Emergency medical treatment for Birdie

My name is Jason, the human behind the Dogs of Madison Instagram account. I'm asking for your help on behalf of my friend Nikki and her dog, Birdie, both of whom are very important to me.

Birdie has spent the last three weeks in and out of the vet and the last three days at the emergency vet. About three weeks ago she starting having difficultly eating and would have a choking fit every time she tried to eat. Recently her condition progressed to the point that she's no longer able to eat at all and she's choking for up to 20 minutes even when she's not trying to eat.

After several vet visits without conclusive answers, yesterday the vet discovered that Birdie has an esophageal stricture, which means that part of her esophagus is almost completely blocked. Birdie's condition is treatable with a procedure called "esophageal balloon dilation," where a video endoscope is inserted into he esophagus and then a balloon is passed through the scope and slowly inflated to break down the stricture. Birdie will need several of these procedures in order to successfully treat her stricture, and each procedure costs over $1,000.

As difficult as it is to ask for help, vet bills from the past three weeks have depleted Nikki's savings, and without community support she won't be able to pay for Birdie's life-saving treatment.

Thank you for taking the time to read Birdie's story; any help you can give would be so greatly appreciated.