Pepper needs urgent life-saving surgery!

Everyone’s little bestie, Pepper, our sweet 1.9kg Chihuahua urgently needs a high-risk surgery. 😔

Pepper has been diagnosed with:

- Severe gallbladder disease.

- Significant sludge/stones and inflammation.

- A partially obstructed bile duct.

- Secondary pancreatic inflammation caused by the obstruction.

At the moment, Pepper’s bile cannot flow from her liver and gallbladder - which is painful, dangerous, and can quickly become life-threatening.

Pepper will deteriorate and needs surgery to remove her gallbladder. While it’s common for humans, this is considered a last-resort surgery in a dog as it’s highly specialised and carries significant risk.

It is difficult for her specialists to estimate, but they advise gallbladder cases typically range from $8,000–$15,000 depending on complexity and recovery needs (incl. consultation, surgery, ICU, hospitalisation, common/serious post-op complications, intensive ICU-monitoring afterwards, imaging, lab tests etc). 💸💸

We are doing everything we can to raise as much as we can quickly, so her surgery can proceed without any delays. We want to ensure that she’s still as stable as possible to have the best chance at making it through surgery and recovery. ❤️‍🩹

Pepper HAS pet insurance, but it’s already maxed out.

We are also pursuing other finance options, (incl. KiwiSaver withdrawal), as we need to ensure there is no delay in her receiving treatment. We are very reluctantly asking for help to give Pepper the best chance possible.

💛