Sunday, June 22, 2014
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Why Save Emerson?
Today I wanted to write a little something about why I'm going to such great lengths to save Emerson's life.
For the last two years, I've worked the night shift on the veterinary emergency service located in the same hospital where Emerson would be receiving his surgery. Forty hours a week, every week for those last two years, I've seen hundreds of animals suffer and die. I've seen countless animals walk through our doors, sick and dying because of the neglect and abuse of those they trust to take care of them. Every day, multiple times a day, I witness people having to put down their beloved pets because they can't afford the veterinary care to save them.
After a while, that changes a person. It makes you swallow your emotions into a sick, hollow pit in your stomach. You store all your tears, your outrage, your sorrow somewhere deep and dark inside of you. But you carry it with you forever. That pit of helplessness and grief colors everything you think and do. But somehow, you carry on. Somehow, you still wake up in the morning and push through another day because you know, deep down, that these animals need you. That someone needs to be there to show them kindness and compassion, to be their light in the darkness even for a little while. Even if it's just a gentle voice and a soothing hand to guide them into death.
There are so many animals I can't save, but I can save Emerson. He has suffered so much pain, lost his first family, is suspected to be a victim of abuse, and is now facing death because of it. But he's young, and he's healthy, and if he gets the surgery he needs, he has nothing but a good life ahead of him.
What I'm doing for Emerson is for all the animals I can't save. All the victims of negligence and cruelty we have been forced to send home to die against medical advice. All the strays that come through our doors - kittens with broken legs, sick, old dogs and cats, all the victims of hit-by-cars and dog attacks - that we are forced to euthanize because the severity of their injuries or illnesses, because the shelters just don't have the space or money to fix them. All the sweet, young animals that must be euthanized because their owners can't afford to treat their fixable illnesses...
This is for them. This is a ray of hope to shine in that dark place inside of us all. This is rising up and crushing helplessness. This is how I make a real difference.
In the end, what really gets me out of bed in the morning is remembering all the animals we can save. All the success stories, all the little miracles that happen every day. I've seen a lot of sad, horrible things during my time on the emergency service, but I've also seen people rising up to help an innocent life in need. I've seen people who have risked their lives to rescue dogs out of house fires. I've seen people donate mind-boggling amounts of money to help a suffering animal. I've seen people turn their own tragic experience with one beloved pet into a campaign to save hundreds of others.
That is the true light in the darkness that keeps us all going. Emerson is my light. He's my beacon of hope, and I hope he can serve as the same for others. While in my field of work it's so easy to become calloused, to lose yourself to bitterness and pessimism, I refuse to let anything bring me down. I will keep fighting, and keep hoping until the end. The donations Emerson's received remind me every day that this is possible, and that this is a fight worth fighting.
I can't thank you all enough for everything you've all done so far. In a matter of two days' time, I've managed to raise over $2,000 to Emerson's cause. His surgical consult is scheduled for Wednesday, and it's my hope to have $3,000 raised by then so I can go ahead and feel financially comfortable enough to schedule his surgery.
So please, do whatever you can for this poor little pup. Give him hope where so many others have never had a chance. Out of all the thousands of lives that are lost every day for treatable injuries or curable illnesses, this is one we can save. With your continued help and support, I can give Emerson the happy ending he deserves.
Thank you all for listening. Here are some cute pictures of Emmy to lighten things a bit!
Please don't forget to donate if you can! Every penny counts!
For the last two years, I've worked the night shift on the veterinary emergency service located in the same hospital where Emerson would be receiving his surgery. Forty hours a week, every week for those last two years, I've seen hundreds of animals suffer and die. I've seen countless animals walk through our doors, sick and dying because of the neglect and abuse of those they trust to take care of them. Every day, multiple times a day, I witness people having to put down their beloved pets because they can't afford the veterinary care to save them.
After a while, that changes a person. It makes you swallow your emotions into a sick, hollow pit in your stomach. You store all your tears, your outrage, your sorrow somewhere deep and dark inside of you. But you carry it with you forever. That pit of helplessness and grief colors everything you think and do. But somehow, you carry on. Somehow, you still wake up in the morning and push through another day because you know, deep down, that these animals need you. That someone needs to be there to show them kindness and compassion, to be their light in the darkness even for a little while. Even if it's just a gentle voice and a soothing hand to guide them into death.
There are so many animals I can't save, but I can save Emerson. He has suffered so much pain, lost his first family, is suspected to be a victim of abuse, and is now facing death because of it. But he's young, and he's healthy, and if he gets the surgery he needs, he has nothing but a good life ahead of him.
What I'm doing for Emerson is for all the animals I can't save. All the victims of negligence and cruelty we have been forced to send home to die against medical advice. All the strays that come through our doors - kittens with broken legs, sick, old dogs and cats, all the victims of hit-by-cars and dog attacks - that we are forced to euthanize because the severity of their injuries or illnesses, because the shelters just don't have the space or money to fix them. All the sweet, young animals that must be euthanized because their owners can't afford to treat their fixable illnesses...
This is for them. This is a ray of hope to shine in that dark place inside of us all. This is rising up and crushing helplessness. This is how I make a real difference.
In the end, what really gets me out of bed in the morning is remembering all the animals we can save. All the success stories, all the little miracles that happen every day. I've seen a lot of sad, horrible things during my time on the emergency service, but I've also seen people rising up to help an innocent life in need. I've seen people who have risked their lives to rescue dogs out of house fires. I've seen people donate mind-boggling amounts of money to help a suffering animal. I've seen people turn their own tragic experience with one beloved pet into a campaign to save hundreds of others.
That is the true light in the darkness that keeps us all going. Emerson is my light. He's my beacon of hope, and I hope he can serve as the same for others. While in my field of work it's so easy to become calloused, to lose yourself to bitterness and pessimism, I refuse to let anything bring me down. I will keep fighting, and keep hoping until the end. The donations Emerson's received remind me every day that this is possible, and that this is a fight worth fighting.
I can't thank you all enough for everything you've all done so far. In a matter of two days' time, I've managed to raise over $2,000 to Emerson's cause. His surgical consult is scheduled for Wednesday, and it's my hope to have $3,000 raised by then so I can go ahead and feel financially comfortable enough to schedule his surgery.
So please, do whatever you can for this poor little pup. Give him hope where so many others have never had a chance. Out of all the thousands of lives that are lost every day for treatable injuries or curable illnesses, this is one we can save. With your continued help and support, I can give Emerson the happy ending he deserves.
Thank you all for listening. Here are some cute pictures of Emmy to lighten things a bit!
Please don't forget to donate if you can! Every penny counts!
Monday, June 24, 2013
New bandages!
Nearly $2,000 raised for Emerson's surgery in two days... Words can't express the appreciation and gratitude I have for you all. Your donations, your signal boosting, and your words of support bring me every step closer to saving poor Emerson's life. His surgical consult with Dr. Hoffman is Wednesday, and if I can get $3,000 raised by then, I'll finally feel comfortable enough to schedule his surgery for next week!
Today at work, Emerson got his bandages changed. The older pressure sore looks a lot better thanks to the antibiotics, but it looks like a new one is brewing on his other leg. It's amazing how good he is, lying there while we clean, manipulate, and rebandage his painfully mangled legs. He's such a good boy!
Here's a few pictures I took today of the process:
All done! He always gets so happy once he has fresh bandages. Today he gave lots of kisses!
Thank you all again,
Ashley and Emerson
Today at work, Emerson got his bandages changed. The older pressure sore looks a lot better thanks to the antibiotics, but it looks like a new one is brewing on his other leg. It's amazing how good he is, lying there while we clean, manipulate, and rebandage his painfully mangled legs. He's such a good boy!
Here's a few pictures I took today of the process:
Thank you all again,
Ashley and Emerson
Saturday, June 22, 2013
The Story
Last month Cisco came to Animal Emergency Services of Rochester with two broken front legs. Cisco had been surrendered to Rochester Animal Services by the previous owners claiming that he'd fallen down the stairs. It was a story that raised many eyebrows at the clinic. Being an emergency service, we very rarely see animals that fall down the stairs and sustain that type of injury. But whether or not Cisco's injuries were a result of accident or abuse, the little dog's condition was something Animal Control just didn't have the means to address. But Cisco was a sweet, loving dog, hardly showing any pain despite his horribly mangled legs, wagging his tail and giving kisses to everyone he met. The people at animal control dubbed him too sweet a dog to give up on just yet. So he was sent to Animal Emergency Service where I work for some emergency care. That night his legs were put in temporary splints and he won the hearts of everyone he met. I knew right then and there that we were meant to be together, and I planned on following Cisco's progress and offering every resource I could to make sure he wouldn't get put down because of his injuries. I planned on adopting him and doing everything I could to try to save him.
The following morning Cisco was transferred to a local shelter at Lollypop Farm. There, the staff saw in that scruffy little dog all the love and sweetness that melted the hearts of everyone he met. And though they had very little means to treat his injuries, the veterinarians and staff at Lollypop vowed to do everything within their means to save him. I began working with Lollypop Farm shortly after, providing foster care for Cisco, now renamed Emerson, both through the shelter and through the generous care of my coworkers at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester and Animal Emergency Services. Because of the financial restrictions of both myself and the shelter, there was nothing more we could do for Emerson beyond cage rest and tending to the temporary splints that had been put on him the night he arrived at Emergency. It was far from the ideal for the type of fractures he'd sustained, but because of the costly price of surgery, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
Unfortunately, repeat x-rays showed that the fractures were actually worsening over time. And to add to it, last week during a routine bandage change, the veterinarian found a large, seeping and painful pressure sore from the bandages. He told me that this is a common consequence of long term bandaging, and could soon lead to infection. He also told me that the bones in the legs showed little signs of healing upon palpation. We shaved and cleaned the wound and he prescribed him antibiotics and we have since been doing bandage changes on the affected leg every other day for open wound management.
After speaking to several veterinarians and specialists both at VSR/AES and Lollypop Farm, the conclusion was drawn that Emerson needs surgery as soon as possible, and if it cannot be done within the next two weeks, he would need to be euthanized. Lollypop did offer to make an attempt at surgically repairing the fractures themselves, but the doctor there openly admitted that no one in the practice has the expertise to repair such severe fractures effectively. If they attempted it, it would only be one last "hail Mary pass" before euthanasia, and the prognosis would be very poor.
I have since talked to a handful of surgeons, and have been working with one of the surgical attendings at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester to get Emerson the most effective and least expensive surgery possible.
In the meantime, Emerson is spending his days home with me in my apartment in Rochester, NY along with my two cats, Willow and Eloise. He comes to work with me every day where he's made quite a fan club out of the staff. His favorite thing in the world is lying out in the yard, eating grass like a little goat and just watching the world go by. He also loves playing with his favorite toy, a sock monkey named Bimbo.
Please help me raise money for Emerson's life-saving surgery! Every penny counts. And don't forget to spread the word! Thank you!
The following morning Cisco was transferred to a local shelter at Lollypop Farm. There, the staff saw in that scruffy little dog all the love and sweetness that melted the hearts of everyone he met. And though they had very little means to treat his injuries, the veterinarians and staff at Lollypop vowed to do everything within their means to save him. I began working with Lollypop Farm shortly after, providing foster care for Cisco, now renamed Emerson, both through the shelter and through the generous care of my coworkers at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester and Animal Emergency Services. Because of the financial restrictions of both myself and the shelter, there was nothing more we could do for Emerson beyond cage rest and tending to the temporary splints that had been put on him the night he arrived at Emergency. It was far from the ideal for the type of fractures he'd sustained, but because of the costly price of surgery, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
Unfortunately, repeat x-rays showed that the fractures were actually worsening over time. And to add to it, last week during a routine bandage change, the veterinarian found a large, seeping and painful pressure sore from the bandages. He told me that this is a common consequence of long term bandaging, and could soon lead to infection. He also told me that the bones in the legs showed little signs of healing upon palpation. We shaved and cleaned the wound and he prescribed him antibiotics and we have since been doing bandage changes on the affected leg every other day for open wound management.
After speaking to several veterinarians and specialists both at VSR/AES and Lollypop Farm, the conclusion was drawn that Emerson needs surgery as soon as possible, and if it cannot be done within the next two weeks, he would need to be euthanized. Lollypop did offer to make an attempt at surgically repairing the fractures themselves, but the doctor there openly admitted that no one in the practice has the expertise to repair such severe fractures effectively. If they attempted it, it would only be one last "hail Mary pass" before euthanasia, and the prognosis would be very poor.
I have since talked to a handful of surgeons, and have been working with one of the surgical attendings at Veterinary Specialists of Rochester to get Emerson the most effective and least expensive surgery possible.
In the meantime, Emerson is spending his days home with me in my apartment in Rochester, NY along with my two cats, Willow and Eloise. He comes to work with me every day where he's made quite a fan club out of the staff. His favorite thing in the world is lying out in the yard, eating grass like a little goat and just watching the world go by. He also loves playing with his favorite toy, a sock monkey named Bimbo.
Please help me raise money for Emerson's life-saving surgery! Every penny counts. And don't forget to spread the word! Thank you!
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