Donate to Save Mia & Support a Veteran Mom Fighting Cancer

Hello everyone, my name is Megan, and I am starting this fundraiser to help my mom save our dog, Mia. My mom is a 100% permanent and totally disabled veteran, a widow, and she is currently fighting breast cancer. She recently had a lumpectomy and is now actively going through radiation treatments. My mom is the most selfless person I know and would help anyone however she could. But this time she is the one who needs some help.

We adopted Mia as a puppy mill rescue in 2019 alongside her sister, Kali. Mia has been with our family through many stages of our lives, including a cross-country move from Ohio to Florida. She is such a light in our lives, a warmth in our home and her sister Kali's whole world.

Saturday, April 19th, Mia suddenly started exhibiting symptoms of weakness and pain in her back right leg, and a low-grade fever. She has a history of Sharpei fever, and so we followed her regular protocol provided by our veterinarian to treat the fever and soreness. As the days went on, she would spend most of her day resting on the couch, which is normal behavior for her while recovering from a spell of Sharpei fever. However, as we got into the mid-week something started to feel a little off, and we became increasingly more worried that what was occurring was more than just Sharpei fever. Thursday morning (April 24th), Mia fell on all fours in our backyard while trying to use the bathroom. My mom rushed her to the vet that afternoon where they did a physical exam and X-rays. Her veterinarian did not see any obvious injuries and sent her home with muscle relaxers, pain meds, and an anti-inflammatory. She asked us to let her rest and watch her closely for any changes over the weekend.

The following morning, April 25th, after seeing the vet, Mia was unable to stand unassisted without both front and rear harnesses. Throughout the weekend she only seemed to decline even further. We thought it may be because she was on too high of a dose of muscle relaxers and it was making it difficult for her to stand. On April 28th, Mia returned to the vet for a follow-up appointment with another doctor as her regular doctor was out that day. This doctor suspected Mia may be suffering from a neurological issue of some kind and recommended we see a neurologist to perform an MRI to see if there are any soft tissue injuries. We were referred to Levine Veterinary Neurology in Bradenton, FL, just under a two-hour drive from our home. The neurologist is estimated around $180 for the consultation and an estimated $4,000-6,000 for the MRI. This is well out of our financial ability at this point in time. So a change of medication was recommended after a 7-day minimum wash-out period of the anti-inflammatory before starting steroids. However, by the second day of the wash-out period, Mia was in too much pain to complete it.

As of May 1st, Mia was unable to stand even fully assisted with a front and rear harness supporting her entire body weight. My mom took the initiative to purchase her a wheelchair with one day air from Walkin' Pets for $815.24. She has been taking steroids, gastro protectants to prevent gastric ulcers, and antibiotics. We have not seen a significant enough improvement in her to not do everything we can to try and move forward in seeing the neurologist for further testing and treatment. It seems like her mobility is slipping away more and more every day. But she is still showing us that she wants to fight and make it out of this in every other way she can.

All donations would go towards the upfront costs of previous vet appointments, her wheelchair, prescription medications, gasoline, a consultation with the neurologist, and the MRI. If surgery were needed, we would need to humbly ask for even more assistance. Please find it in your hearts to help us save our girl. Every single dollar counts.