Our beautiful, bright and remarkable Kaya is recovering from a traumatic accident, and we need our village.

On April 5, 2024, Kaya was unfortunately wounded by a stick while playing at one of our favourite dog parks. She went to pick up a stick I had thrown, when the underside of her tongue was sliced open by a splinter. Little did we know then that an entire piece of wood bigger than my thumb had also penetrated her tongue and became embedded in the soft tissue in her throat.

It was a day like any other, and at 8 years old, she has never been wounded or had any health issues. Most people who meet Kaya think she is still a puppy; she is so playful, sweet, and full of life.

Kaya got stitches on her tongue and we all hoped and thought she would heal and be back to her old self within 1-2 weeks. However, her vitals declined and worsened as time passed. We returned to the ER, where a massive abscess was discovered in her neck. Her neck and throat became infected to a point where we were fearful that we might lose her. The abscess had unfortunately had 3 weeks to grow by then, and she was barely eating or moving. The CT scan revealed the stick and a huge amount of infected tissue which would have to also be removed and flushed out.

Thus followed multiple visits to the ER vet, until she was referred to a specialist for a CT scan, underwent a lengthy surgery, spent 4 days at the specialists clinic, and we are now on a strict treatment of pain medication, anti-inflammatories, and most of all antibiotics. As there was so much infected tissue due to the abscess, the surgeon removed as much as they could, but couldn't remove it all. We now have to be extremely careful and watchful over the next 3-4 weeks to ensure the antibiotics get rid of any remaining infection.

We have poured all of our resources into helping her heal, recuperate and hopefully return to the energetic and healthy dog she was before this accident. She is an inherent part of our family and we can’t imagine our life without her. Anyone who meets Kaya knows she is one of the sweetest four-legged creatures to have ever walked this earth. We are so blessed to have her with us.

Kaya is now recovering back home with us, and already feels more like her old self than she has in one month. We aren’t out of the woods yet, however, but we are hopeful that she will recover without any complications.

Now that we have a moment to breathe, we are reaching out to our community for support and help.

The vet bills have depleted the financial resources that we have. Alex and I work hard, and both give back to our community through our work, unfortunately we are amongst the many families in Vancouver who barely manage to survive financially month-to-month due to the exorbitant cost of living here. We were fortunate enough to have an amazing friend lend us the money so we could go ahead with urgent treatment, as vets won’t move forward if you can’t immediately pay, and Kaya’s health was in a critical state and couldn’t wait. But we have to repay this generous temporary loan.

It is very humbling to have to ask for this kind of help. And yet, it takes a village… So here we are, asking for any support you may be able to lend in helping us cover our vet bills, which amount to a total of $10,500.

ANY help is welcome, no amount is too small, and if it’s not financial, your positive healing vibes are equally welcome to help ensure Kaya continues to heal without complications.

Thank you for any help that you can give us financially.

Our hearts and love are being poured into Kaya.

Christine, Alex, and Melika