Briscoe’s Happy Tail

Briscoe is so much more than a silly face. This three-year-old Victorian Bulldog is a service animal, fulfilling a vital need for his family. Briscoe’s special training aids in the daily routine of living with disabilities, and leading very busy lives at that! His mom, Rudi, is a teacher, and her partner Dylan a full-time student. Together with his cat and guinea pig brothers, Bernstein and Sloan, Briscoe is an important part of a loving, happy family.

So when Briscoe began having diarrhea and occasional vomiting, Rudi was understandably upset and worried. Her concern quickly grew as blood appeared in his stool and he became lethargic and stopped eating or drinking. She knew he didn’t have much time before he became dehydrated, so she rushed him to the veterinarian, determined to save his life.

After taking x-rays, the veterinarian confirmed what Rudi had suspected: Briscoe had eaten the squeaker out of one of his toys and it got stuck in his digestive tract. If he didn’t have emergency surgery to remove the squeaker, his symptoms would continue to worsen, and he would soon die.

Right away, they had the veterinarian give Briscoe IV fluids to prevent dehydration and buy them some time to raise money for his treatment. With her teaching income and Dylan’s SSDI income going toward rent and bills, Rudi knew their finances were tight, and they could not afford his surgery without help. But for all the ways Briscoe had made their lives better, they were not going to let him suffer now.

Rudi left no stone unturned in finding help for Briscoe and his emergency surgery. In addition to sharing a GoFundMe with her friends and family, she applied and was approved for CareCredit, bringing her closer to the amount needed to start surgery. Even though she planned to contribute what she could, Rudi was still just a little bit short of the full amount. That’s when she reached out to RedRover. 

Thanks to a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant and a generous On-Call Angel, Briscoe was able to have his emergency surgery and spend a few extra days in the veterinary hospital for a successful recovery. 

Despite being camera-shy, Briscoe did his supermodel best and posed for a photo to share with the kind people who made his second chance possible. 

Along with Briscoe’s special thank you, Rudi and Dylan expressed their gratitude for the help they received in keeping their family together:

Briscoe is doing so much better since his surgery! Now that he’s healed, he has more energy and love to give than ever!! He brings us so much joy. We are so happy to have him home and cannot express how thankful we are to RedRover in helping us take care of him! 

Thank you for making these Happy Tails possible with your support of RedRover. You can read more Happy Tails here or follow us on Facebook for news and updates.