Abby

About the Campaign

Abby is a one-year-old female Shepherd mix with a patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA. It is a fully correctable birth defect that often goes undetected until the dog dies. Fortunately for Abby a vet caught it in time!

Abby was found wandering in traffic at a busy intersection in May and taken to the San Bernardino shelter, where she landed on the euthanasia list. Her owner Heather saw her picture on Nextdoor and decided she would be their dog. A rescue, Saving Dogs, got Abby out and delivered her to Heather’s house in July. The defect was only discovered when Heather took her to the local humane society to be spayed and the vet heard a murmur. PDA is often misdiagnosed as a heart murmur, though in this case the vet did suspect PDA and recommended a cardiologist.

Abby has become the family dog Heather hoped for. Heather and her husband Glen have four children: Elliott, 16, and three under five, Chevelle, Angelina, and Aniah, all adopted out of foster care with developmental needs. Heather wanted a dog to walk, and what she got is something closer to a family therapy dog. Abby is wonderful with the kids.

Heather teaches Pilates and yoga part time, as much as four children allow. Glen is an auto mechanic and his paycheck covers most of the bills, with the foster adoption stipends keeping food on the table. Heart surgery is not something that budget can cover, though they have some money. And they just paid a $350 adoption fee, $200 for the spay, and $1,200 for the cardiology workup and diagnostics.

Abby is young, and a PDA caught at her age is one of the few heart problems in dogs that surgery can cure outright. Donations will cover her pre-surgical bloodwork and imaging, anesthesia, the surgery to close the defect, hospitalization, pain medication, and follow-up with the cardiologist. All donations are paid only to the veterinarian. Estimate below, click to enlarge: