OLLIE's STORY
Ollie was a 12 year 4 1/2 month old Yorkie, belonging to Christine, Bob, and Sara Meyer. Ollie was youthful, high energy, and.......very small! So small that everywhere he went, people wanted to say hello and ask about him. Young kids would flock to him wanting to pet him. Ollie seemed to love the attention. He was a familiar face at local senior homes, spreading cheer everywhere he went across all ages.
Christine, Ollie's primary caregiver, first noticed a problem in 2015 when Ollie would get out of breath chasing his ball, which he loved to do on his evening walks. The first diagnosis was not good -- a collapsed trachea. This progressive condition would only get worse and even though Ollie appeared to still be in mostly good condition, euthanasia was mentioned as an option.
Christine would not accept that solution this early on and began to get other opinions. A specialist indicated that one treatment would be an immediate stint. This procedure came with a high probability of success as the vet indicated he’d be a “new dog” for at least 2 or 2/12 years before the condition would eventually return. The procedure, however, would need to be in New York City (about a 6 hour drive from Ollie's home in Pittsburgh, OA) and come at a price tag of nearly $8,000.
Ollie was lucky. Christine and Bob, both recently retired, both kids grown and out of the house, and good stewards of finances, were able to afford this procedure. However, had this happened years earlier or when saving up for two college funds, euthanasia might have been the only heartbreaking decision....due to costs alone.
Bob and Christine drove to New York and Ollie got an early Christmas present on December 21, 2015 when he was 7 years, 4 months old. As the vet said, Ollie was like a "new dog" for 3 years! He only needed to take codeine as a cough suppressant and short term use of prednisolone. As the condition began to return in the summer of 2019, Ollie gradually needed more meds.
Eventually, Ollie lost his ability to run and chase after his ball, but he still loved walking on the beach, sitting on the porch in front of the fun "cool as a cucumber" as Bob would describe.
Had Christine and Bob been unable to afford the stent, Ollie would have lost 5 years of his life and so many experiences. And as every pet guardian knows, Chris, Bob, and Sara would have lost out on so many experiences with Ollie as well.
Ollie eventually died on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, ironically not from the collapsed trachea, but a sudden onset of kidney failure.
Christine, Ollie's primary caregiver, first noticed a problem in 2015 when Ollie would get out of breath chasing his ball, which he loved to do on his evening walks. The first diagnosis was not good -- a collapsed trachea. This progressive condition would only get worse and even though Ollie appeared to still be in mostly good condition, euthanasia was mentioned as an option.
Christine would not accept that solution this early on and began to get other opinions. A specialist indicated that one treatment would be an immediate stint. This procedure came with a high probability of success as the vet indicated he’d be a “new dog” for at least 2 or 2/12 years before the condition would eventually return. The procedure, however, would need to be in New York City (about a 6 hour drive from Ollie's home in Pittsburgh, OA) and come at a price tag of nearly $8,000.
Ollie was lucky. Christine and Bob, both recently retired, both kids grown and out of the house, and good stewards of finances, were able to afford this procedure. However, had this happened years earlier or when saving up for two college funds, euthanasia might have been the only heartbreaking decision....due to costs alone.
Bob and Christine drove to New York and Ollie got an early Christmas present on December 21, 2015 when he was 7 years, 4 months old. As the vet said, Ollie was like a "new dog" for 3 years! He only needed to take codeine as a cough suppressant and short term use of prednisolone. As the condition began to return in the summer of 2019, Ollie gradually needed more meds.
Eventually, Ollie lost his ability to run and chase after his ball, but he still loved walking on the beach, sitting on the porch in front of the fun "cool as a cucumber" as Bob would describe.
Had Christine and Bob been unable to afford the stent, Ollie would have lost 5 years of his life and so many experiences. And as every pet guardian knows, Chris, Bob, and Sara would have lost out on so many experiences with Ollie as well.
Ollie eventually died on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, ironically not from the collapsed trachea, but a sudden onset of kidney failure.
