Fur Kids Foundation 2020 Success Story: Ava English Mastiff

This beauty is Ava, a 4-year-old English Mastiff. Ava isn't spayed (yet) and wasn’t wanting to eat, was sluggish and just seemed to not be feeling well. Her parents recognized that she wasn’t acting her normal self, and decided that she needed to be seen by a vet to find out what was wrong with their giant baby. 

Because Ava hasn’t been spayed, the vet feared she had pyometra, an infection in the uterus. After a few tests, the vet was able to rule that out, thankfully. But, what they learned was that Ava had bleeding stomach ulcers and she was anemic. 

According to DogTime: Ulcers are sores or lesions that form in the lining of the stomach, which protects the organ from damage caused by gastric acid that aids in digestion. Signs of stomach ulcers in dogs often include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and weakness among other symptoms. There are many possible causes of stomach ulcers in dogs, and though ulcers are usually treatable, there are some extreme cases where an untreated ulcer can lead to anemia or perforations in the stomach that cause sepsis, shock, or even death.

Because Ava had a bleeding ulcer, it wasn’t really surprising that she was anemic. The term “anemia” refers to a reduced number of red blood cells in your dog’s blood stream. Red blood cells supply the body with oxygen, as well as remove carbon dioxide from the body. You can read more about anemia here.

In order to get her ulcers under control, Ava had to stay at the clinic for a few days to be monitored, which left her family with quite a hefty vet bill. 

Ava is a cherished pet in a family of four, with only one income. They were not expecting this emergency veterinary bill and paid all that they could afford at the time, and then applied with Fur Kids Foundation for help. 

We were happy to help, and Ava's mom says they are going to get Ava spayed as soon as she's feeling better and healthy enough.

About Fur Kids Foundation
Fur Kids Foundation is 100% run by dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the Foundation raise money with events, take applications, and spread the word about the good work the Foundation does in Campbell County, Wyoming. If you would like to help Fur Kids Foundation continue to help local families with animals afford emergency veterinary care, please consider making a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or signing up to become a volunteer. Check out more Success Stories.