Fin has pulmonary stenosis, a hereditary heart valve condition that involves the narrowing of the pulmonary valve, which controls the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs.
He will have balloon valbuloplasty surgery today, where a balloon is inserted into the right ventricle chamber of the heart, then expanded, to open it up. If all goes well with the surgery, that will allow the blood to flow normally, letting him have a normal life. We should know in the next 24-48 hours if the surgery is successful, so please keep him in your prayers.
Fin is a young dog we took in from Clay County Animal Services last October. He was ‘rescue only’ because he had a Grade 4 heart murmur. Because of that, nobody wanted to adopt him, and other rescues were reluctant to pull him. Thankfully, the Cristostomos offered to foster him, so we were able to take him into FUR. This super sweet little boy is a mini lab, and he’s fully grown, just over a year old and just 22 lbs.
Like most of our other major medical cases, we took Fin into FUR knowing it would be expensive, but not knowing exactly what we were signing up for. Dr. Mack did Xrays and bloodwork at Palm Valley Veterinary Center. Dr. Weldon came in to do the ultrasound, and confirmed that he would be a good candidate for the balloon catheter surgery. Cardiology appointments were booking out months in advance, so we waited. During this time, Fin got sick and wound up hospitalized for an unrelated gastrointestinal problem.
We've spent about $3,500 on Fin already, and his surgery today is $4,500-5,500. Is it worth it? Absolutely. If we can give him a long, wonderful life, it's worth every penny. He has no symptoms, and he looks and acts like a normal dog. With the surgery, the average life expectancy is 5-7 more years. He's young and healthy, so we hope it's longer.
Thank you Ana and Robert Cristosomo for fostering him; Lori DeLong for temp fostering when they were out of town, and Heather Hymer for driving him to UF in Gainesville. We have so many vet appointments every week it's hard to keep track. Thank you Jana, Valerie, Emily and Michelle for working behind the scenes every day to keep all of our babies vetted and cared for. If you'd like to help Fin, and other urgent dogs like him, please consider a tax deductible donation.
𝗙𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗟𝗬 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠
Sick and injured animals need help fast. Every donation helps, but Monthly donors give us flexibility to respond immediately when there is an emergency. When there is a hoarding case or a hurricane, a dog with a gunshot wound or a cruelty case, we have to act quickly. We don't have time to do a fundraiser, and wait for those funds to get to us. Your monthly donation can help us save lives again and again.
𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗟𝗬 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠, 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧:
https://www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donatemonthly
To Foster: www.floridaurgentrescue.org/foster To Adopt: www.floridaurgentrescue.org/adopt To Donate: — Credit Card: www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donate — Venmo: @FloridaUrgentRescue — PayPal: floridaurgentrescue@gmail.com — CashApp: $FloridaUrgentRescue — Mail: Florida Urgent Rescue 7643 Gate Parkway #104-27 Jacksonville, FL 32256
Florida Urgent Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, a Guidestar Platinum participant and a 2023 Top Rated Nonprofit on Great Nonprofits. Learn more about FUR at: www.floridaurgentrescue.org