Help Bear Get the MRI He Needs

As those close to me know, my dog Bear is so incredibly important to me. He was my family dog, adopted at three months old during my junior year of high school. I spent my limited free time between swim practice, AP homework, and just being a teenager to take Bear on walks, teach him tricks, and give him the best life possible. When I went away to college, Bear and I missed each other terribly — my mom would find him snuggled up in my childhood bedroom with my teddy bear on a weekly basis. As soon as I got an off campus apartment, I brought Bear to live with me at my college in central Arkansas during the summers. We moved to Austin after I graduated and he officially was 100% in my care. Bear and I loved going on long wandering walks through South Austin and along Lady Bird Lake, hiking at the Greenbelt, wading in all the creeks and watering holes, and basking in the Texas sun. We live in San Diego now and spend my free time doing a lot of the same — suntanning, going to the beach, exploring tide pools, hiking, and walking in our amazing Ocean Beach community. Bear will be turning thirteen this September but he doesn’t look a day over seven. Frequently on walks or at the beach, people will inquire about his age and their jaws drop when I reveal it. Even our veterinarians gush about how great he looks for his age, his playfulness, and his zest for life.

Less than a month ago, my boyfriend, Tate (who has become Bear’s new favorite person and an incredible dog dad) and I noticed that Bear was falling over to his left side. At first, he was still trying to rip and roar around our apartment and on our daily walks. He seemed just as confused as we were that he couldn’t quite keep his balance and frustrated when he fell over trying to shake, get up from laying down, climb stairs, and squat to do his business. After a week of these symptoms, we took him into our primary veterinarian on April 2nd, hoping it would be a simple diagnosis of old dog vestibular disease that we had read about online. However, our vet suggested we see a neurologist, so a week later on April 10th, we did just that. From the neurologist’s preliminary exam, he localized the issue to Bear’s brainstem and recommended an MRI to determine exactly what the issue is. We were given an estimated cost of $3,914.25 - $7,880.31.

Bear has a pet insurance plan but his annual limit has nearly been reached due to a lump that needed to be surgically removed from his paw in February. His insurance plan doesn’t renew until November and even then, the annual limit is only $2,000, not enough to even pay for the diagnostic MRI. Unfortunately, another pet insurance plan isn’t an option because his condition would be considered pre-existing and not covered. I have been frantically researching financial assistance and grant programs that help with extraordinary veterinary costs and while there are so many incredible resources, none that I have found provide assistance for diagnostic testing.

I’ll admit, some people might think it’s crazy to go to this much effort for an almost 13 year old dog. But he’s like my child (I know, typical millennial trope, but it’s the truth). I know in my gut that Bear has so much life left to live. Even with his balance completely out of whack, he wants to be involved in anything and everything Tate and I do around the house. He still goes on walks like a champion, wants to play with dogs at the beach, rolls in the grass every morning, and has his normal voracious appetite. His eyes are clear and his loving personality shines through more than ever. I have known him almost half of my life and I can see in his eyes that he still wants to be here. Tate and I want more than anything to be able to get him the care he needs. So, I’m doing something that I’m pretty uncomfortable with and asking for help from my friends, family, and community. Every little bit helps and my little family would be forever grateful.

With love,

Sydney, Tate, and Bear

UPDATE 5/6/25

We are looking into other vet options for his diagnostics - one clinic in San Diego will do the MRI and potential spinal tap for an estimate of $5,000. There's also a service in San Diego that transports pets across the border to vet offices in Tijuana that are significantly cheaper. They quoted us $1,400 for the MRI but we have to make sure they can do the spinal tap, so we're awaiting an answer from them.

Figuring out what exactly is going on with Bear is the first step to likely long road towards treatment and recovery. Any funds that may be leftover if we're able to pursue these more cost effective diagnostic options will go towards his treatment.