This is Coco, a 17 month old Chihuahua, adopted from the RSPCA in June 2017. Coco came from a house with 80 (?!) other Chihuahuas. The RSPCA believe that she was born in the house and had never been outside it's four walls - not even into the garden. She was not house trained, had no basic commands, didn't know how to play, and was underweight.
When I adopted Coco I was told that she has no health conditions, but was prone to the odd panic attack. "Nothing that can't be fixed with love and compassion"
A few weeks ago I came home from work to find her lying lifeless in her bed. She was unable to raise her head or stand. Cue a quick dash to the vets - which is luckily only 3 minutes drive away. It wasn't looking good. the vets were at a loss as to what happened, but said it seemed she'd had a stroke. A frantic dash to the Emergency Vet ensued, to try to save Coco's life - I actually thought I'd lost her on the way, she lost consciousness.
Coco had to stay at the emergency vets overnight, at a cost of £619, had three bags of fluids (as they discovered her blood was like treacle), and then returned to our usual vets the next day for more tests/fluids, at a cost of £442. Cue a referral to the specialist centre in Derby (which has so far cost just under £3,000).
Coco has been diagnosed with Reversed Patent Ductus Arteriosus - basically a hole in the heart. Her blood bypasses the lungs and goes back around her tiny body, without reloading with oxygen. There is no cure, only treatment of the symptoms. Treatment will involve drugs for the rest of her life - which could be 10 minutes, (she's high risk of sudden death/heart attack) or 10 years. She will also have to undergo regular blood letting, and rehydration, to thin the blood, regular blood tests, and careful monitoring. She is insured, but the insurance is already maxed out and the insurance company will no longer help with her treatment.