Fancy's Fundraiser
Donation protected
Fancy is a three year old, former breeding Frenchie from Texas rescued by our friend Nicole Aufdemberg and brought back to California at her expense. Within two very short weeks Fancy had to be taken to the vet to be treated for worms. A few days later she was brought back to the vet with diarrhea and lack of appetite where a mass was discovered. Fancy was immediately rushed to So Cal Veterinary Specialty Hospital. The mass had enveloped her intestines and kidney. Due to the mass being attached to her intestines, one third of her intestines had to be removed. And, with the onset of peritonitis; healing was questionable. Recovery has been tough with 5 days overnight after surgery and several nights since then due to vomiting. Fancy isn't out of the woods yet and Nicole is looking at upwards of $10,000 in medical bills and we want to help.
For those of you who know Nicole, you know she is one of the most compassionate and generous people on the planet. Her love for dogs, especially bullies, is beyond compare. She has done so much for the dog community, she's been an inspiration to me and so many others, we felt this was a good time to give back so please, let's pay it forward for Fancy and Nicole.
Click to donate now or keep reading for a more detailed account of Fancy and Nicole's battle to keep her alive.
This is Nicole and Fancy's story ...
Nicole had just lost her 4th fur baby in less than a year, including her 2 smooshface girls, Imo and Patches. Imo fought Renal disease for 4 of her 5 years and Patches unexpectedly passed after exploratory surgery to diagnose abdominal issues and a small mass.
Fancy was being retired after her last litter and looking for a furever home and some of her friends reached out to the the bully community to help. Everyone knew Nicole missed her girls and at the end of September she was contacted about Fancy. Fancy would be ready for her new home sometime in December and since Fancy lived in Texas, flight arrangements would need to be made if Nicole wanted this precious little girl. Nicole knew in an instant that Fancy was meant to be with her.
Fancy was spayed at the beginning of December, but there was a delay in getting her out to California, due to weather, holidays and a minor ear infection.
On January 5th, Nicole's senior hospice boy Bauer passed away. On January 28th, exactly 2 yrs to the day from when Bauer arrived in her arms, Nicole and I were on a flight to Texas to pick up Miss Fancy Pants!
Miss Fancy had Nicole at hello. She was the perfect girl on the flight home and everyone who met her loved her. It was a crazy, emotion filled day and Fancy immediately attached herself to her new mommy.
The following day, Fancy had an exam and was microchipped. She was home!!! She started going everywhere with Nicole. Just a few days later Nicole found worms in her poop, so being the anxious mommy she is, got her into the vet the following day. Fancy was treated and sent home.
Fancy was signed up to go to the Bulldog Beauty Contest on Feb. 12th. But Nicole then noticed a lump on the left side of her abdomen. Fancy came down with diarrhea from the meds and then stopped eating. Nicole and her friends, took her into the vet before the contest, where Nicole mentioned the lump. The vet examined her, did X-rays and ultrasound and $450 later, Fancy was rushed to SCVSH ER and we were told there were several possibilities and outcomes.
At the ER they called in their internal medicine specialist. A higher scale ultrasound was done and told the specialist there was a mass that may have looped into her intestines and had attached itself to other organs. They thought it was possible this was due to the spay, foreign body left in after surgery or other foreign body issues tissues or a tumor. The vet recommended an overnight stay to start an IV and antibiotics and surgery would begin the following day. It was heartbreaking to leave her. She had been through so much already and was just settling into her new home. After the good byes, all we could do was pray.
That Monday, Nicole visited with Fancy prior to surgery. Miss Fancy Pants was so excited to see her and was in great spirits. At about 7:30 pm, she received a call from her initial ER vet stating she was an hour into surgery. It was much more complicated than they thought. Initially they thought she may lose her left kidney that was intertwined in the mass but the amazingly gifted and patient surgeon worked to save it. The other issue was it was looped and attached to the intestine in several areas.
At about 10pm, Nicole received the call, from the surgeon. She was still intubated but he wanted to tell her what they found and what Fancy's status was immediately. A large mass was removed and sent for biopsy. It had attached itself to a large portion of her intestines and kidney. He removed about 1/3 of her intestines, saving more than initially expected. He was able to save the kidney as well. Unfortunately her intestines had peritonitis and that was going to be an uphill battle. He was very stern in his warning, as extensive as this surgery was, her biggest battle was going to be getting the intestines to heal together as the peritonitis can have a very negative impact and cause the intestinal walls to separate. He said the next 5 to 7 days were crucial in her healing and she would be with them for at least the first 5.
Fancy did well during her stay, with visits from her aunties, as well as her momma. Nicole sat with her each and every day. Fancy turned out to be a hospital favorite.
On Saturday, February 18th, she visited with Fancy and her initial ER Vet who advised she felt Fancy was doing well enough to go home Sunday. She had an appetite and was holding foods down. She wasn't out of the woods yet, but was well enough for home care. Nicole asked about future issues, like short bowel syndrome and the Dr. said the surgeon saved enough of the sections of intestines that in the future we shouldn't see issues with vitamin or nutrient absorption! Thank you God!
Nicole received information on the biopsy. No tumor, thank God, and no foreign body found. What they believe happened, based on where the mass seemed to have formed is that she possibly ingested a foreign body that pierced her bowel and then passed. The leakage caused her body to react and over the course of time, formed a mass of scar tissue to envelop the leakage, containing it. The surgeon found very little "puss" in her abdominal cavity, thankfully, her little body did its best to protect her. The mass, as it grew, attached to her intestinal wall and kidney, as a blood supply source.
An elated Nicole picked her up Sunday. Fancy was so full of energy and couldn't wait to get in her car. She did great the first night and Fancy was doing well Monday. Everything seemed great, ate dinner at 6:30 pm like a champ. Then at 9:30, after sleeping on her momma's lap for 2 hours, she got up and regurgitated a little food. From 9:30 to 10:30 she regurgitated small amounts 5x. Nicole called the ER. They were light staffed and asked to call her back, if not a critical emergency. Just after midnight, Nicole was running Fancy Pants back to the ER. Initial exam and X-rays by the night vet told them there was no free flowing fluid in the abdominal cavity, which was a good thing, they felt there was a motility issue with food not passing through as it should, but no obvious sign of blockage. They asked to keep her to monitor for additional regurgitation to ensure she did not end up with aspiration pneumonia, as is common in "short faced" breeds and to get meds back in her via injection through the course of the night. Nicole left in tears, but knew it was for the best.
Fancy is having an ultrasound done after being readmitted and Nicole is anxiously awaiting results.
Nicole believes Fancy was matched with her, by the grace of God, to be able to get her to the best facility possible to save her. Fancy's recovery is in God's hands now, and we are all praying for a miracle. She is Miss Fancy Pants and she is a fighter, for sure. Fight like a Frenchie baby girl, there are tons of memories to still make!
For those of you who know Nicole, you know she is one of the most compassionate and generous people on the planet. Her love for dogs, especially bullies, is beyond compare. She has done so much for the dog community, she's been an inspiration to me and so many others, we felt this was a good time to give back so please, let's pay it forward for Fancy and Nicole.
Click to donate now or keep reading for a more detailed account of Fancy and Nicole's battle to keep her alive.
This is Nicole and Fancy's story ...
Nicole had just lost her 4th fur baby in less than a year, including her 2 smooshface girls, Imo and Patches. Imo fought Renal disease for 4 of her 5 years and Patches unexpectedly passed after exploratory surgery to diagnose abdominal issues and a small mass.
Fancy was being retired after her last litter and looking for a furever home and some of her friends reached out to the the bully community to help. Everyone knew Nicole missed her girls and at the end of September she was contacted about Fancy. Fancy would be ready for her new home sometime in December and since Fancy lived in Texas, flight arrangements would need to be made if Nicole wanted this precious little girl. Nicole knew in an instant that Fancy was meant to be with her.
Fancy was spayed at the beginning of December, but there was a delay in getting her out to California, due to weather, holidays and a minor ear infection.
On January 5th, Nicole's senior hospice boy Bauer passed away. On January 28th, exactly 2 yrs to the day from when Bauer arrived in her arms, Nicole and I were on a flight to Texas to pick up Miss Fancy Pants!
Miss Fancy had Nicole at hello. She was the perfect girl on the flight home and everyone who met her loved her. It was a crazy, emotion filled day and Fancy immediately attached herself to her new mommy.
The following day, Fancy had an exam and was microchipped. She was home!!! She started going everywhere with Nicole. Just a few days later Nicole found worms in her poop, so being the anxious mommy she is, got her into the vet the following day. Fancy was treated and sent home.
Fancy was signed up to go to the Bulldog Beauty Contest on Feb. 12th. But Nicole then noticed a lump on the left side of her abdomen. Fancy came down with diarrhea from the meds and then stopped eating. Nicole and her friends, took her into the vet before the contest, where Nicole mentioned the lump. The vet examined her, did X-rays and ultrasound and $450 later, Fancy was rushed to SCVSH ER and we were told there were several possibilities and outcomes.
At the ER they called in their internal medicine specialist. A higher scale ultrasound was done and told the specialist there was a mass that may have looped into her intestines and had attached itself to other organs. They thought it was possible this was due to the spay, foreign body left in after surgery or other foreign body issues tissues or a tumor. The vet recommended an overnight stay to start an IV and antibiotics and surgery would begin the following day. It was heartbreaking to leave her. She had been through so much already and was just settling into her new home. After the good byes, all we could do was pray.
That Monday, Nicole visited with Fancy prior to surgery. Miss Fancy Pants was so excited to see her and was in great spirits. At about 7:30 pm, she received a call from her initial ER vet stating she was an hour into surgery. It was much more complicated than they thought. Initially they thought she may lose her left kidney that was intertwined in the mass but the amazingly gifted and patient surgeon worked to save it. The other issue was it was looped and attached to the intestine in several areas.
At about 10pm, Nicole received the call, from the surgeon. She was still intubated but he wanted to tell her what they found and what Fancy's status was immediately. A large mass was removed and sent for biopsy. It had attached itself to a large portion of her intestines and kidney. He removed about 1/3 of her intestines, saving more than initially expected. He was able to save the kidney as well. Unfortunately her intestines had peritonitis and that was going to be an uphill battle. He was very stern in his warning, as extensive as this surgery was, her biggest battle was going to be getting the intestines to heal together as the peritonitis can have a very negative impact and cause the intestinal walls to separate. He said the next 5 to 7 days were crucial in her healing and she would be with them for at least the first 5.
Fancy did well during her stay, with visits from her aunties, as well as her momma. Nicole sat with her each and every day. Fancy turned out to be a hospital favorite.
On Saturday, February 18th, she visited with Fancy and her initial ER Vet who advised she felt Fancy was doing well enough to go home Sunday. She had an appetite and was holding foods down. She wasn't out of the woods yet, but was well enough for home care. Nicole asked about future issues, like short bowel syndrome and the Dr. said the surgeon saved enough of the sections of intestines that in the future we shouldn't see issues with vitamin or nutrient absorption! Thank you God!
Nicole received information on the biopsy. No tumor, thank God, and no foreign body found. What they believe happened, based on where the mass seemed to have formed is that she possibly ingested a foreign body that pierced her bowel and then passed. The leakage caused her body to react and over the course of time, formed a mass of scar tissue to envelop the leakage, containing it. The surgeon found very little "puss" in her abdominal cavity, thankfully, her little body did its best to protect her. The mass, as it grew, attached to her intestinal wall and kidney, as a blood supply source.
An elated Nicole picked her up Sunday. Fancy was so full of energy and couldn't wait to get in her car. She did great the first night and Fancy was doing well Monday. Everything seemed great, ate dinner at 6:30 pm like a champ. Then at 9:30, after sleeping on her momma's lap for 2 hours, she got up and regurgitated a little food. From 9:30 to 10:30 she regurgitated small amounts 5x. Nicole called the ER. They were light staffed and asked to call her back, if not a critical emergency. Just after midnight, Nicole was running Fancy Pants back to the ER. Initial exam and X-rays by the night vet told them there was no free flowing fluid in the abdominal cavity, which was a good thing, they felt there was a motility issue with food not passing through as it should, but no obvious sign of blockage. They asked to keep her to monitor for additional regurgitation to ensure she did not end up with aspiration pneumonia, as is common in "short faced" breeds and to get meds back in her via injection through the course of the night. Nicole left in tears, but knew it was for the best.
Fancy is having an ultrasound done after being readmitted and Nicole is anxiously awaiting results.
Nicole believes Fancy was matched with her, by the grace of God, to be able to get her to the best facility possible to save her. Fancy's recovery is in God's hands now, and we are all praying for a miracle. She is Miss Fancy Pants and she is a fighter, for sure. Fight like a Frenchie baby girl, there are tons of memories to still make!
Organizer and beneficiary
Susan Gartner Papa
Organizer
Laguna Hills, CA
Nicole Aufdemberg
Beneficiary