Diamond is my beautiful black boy from Rose's 2009 litter. I kept him with the hope of showing
and breeding but around age one he started having prostate issues and a persistent UTI. My
veterinarian recommended neutering him. I was reluctant because his mother had died after her
spay, but I knew it should be done. We did extra pre-surgery blood work including clotting
profiles and everything was completely normal. I was with him through the surgery and
everything went fine. But that night, I brought him home and had a sense that something wasn't
right, even though I couldn't put my finger on it. I stayed up with him, and around midnight his
heart rate went up. I called my veterinarian, and she agreed to see him at the clinic
immediately. She did an EKG and he was in v-tach, an abnormal heart rhythm. She tried to
convert him with IV medications, but it was not successful, so she transferred us to the
Emergency Clinic which is 40 miles away. He spent the rest of the night at the E-clinic and was
doing better, but still in the abnormal rhythm at 7am. The attending veterinarian thought
Diamond was stable enough to be transferred back to my regular clinic. We headed back to the
clinic, and about 10 miles before we got there, Diamond went limp and unresponsive. He was
having agonal respirations and his heartbeat was very erratic. Then he stopped breathing and I
couldn't find a pulse. I am also an EMT in addition to being a veterinary technician. My
husband was driving and I told him to go as fast as possible while I started CPR on Diamond.
We got my vet on the cell phone and told her we were coming asap and to get everything ready
for a code. They met us at the parking lot and scooped Diamond from the car on his blanket. He
was immediately put on ventilation and Dr. Gorrell administered meds into the IV line he
already had. Then it was my turn to go limp and lose it while they all worked on him. I just cried
and prayed and suddenly I heard him gasp and try to lift his head up. It was a miracle, but he
was back with us. Once they had him stabilized, we set up a consult with a Cardiologist in
Boston, a three hour drive.
As soon as he was strong enough to travel, we made the trip to a Boston Referral Hospital.
Diamond was immediately admitted to the ICU and stayed there 4 days. It turned out that he had
a clotting problem and had lost so much blood into his abdomen that his heart went into v-tach
and on the trip back he went into hypovolemic shock. He is my miracle boy! We thought he
would need transfusions, but they were able to manage the blood loss without transfusing him.
Through the entire time in Boston, I kept thinking "I am so glad I have Embrace". It allowed me
to concentrate on his treatment and getting him well without also worrying about how I would
pay for it all.
Diamond is home now and completely back to normal. His total bill was over $4000.00.
Embrace Insurance payed 80% of my bill after the deductible was met, just like my policy says.
They were very helpful throughout the claims process, and I had a check in a few weeks.
I don't want this to make anyone decide not to spay or neuter their pet. Diamond's condition is
extremely rare and most likely a genetic condition he inherited from his mother. I have worked
at the Bethel Animal Hospital for over 6 years and we have never had a situation like this with
any other dogs.
and breeding but around age one he started having prostate issues and a persistent UTI. My
veterinarian recommended neutering him. I was reluctant because his mother had died after her
spay, but I knew it should be done. We did extra pre-surgery blood work including clotting
profiles and everything was completely normal. I was with him through the surgery and
everything went fine. But that night, I brought him home and had a sense that something wasn't
right, even though I couldn't put my finger on it. I stayed up with him, and around midnight his
heart rate went up. I called my veterinarian, and she agreed to see him at the clinic
immediately. She did an EKG and he was in v-tach, an abnormal heart rhythm. She tried to
convert him with IV medications, but it was not successful, so she transferred us to the
Emergency Clinic which is 40 miles away. He spent the rest of the night at the E-clinic and was
doing better, but still in the abnormal rhythm at 7am. The attending veterinarian thought
Diamond was stable enough to be transferred back to my regular clinic. We headed back to the
clinic, and about 10 miles before we got there, Diamond went limp and unresponsive. He was
having agonal respirations and his heartbeat was very erratic. Then he stopped breathing and I
couldn't find a pulse. I am also an EMT in addition to being a veterinary technician. My
husband was driving and I told him to go as fast as possible while I started CPR on Diamond.
We got my vet on the cell phone and told her we were coming asap and to get everything ready
for a code. They met us at the parking lot and scooped Diamond from the car on his blanket. He
was immediately put on ventilation and Dr. Gorrell administered meds into the IV line he
already had. Then it was my turn to go limp and lose it while they all worked on him. I just cried
and prayed and suddenly I heard him gasp and try to lift his head up. It was a miracle, but he
was back with us. Once they had him stabilized, we set up a consult with a Cardiologist in
Boston, a three hour drive.
As soon as he was strong enough to travel, we made the trip to a Boston Referral Hospital.
Diamond was immediately admitted to the ICU and stayed there 4 days. It turned out that he had
a clotting problem and had lost so much blood into his abdomen that his heart went into v-tach
and on the trip back he went into hypovolemic shock. He is my miracle boy! We thought he
would need transfusions, but they were able to manage the blood loss without transfusing him.
Through the entire time in Boston, I kept thinking "I am so glad I have Embrace". It allowed me
to concentrate on his treatment and getting him well without also worrying about how I would
pay for it all.
Diamond is home now and completely back to normal. His total bill was over $4000.00.
Embrace Insurance payed 80% of my bill after the deductible was met, just like my policy says.
They were very helpful throughout the claims process, and I had a check in a few weeks.
I don't want this to make anyone decide not to spay or neuter their pet. Diamond's condition is
extremely rare and most likely a genetic condition he inherited from his mother. I have worked
at the Bethel Animal Hospital for over 6 years and we have never had a situation like this with
any other dogs.
Diamond's Story
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