LEVI'S STORY

I am honestly so sad that I am coming back on my blog to write this story.
My previous blog was about a successful cherry eye surgery.... boy was I wrong.
I am sharing my story to spread awareness and to show support for those who have been through something similar.
On December 21st, Levi went in for cherry eye surgery. It was successful in the sense that his eyes no longer had cherry eye. So when Levi first got home, I celebrated. He's home and his eyes are fix! YAY!
The vet that performed the surgery told me that they had some trouble with intubation and that his wheezing is due to them irritating his throat. It made sense. 
When we got home at 5 pm that night, the wheezing seemed to be fading.

11:00 pm, Levi collapsed. 
Side Note: Honestly, this was the second worst event I ever witnessed. The first being my mom taking her last breath after loosing her battle with cancer, and then it's seeing Levi lifeless on the ground.
I immediately picked Levi up and saw within seconds his color on his lips and gums faded and his breathing was so light. I remember yelling, "He's dying."  And he was.
It was snowing that night, and Chris and I rushed out into the snow with Levi and got into our vehicle. I didn't know what to do. I ended up calling 911.
Luckily 911, led us to the closest vet open (25 mins away from home). THANK YOU COPS.
On the way to the vet, Levi's breathing continued to fade. I began giving him mouth to mouth and continued to do so until we arrived at the Emergency Pet Hospital. I was able to keep him breathing until we arrived.
We arrived at the vet at 11:18 pm and Levi was immediately taken in.
At 12:00 am, the vet informed us that they were able to get Levi stable. She also told me that his x-rays show that his trachea was pierced causing his trachea to collapse. This then caused him to most likely choke allowing fluid to fill his lungs. She informs me she believes it is due to malpractice. The most likely case being that the vet used the wrong size tube for intubation and pierced straight through his trachea.
She advised us to go home and if there are any emergencies, they would call.
At 5:00 am, we got a call:(
The vet told us that Levi is struggling to breath, and air has formed around his heart. She said there is a possibility he might suffer cardiac arrest. She said the best option is to sedate him again and get a tube in and try to help him breathe better. We told her to do that.
Luckily, an hour later we got a call saying it worked!  Levi is awake and the tube is now out.
12 hours later, Levi finally started showing signs of improvement. 
And on Christmas day, Levi was released. THANK YOU GOOD VETS.
​Overall, Levi was at the emergency hospital for 4 nights.
Since being home, he has to be separate from York and Ro. He can not chew on toys (and he is teething). He has to have medicine at 7 am, 7 pm and 11 pm. 
We have our checkup on January 8th and we are expecting only good news.

The vet that performed the cherry eye surgery has apologized many times, but his practice is refusing to pay for Levi's emergency vet bill. The vet practice office manager was the one to rudely deliver the news that "Levi had pneumonia when he came in and therefore nothing is our fault." First, Levi did not have pneumonia and second, if he did why would they perform surgery? 
​I have started a gofundme to help us with the emergency expenses. If you can donate, we greatly appreciate it. gofundme.com/levimedicalbills

With being on Instagram, I wanted to share my experience to raise awareness. I also wanted to share so our wonderful friends can send good vibes/prayers to little Levi. So many amazing people wrote me when I really needed it the most. I THANK YOU.
I also want to share the ugly side of social media. I got multiple messages and comments that made me feel sad. People commenting saying "it is not malpractice." People fighting people who believe its malpractice and those who don't. WHY FIGHT? I also got people writing me saying "I should research vets before I take my dogs anywhere." 
Side Note:  I did research. I have 3 bulldogs that are my children. There is only one vet known in the area for always dealing with bulldogs and sadly he will not take on any new clients. So I went with another known vet in the area. THANK YOU, NEXT.

What happened to Levi, should not have happened. I am beyond grateful that Levi fought so hard for his life, for cops, vets and great Instagram friends.
This experience has connected me with so many bulldog owners that have gone through something similar, and has showed me that even known vets can make a mistake. It showed me that many vets need more training on bulldogs. I believe we shouldn't have to go to a bulldog specialist. We should be able to go to a vet and get the care our dogs need. This experience reminded me to be sympathetic towards friends, Instagram friends and family.
The vet that performed the surgery on Levi has been reported to DOPL and we are now moving forward.  

Happy New Year to our beautiful friends, we love and appreciate you all.
Thank you for all the support during these last few weeks<3
gofundme.com/levismedicalbills