Dear friends,
As many of you know, Arlo came into our lives last year after being rescued from a terrible hoarding situation. In addition to the trauma and neglect that he experienced, our senior puppy was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Just weeks after coming into our home, Arlo had a set of seizures and had a costly emergency visit to an animal ER. We knew that opening our doors (and hearts) to a senior dog would come with an extra sets of costs, but we didn't care. Anyone who's ever had a pet would tell you, there's nothing you wouldn't do for them. So we took those costs head on--the ER, the vet visits, the monthly medicine refills. We've looked into pet insurance but a (then) 12 year old chihuahua with a heart condition and arthritis isn't exactly a prime candidate.
The weekend of April 17th Arlo developed a hacking cough. He recently played with a new puppy on our block, and he had all the symptoms of kennel cough, so we called the vet to see if we could pick up some medication the next day. Overnight, his cough grew worse and he started having trouble breathing. We decided not to wait to see the vet the next day since Arlo is an older dog with a heart condition, and at 5AM we rushed Arlo to an animal ER. After getting oxygen and having a set of tests done, fluid was found in his lungs, and Arlo was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Respiratory distress is no joke, and we're glad we took him to the hospital and got this new information, and a new medicine regimen. Arlo stayed at the hospital for 2 days, until he was able to breathe without the help of the oxygen chamber.
Of course, this came out to a hefty bill. There is no world in which we would ever compromise Arlo's health because of finances. But this past year has been tough, and we need some help right now.
We know that Arlo's touched a lot of hearts and that he is very loved, and we appreciate any and all help from you all. Your contributions to this fundraiser will go directly to paying off Arlo's ER bill.
With love & gratitude,
Barb and Eiden