“Odin is my best friend! I can’t lose my best friend!”
Odin, a 5-year-old male Pitbull, and his owner, Francisco, are truly inseparable. The epitome of “best friends.” They spend their lives together navigating a world that, for them, has proven to be quite challenging. Like many Western Washington families, they work hard to secure funds for their most basic needs and often find themselves without a permanent place to stay.
These are hurdles they took in stride until the day “something went wrong” with Odin. This normally happy-go-lucky pup became quite lethargic, wouldn’t eat and started to rapidly lose weight. After a cursory exam, it was suspected that Odin had a foreign body in his stomach and surgery would be the only recourse. 
Odin’s dad began calling everyplace he knew to try and find help. Without any available funds, this left him in an impossible situation and nowhere to turn for the advanced veterinary care Odin so desperately needed. This is where the Rainier Animal Fund came in to help.
With so many veterinary hospitals facing a hiring crisis and limited availability, the Rainier Animal Fund was so pleased to be able to reach our friends at Bothell Pet Hospital. Their team agreed to take on the challenging case and would do what they could to help. Rainier Animal Fund quickly arranged a shuttle to get Odin from downtown Seattle to Bothell for what was becoming an emergency condition for this beloved pup.
The team at Bothell Pet Hospital were the true heroes of the day. After more diagnostics, Dr. Harmor, Odin’s new doctor, determined that the foreign body had moved through Odin’s system and was now in his intestinal tract compromising much of his bowel. This surgery was now going to be an “all hands on deck,” potentially several hour surgery. Luckily, Dr. Fischer came in on her day off to be an extra pair of hands and, together, they went to work trying to save Odin’s life.
After eight hours, Odin was in recovery. The object (part of a toy) was out and now we all had to wait and see how he would do. He was not out of the woods yet and was still considered quite unstable. Thankfully the team at Diamond Veterinary Hospital took on Odin’s post-surgery overnight care as he needed to be carefully monitored 24 hours a day. This is how the rest of the week would go for Odin; spending the day with the team at Bothell Pet Hospital and being carefully monitored overnight at Diamond Veterinary Hospital to ensure his recovery was headed in the right direction.
During that week, Odin became quite the fixture at Bothell Pet Hospital. Simply a delight to care for and soon the consummate “helper” in the mornings as the Bothell team prepared for their day; always eager to greet the day with a wagging tail.
Jump ahead to a week later and Odin and his dad are finally reunited. Grave concern had been replaced by tears of joy. Odin was himself again and he was back with his best friend!
Odin and Francisco are why we do what we do. There are times when pet owners are faced with circumstances beyond their control and all they want to do is help their beloved pet get the care they so desperately need. We may not be able to take care of it all, but a little help helps and we are so glad we could be there for Odin and his dad.
For more information on the Rainier Animal Fund, their upcoming clinics and to make a donation, please visit rainieranimalfund.org.
