Hello and thank you for reading this.  My dog Zoe is a boxer / shepherd mix and she is approx 10 years old.  She is a rescue from Ohio and I have had her since she was almost a year old.  Over the past year, her hearing has decreased significantly.  She cannot hear us anymore unless we are really up close to her and she is looking at our mouths moving.  And more recently, she has started showing signs of being very depressed and unwell.  She has not been engaging with us as much anymore and mostly keeping to herself.  I thought this had to do with her age maybe and her becoming close to deaf.  But a couple of weeks ago, she let out a yelp as I walked by her.  Then it happened a few more times.  I realized this was happening when I was walking by or close to her left side.  As it turns out, the vet found a mass in her jaw on the left side towards the back of her mouth.  They also told me that she has severe periodontal disease which needs urgent treatment.  

After a full panel blood testing, the vet told me that her heart, kidney & liver were all functioning very well.  So, the periodontal disease has yet to damage any of her major organs.  However, that said, the pain she is in due to her teeth decay and mass in her jaw is probably unimaginable.  I have done a lot of research on the issue since the diagnosis and I have come to understand that electing to not opt for surgery on a dog suffering from this kind of disease is almost cruel to the pet.  Even though she is an older dog, she is in good health otherwise.  This is what scares me the most - the idea that she might live another 3 or 4 years in this amount of pain.  

The amount of money for the surgery is $2000 approximately.  This vet's price is on target with all of the other vets I've checked with and research I've done online.  If I could pay for it myself, I would in a heartbeat.  I am a social worker who works with the homeless population in Toronto. But I'm also a single mom, with an 8 year old son who is virtual school full time. So for that reason, I have had to take a leave from work to stay home with him.  I simply cannot pay for this surgery all on my own right now.  

Zoe is a loved family member to my son and I.  She has been with my son since he was born and he will be devastated, as will I, if we have to choose to have Zoe put down to save her from continuing to live in pain.  I feel very helpless right now looking at her suffering and trying to comfort her when she is so desperate for relief. And knowing she can barely hear us now is really breaking my heart.  I want to help her but I need help to do it.

If you are a person who has the means to help us in any way possible, we would be so grateful.  

Thank you for reading this.

Sincerely,
Christina, Matt & Zoe