‘I am in a desperate situation,’ Woman faces 10K vet bill for beloved support dog of husband with dementia

A woman took to social media to lament the high cost she is now facing for the veterinary bills for her beloved dog, who has served as a support animal for her husband with dementia. 

“I am in a desperate situation as I do not know how I am going to fund my dog’s treatment and I do not want my husband’s dementia to worsen if I cannot get my dog nursed back to health,” wrote Ms Elizabeth Chong on the COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook page on Wednesday morning (Oct 26).

Ms Chong, who gave TISG permission to share her story, wrote that many people with dogs who need surgery are faced with vet bills of over $10,000.

Her case is particularly heartbreaking.

She wrote that her dog was recently diagnosed with a suspected tumor.

“He is my husband’s support dog as my husband suffers from dementia and has heart issues. The last few years Giorgie has played caregiver by being a source of comfort to my husband who is in his 70s and is unable to care for himself.”

Ms Chong, who is her husband’s primary caregiver, is not working at the moment.

“I am in a desperate situation as I do not know how I am going to fund my dog’s treatment and I do not want my husband’s dementia to worsen if I cannot get my dog nursed back to health,” she added.

Giorgie has been unwell for some time now, and the latest review from Oct 25 shows that a thickening in his gastrointestinal tract, and a biopsy has been suggested.

“Giorgie has not been eating since last Fri but was drinking. Unfortunately, each time he drinks, he’ll vomit. His weight today is 17.3kg down from 22.7kg in August,” she added.

In spite of numbered tests done on their beloved pet, there has been no diagnosis yet. 

Ms Chong has been told she needs to prepare $10,000 just for Giorgie’s CT scans and hospitalisation, with the cost of surgery still excluded.

“Giorgie means the world to my husband.

I know many people would say, why keep a dog when you can’t afford?? 

Over the years, he has provided me with tremendous emotional support as well. 

My husband fainted at the park when walking him, he sat by him.”

She added that Giorgie has given her a “reason to shoulder on” on hard days and that he has shown tremendous care for her husband, to the point of following him closely in case he falls.

“This dog is so amazing and we can’t imagine losing him at this point of time. His health spiralled down in such speed that it scared us! Each vet visit, something new came up! Today, the vet told me Giorgie’s heart sounded funny, has squeaking sound. Very abnormal.”

She ended her post by asking what other options she has except to put Giorgie to sleep, but added, “I cannot imagine the impact on my husband’s dementia and health conditions if Giorgie has to be euthanized.”

 /TISG

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