdoors, loves rides in the car, and plays ball in the house to the point where we get tired. We can't get him too excited, because we need to consider his heart. He is also on a special diet.
To date, we have spent approximately $15,000 on Sam since 2006 alone. Our friends think we are crazy. But we treat Sam as we would a child. He is a part of the family. We take him on vacation with us. He has been to Myrtle Beach, SC and Savannah GA, as well as the Poconos, PA New York City, and the New Jersey Shore.
We are looking for an animal lover to help us out with some of his medical bills. We can provide the name and phone number of his primary vet, as well as all of the specialists to verify everything above. We want to be able to continue to give Sam the highest level of care possible. thanks.
- Amount Needed: $15,000
- Amount Raised: $0