It all happens so fast! Your hero dog just saved your life but got bit by TWO rattlesnakes while doing so. You rush him to the emergency vet where you know they expect payment when you walk in the door. With one option, ya do what ya gotta do, right? Ya plunk down that first $500 on the credit card, knowing there will likely be more.
When the first dose of Antivenin (anti-venom) was given, all I could do was act in faith and approve another $1500 to the card. And, a second time. Aaaaand, a third time. At this point, we had charged $6500. And, they were saying it could be $8-9K!!! Mind you, it was already maxing out that high interest credit card. How, how was I going to come up with the funds to pay it? I just knew I could not let finances be the reason Toby didn't get the care he needed. Had to save my hero!
Now, I had posted about Toby getting bit on my personal Facebook page. A rescue friend recommended posting in a local group that helps with emergency situations. From there, it was also posted in a second group. Upon request, I provided contact info for the vet and the link to the Venmo acct set up for Toby's medical expenses.
Donations started coming in to the Venmo account. And, I knew some had donated directly to the vet but had no idea how much until we reached the vet to pick Toby up. The day before Toby came home, I applied and was approved for CareCredit. That would give us a year to pay, without interest. The $6500 we'd already paid was transferred to CareCredit. When we arrived to pick Toby up, the front end staff told us, "Your bill has been paid in full." The office manager handed us medical and billing paperwork and said the bill was paid in full. I cried tears of gratitude and joy. With the chaos of Toby being ready to to home, I was focused on reading over the discharge instructions with the vet and did not look at the billing paperwork I received. After all, I had been told that it was paid in full.
Amidst all of this, a new friend connected us with Sydney Hood, local News 12 reporter, who wanted to do a TV segment on Toby's story. So, when I was told about the bill being paid, I was so overwhelmed by the enormous generosity, that I told Sydney (prior to the interview).
Jump forward two days to when the ER Vet office manager called to let me know that she would credit the donations to the bill, which would leave a balance of... $6500... on CareCredit. Um, wait, what? What bill? I thought it had been paid in full. But, NOPE, not the case. I'm incredibly thankful for every single donation, first and foremost! Gotta say, though, that was shocking and painful news!
Now, to date, thanks to ALL of those who generously contributed, both big and small, we have received over $4500 in donations. And, we are down to owing $2300. To help pay the remaining balance, shirts and other merchandise is available in our Store. You may also see some links to items we've tried and found helpful. If you click on the link and make a purchase, we get a fraction of the sale (at no extra cost to you). Every single penny, nickel, dime, and dollar adds up and helps tremendously. Once Toby's medical bills have been paid, we will focus on his outreach campaigns and the goal of Toby becoming a Certified Therapy Dog, which would let him spread smiles in even more places.
THANK YOU, again, for supporting, following, and believing in Toby The Hero Dog.
- Diane (Toby's Mom)
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