Mokie is The Girl Who Lived!

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Hi everyone, I'm Casey. Lover of humans and animals, servant to four of my own, two cats and two dogs.

It's been a rough year for my family. Three of my four pets have required significant veterinary attention. We love them, so we maxed out our credit cards to keep them healthy. Where there's a will, there's a way, and we would find a way to catch up eventually when everyone was stable.

...and then I lost my job coordinating behavior modification programs for at-risk dogs in a no-kill shelter.

....and then last weekend, my heart dog, Mokie, almost died.

We put her under for emergency surgery Saturday after x-rays showed a cantaloupe-sized mass in the belly of my little 40 lb dog. We didn't know what it was, only that it had to come out immediately.

 At the time, there was a significant chance she wouldn't survive the surgery or aftercare. Even if she did, if the mass in her abdomen was cancerous, we were looking at a maximum of a year with her IF the cancer had not metastacized and if we did chemotherapy. This kind of came as a shock, because 24 hours before, I would have told you she was one of the healthiest almost-10-year-old dogs you'd ever see.

 This pretty much sums up the day - start at the top right and work your way around toward the bottom left. The top left is the next day - great surprise for my hubby that I got to bring this girl home for Father's Day!

Mokie made it through surgery, and the mass is on its way to the lab for testing as I type this. We should know next week for sure whether it's a malignant mass or not, but right now we are very hopeful it was just splenic torsion and a big blood clot. Mokie's prognosis is looking great for now. The immediate danger of losing her is gone. We'll be back at the vet's Friday morning for a follow up appointment and are in touch with her medical team daily regarding her progress. If the news is good, we should have many more healthy years together!

I feel like we are finally getting Mokie on her way to wellness. This year has been full of x-rays, trips to the chiropractor and physical therapist, supplements, injections, follow up appointments, medications galore. All funds collecting will go toward these costs and restoring her to her healthiest, sassiest self.

Mokie is not just my dog, she is my heart. She is my best friend, the dog that has pulled me through some of the scariest experiences in my life. She is my training partner , attending conferences, workshops, and seminars with me, teaching classes with me, helping troubled dogs learn new skills so they can lead better and bigger lives. I know a lot of amazing dogs, but she really is the best dog I've ever known. She loves lure coursing (though her joints won't let her play that for much longer), barn hunt, Treibball, and herding (which she also retired from). She tolerates agility and Rally. She prefers cuddling when she is covered in mud. She is a tom boy, a frog hunter, and a beauty queen. 

She is The Girl Who Lived!

I don't know if we'll make our goal, and if not, that's ok - the amount requested will help us catch up on about half of our current vet bills and we'll continue working hard to come up with the rest. GFM is great because they will do a partial pay out as needed. Any donation helps!

And while we're hurting now financially, we are both the "bounce-back type" and helpers at heart. So if you are able to help, know that when we recover, we'll spread the love by paying it forward. We'll find a way.

Thanks for your time, and for caring.