Cooper was treated February 1, 2019 at BluePearl in Atlanta, GA for a urinary obstruction. Surgery to remove bladder stones was performed by Dr. Rachel Tulipan. This is a note from his family.
“About a month ago I noticed Cooper was having trouble urinating so I took him to the emergency vets at BluePearl. They ran some tests and gave him a week and a half s worth of antibiotics to help him until I could get him to his primary vet.
About a week into the antibiotics, he seemed to be getting worse to the point where one day he did not urinate for almost 24 hours. On February 1st, around 2am I was so worried that I packed him up in my car and went back to BluePearl. After seeing him, they told me that his situation had worsened and that he needed emergency surgery. According to the doctors, Cooper had stones blocking his urethra which was preventing him from using the bathroom. I started to internally freak out because I knew he was feeling a lot of pain and discomfort so of course I wanted to do whatever I had to do to get him better. The problem was the surgery was going to cost anywhere from $2k-$5k which I did not have at the time. So, the doctors drained his bladder to provide some temporary relief but urged me to find a facility to perform the procedure ASAP. I took Cooper home and around 9am I started calling every vet and animal hospital in Atlanta. I spent hours on the phone explaining my dog’s situation but every place said they either couldn’t do the surgery that day or I would have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. Around midday I started to breakdown because I realized I was out of options. I was either going to have to watch Cooper suffer until his bladder erupted or put him down to spare him anymore pain. I called my mom crying telling her that Cooper was more than likely going to die today and she immediately made her way to my house. I made one final call to BluePearl to ask if they would be able to euthanize Cooper and once the receptionist realized that I was the same woman from earlier that day she said that she would inform her manager and have her call me back.
Ten minutes later, I received a phone call and was told that Cooper was recommended as a surgical candidate for Frankie’s Friends who would be able to help pay for the surgery. I immediately began crying as the person on the line told me that the foundation was going to pay for almost the entire surgery. Getting that phone call was the answer to the prayers I had been praying all day. After getting all the next steps, I took Cooper to BluePearl where they immediately admitted and prepped him for surgery.
Since the surgery, Cooper has recovered from the stones and began treatment for future prevention. Without the help of the staff at BluePearl and Frankie’s Friends, Cooper would not be here today. I cannot thank you all enough for helping my dog and I as I could not see myself without him. I will be eternally grateful to you all for helping me save my dog’s life.”