Community Corner

Dog Fight Leaves Plainfield Family with Huge Vet Bill

The Hall family has racked up more than $3,000 in vet costs to save their beloved Teddy; you can help by donating to their GoFundMe campaign.

Teddy the shar pei has had a rough couple weeks. 

The 2-year-old pooch suffered severe injuries and could still lose an ear after he found himself on the losing end of a fight with a foster dog rescued by owner Kim Hall.

"It was all because of food," Hall said of the scrap. Unfortunately for Teddy, it's not in his nature to fight back — and he ended up on the losing end.

"Teddy can hold his own, but he won't fight," Hall said. The attack by the foster dog left the family pet with a gaping wound on his neck and a severely injured ear.

"His ear was torn so bad you could see the ear drum," Hall said. "It'll be a wait and see for a couple months to see if he'll lose the ear."

Since the Dec. 8 attack, Teddy has undergone three surgeries, which have added up to a $3,100 vet bill, right before Christmas. To try to help offset the costs, Hall established a GoFundMe campaign.

Vets used excess skin from Teddy's wrinkles to repair a large wound in his neck, Hall said. He was able to come home briefly on Dec. 12, but wound up back at the vet after he began throwing up black vomit.

A day later, the pooch underwent exploratory surgery to see if there was some type of blockage causing his illness.

"They found a hole in the intestine leading to his stomach," Hall said, adding vets don't know if the injury was caused by the fight or if there could be an underlying cause like cancer. Currently, Hall said she's waiting to learn the results of a biopsy.

On Monday, Teddy is scheduled to have his stitches removed. He also has followup visits scheduled for his intestinal issues, and ongoing care will be needed for his ear, Hall said.

So far, Hall's GoFundMe effort has raised more than $100. She is hoping to raise enough to keep chipping away at the vet bill.

"I don't have $3,000 laying around for a vet bill and I feel like a total irresponsible owner," said Hall, who is active with an area shar pei rescue. "I don't know where to pull the money from."

Hall said her veterinarian offered to put her on a payment plan, but the balance is due Friday.

As for Teddy, he seems to be on the mend.

"I think he's on guard a little bit, which is understandable," Hall said. "But otherwise he's acting like his old self. He's jumping on the bed and sleeping next to me and snoring in my ear," she said with a laugh. 

Due to his injuries, Hall is erring on the side of caution, "So he's mad because I won't let him play in the snow," she said.

The foster dog involved in the fight is going to his forever home this weekend, Hall said.

She's hoping for a full recovery for Teddy, who was rescued from a high-kill shelter in southern Illinois.

"He's our little prince," she said.

To donate to Teddy's vet fund, click here.


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