Please Welcome K-9 Tika, #293
Please welcome K-9 Tika as our 293rd Program Member inducted into our Project K-9 Hero Pack! K-9 Tika bravely served as a Dual-Purpose Patrol/Narcotics Detection K-9, from 2013 through 2017, with Richland County Sheriff's Department in Columbia, South Carolina.
During her four years of service, Tika was an outstanding Police K-9 who served with a great amount of bravery and heroism. Taking countless amounts of illegal narcotics off the streets, she was well known for her ability to track down dangerous criminals throughout the region. Since her retirement, Tika had been living a happy and healthy retirement until July 21st, when she was rushed to the emergency room, lethargic and unable to walk.
She immediately went into surgery for abdominal issues/ulcers that were life threatening if she didn’t get the immediate medical attention she needed. Her handler was required to deposit $7,300.00 at that moment to help save the life of her partner. This was just the start of the financial burden it was going to take to try to get Tika back to health.
We at Project K-9 Hero were contacted by members of her community, other Deputies from her agency in our program, and received a formal application from her Handler asking for immediate assistance for Tika.
After speaking with the medical staff, at the South Carolina Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care (SCVSEC), and hearing from the Doctor that Tika had a chance to survive, but it was going to take a lot of follow up that would be extremely costly, we informed the Handler that we would be accepting Tika into our program and covering all of these costs at 100% on July 23rd.
Our staff contacted the veterinary office, and we had all of the charges that had to be deposited reversed to our card, and as of July 25th, they were up to $16,204.67. We at Project K-9 Hero were able to pay a portion of this life-saving procedure and follow up care with a $5,000.00 grant we received from Petco Love. If it wasn't for amazing partners like #petcolove, we wouldn't be able to help save the lives of Heroes like K-9 Tika!
On July 26th, we learned that Tika was beginning to eat some Tuna, and there was a chance she may be discharged later in the day depending on how her blood levels looked, as her albumin dropped slightly overnight.
Over five days of emergency critical care for a retired working dog can be very expensive, and regardless of Tika’s honorable service to the State of South Carolina and the citizens of Columbia, all of her medical costs are the responsibility of her Handler.
