My sister, Ally, noticed Nala's breathing was off over the weekend and grew concerned. Nala, a 2 and 1/2-year-old sweet-loving and high energy dog that she is, showed no signs of feeling sick as she was eating, drinking and playing like her normal self, but Ally felt something was off. She took her to the vet early Monday morning where she was dealt some incredibly sad and concerning news.

Here's a message from Ally:

I want to thank everyone for the messages and prayers. Yesterday (9/16) I called the vet & by the grace of God they had a cancellation at 10am. I called due to noticing her breathing weird. I thought it was possibly allergies to ragweed.

Once at the vet, they took her vitals and said that she had breath sounds on both sides. They said she didn’t feel right & asked if she had been in a trauma. Nala is only ever outside on a leash (we have no fence). The vet took x-rays and her first words were “something is seriously wrong”. The doctor drained 3 liters of fluid to try to stabilize her before taking her to Virginia Veterinarian Center on Cary Street.

At VVC, the doctor is planning to do a series of tests. They drained another 660ml last night and Nala went into respiratory distress multiple times overnight, requiring oxygen. We are currently waiting on pathology reports to find if it is Lymphoma in her chest cavity. If it is not lymphoma they will be doing a CT scan to see if it is Chylothorax, tumors, masses, or abscesses in her body. We hope to find out more this morning!

My sister is a single mom with the kindest heart. Ally has had a difficult year and Nala has been the biggest constant in her life. She's doing everything she can to save her baby, but this is an incredibly large expense and she's already maxing out credit cards. Anything anyone can give is graciously appreciated. For those of you who are unable to financially help, please say prayers and/or send good vibes to Nala, Ally and my almost 5 year-old nephew who adores his dog.