Sophie

This past October my five-year-old Saint Bernard,

Sophie, became very lethargic and quit eating over the course of a few days. I noticed her belly was a little bulged, too. I took her to our vet on a Friday afternoon, and after an ultrasound she was diagnosed with an open pyometra (an infection of the uterus). They said that she would need surgery but that she’d be okay until Monday. She was put on antibiotics and sent home for monitoring through the weekend.

Saturday morning came, and she was a lot worse: not walking, just laying in my lap. I called the vet back, and they said it had probably changed to a closed pyometra, which is life threatening because the infected uterus can rupture. After taking her to the ER vet, I was looking at a $4,000 ER surgery bill that I could not afford. That’s when I was referred to Erin Granet at Rescued.

Erin made sure my case was legitimate and that I had done everything I could do up to that point, and she agreed to help. Erin called me back later that morning and told me to take Sophie to Oak Knoll. They had agreed to do the surgery after-hours, and I brought Sophie in around 11am that morning.

I was a hysterical mess. Oak Knoll was beyond kind and helpful. They prepped her for surgery, and I stayed in the waiting room for three hours. The surgeon and vet tech kept coming out and updating me and comforting me. The office staff treated me like family (they were working on inventory after-hours as well) and offered me coffee, water, and pizza even though I had no appetite because I was worried for my fur baby. Finally, Sophie was brought out to me in her “onesie”— all groggy and a little confused from the anesthesia—and she got to come home.

They had removed Sophie’s uterus, which had ruptured and caused her abdomen to become septic, and her uterus weighed in at 10 lbs!! She was down to 94 lbs post-surgery. She came home, and my kids, my fiancé, and I showered her with love and cuddles. She made a full recovery. She now weighs in at about 130 lbs and is back to her sweet self.

Sophie would not be here if it weren’t for Rescued. I am forever grateful for their help and will support their organization forever!

- Rachel Bell

Photo Credit: Francescon Portraiture, www.momentsbylisa.com