Save George's Life
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George’s condition's name: calcium oxalate bladder stones. What this means: stones formed due to excess calcium in urine that have to be removed from bladder with surgery or other costly procedures.

The backstory: I’m raising money for George, a three-year old bi-blue sheltie who has been a part of our family since he was a puppy. We got George in February of 2015, three months after our previous sheltie, Indy, died unexpectedly at the young age of 8 in the fall of 2014, devastating my family. George is the epitome of a gentle soul, a dog so sweet that I’m confident if anyone with an aversion to canines met him, within a minute they would be snuggling with him on a couch watching Lassie. He is the perfect companion.





About 6 months ago, I noticed George’s symptoms. My parents were away for the weekend, and I saw tiny puddles of urine on the kitchen floor. When George would urinate in the backyard, he was obviously straining to do so. My mom took him to a vet visit shortly after returning home.
The day of his visit to the vet, my mom, clearly distressed, returned without George. It turned out that if my mom had waited just one more day to take him to the vet, he most likely would not be here anymore.
His bladder was about to burst. My mom and I rushed him to a hospital about thirty minutes away where he was to have the surgery, called a cystotomy. He stayed overnight at the hospital. I stayed home from work for a week to take care of George post-surgery. My family did everything recommended by the doctors: we watched him closely until his stitches were removed, we changed his diet, we ensured he drank enough water by adding it to his canned food. Despite our efforts, we just found out that he once again has bladder stones. Unfortunately, it is common for this problem to recur, but abnormal for it to do so this soon (typically it will recur in 3 years, if at all.)

Cost: My parents and I gathered our minimal funds together and opened individual credit accounts to pay the roughly 5,000 dollars needed for an emergency surgery we are still paying off from half a year ago.
He now has 40 small stones in his bladder. At the moment, this is not dire enough to call for immediate surgery. However, the stones can enlarge or get stuck in his urethra, which is life-threatening. This is why we do not want to wait and see, but we do not have the money for his procedure at this time.
Where your donation will go: We took George to an animal hospital yesterday. The doctor there is an expert on bladder stones in dogs. We know George will have to have another expensive procedure done to remove the stones, amounting to 5,250 dollars. This amount does not include cost of diagnostic procedures for before surgery. Please consider donating any amount to help George continue to live a long and happy life.

Peace and Love,
Justine

The backstory: I’m raising money for George, a three-year old bi-blue sheltie who has been a part of our family since he was a puppy. We got George in February of 2015, three months after our previous sheltie, Indy, died unexpectedly at the young age of 8 in the fall of 2014, devastating my family. George is the epitome of a gentle soul, a dog so sweet that I’m confident if anyone with an aversion to canines met him, within a minute they would be snuggling with him on a couch watching Lassie. He is the perfect companion.





About 6 months ago, I noticed George’s symptoms. My parents were away for the weekend, and I saw tiny puddles of urine on the kitchen floor. When George would urinate in the backyard, he was obviously straining to do so. My mom took him to a vet visit shortly after returning home.
The day of his visit to the vet, my mom, clearly distressed, returned without George. It turned out that if my mom had waited just one more day to take him to the vet, he most likely would not be here anymore.
His bladder was about to burst. My mom and I rushed him to a hospital about thirty minutes away where he was to have the surgery, called a cystotomy. He stayed overnight at the hospital. I stayed home from work for a week to take care of George post-surgery. My family did everything recommended by the doctors: we watched him closely until his stitches were removed, we changed his diet, we ensured he drank enough water by adding it to his canned food. Despite our efforts, we just found out that he once again has bladder stones. Unfortunately, it is common for this problem to recur, but abnormal for it to do so this soon (typically it will recur in 3 years, if at all.)

Cost: My parents and I gathered our minimal funds together and opened individual credit accounts to pay the roughly 5,000 dollars needed for an emergency surgery we are still paying off from half a year ago.
He now has 40 small stones in his bladder. At the moment, this is not dire enough to call for immediate surgery. However, the stones can enlarge or get stuck in his urethra, which is life-threatening. This is why we do not want to wait and see, but we do not have the money for his procedure at this time.
Where your donation will go: We took George to an animal hospital yesterday. The doctor there is an expert on bladder stones in dogs. We know George will have to have another expensive procedure done to remove the stones, amounting to 5,250 dollars. This amount does not include cost of diagnostic procedures for before surgery. Please consider donating any amount to help George continue to live a long and happy life.

Peace and Love,
JustineOrganizer
Justine Pignataro
Organizer
Bartlett, IL
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