Frankie’s Friends Hope Fund helped Bravo receive the emergency surgery he needed for an abscess at BluePearl in Eden Prairie, MN. This is a note from Bravo’s family.
UPDATE!
Hello Frankies Friends,
Two years ago my dog Bravo received help from Frankie's Friends to have life-saving surgery for an infection that had been plaguing him for months. We received a referral to BluePearl from our local vet as there was nothing more our vet could do to help Bravo as it was such a complex case. Bravo was just a little over a year old at this time and had so much life ahead of him.
Thanks to Frankie's Friends, BluePearl - Eden Prarie MN, and Dr. Eskander- Bravo was able to have his life-saving surgery and is doing well today. I am a volunteer AEMT/Firefighter and teach full-time for a rural school district. Having my Bravo after stressful nights on the ambulance or after fighting a fire has been so helpful for me. Without you all this would not have been possible. Bravo is my best friend and we go everywhere together. He enjoys car rides, trips to the woods, and of course, playing with his favorite toy - his jolly ball! I will never be able to put into words how grateful I am for the funding I received for Bravo. He is now three years old, going on four, and will get to be part of my upcoming wedding and start a whole new adventure with me and my soon-to-be husband.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Kate and Bravo
“My name is Kate, and I want to tell you about my best friend Bravo.
I waited 25 years for Bravo. I waited until I had graduated college, had a job, and had a place that would allow me to be the best dog mom possible. In May 2021, I adopted Bravo, the sweetest German Shepherd at 10 weeks old. We quickly became inseparable, and it was everything I had dreamed of! A dog of my own! My patience had finally paid off! In August 2021, I sent Bravo to a board and train dog facility in the area as I wanted him to be well trained and have a solid foundation for the future, especially with being a high energy breed, I wanted to do everything right. After he was at the facility for two weeks, they called me and said something had happened and his neck was swelling, they had thought he had been stung by a bee or was having an allergic reaction. I quickly rushed to pick him up and took him to our emergency vet. Once at the vet they took him back right away as he was quite sick. They weren’t sure what had caused the swelling but tried a surgery to go in and find the cause of his swelling and distress. They did not find anything and sent me home with antibiotics. We followed up with our primary vet several days later, as Bravo was just not getting any better. The nightmare continued as Bravo’s body kept trying to fight this infection and unknown swelling. My local vet said there was nothing more he could do, and he referred us to BluePearl. Bravo and I met with Dr. Eskander in April, and he said he had a solution! With imaging and an exploratory surgery, he feels confident that this can be resolved once and for all and we can get to the root cause of what this infection is. It means the world to me for Bravo to finally be healed. I am a rural 6- 12s teacher, grad student, and volunteer EMT on my local ambulance. Bravo stories and pictures have become a staple in my classroom and after long nights in the back of the rig or studying, no matter what kind of day I have had Bravo is always there with a wagging tail and kisses. Even on days when he felt so sick, he always was there to cheer me up and encourage me with his smile and wiggles. Bravo is my best friend, and we need a little help to get over this bump in the road. He is 15 months old, and I want him to have many more healthy years, and after this, hopefully no more surgery! He has been through so much, and surgery at BluePearl is hopefully the answer to my prayers and his cure.
Thank you for your time and consideration.”
