On Friday evening, my sweet pup Galileo suddenly became very ill. He started vomiting excessively and had severe diarrhea, and by the next morning, he could barely move and was whimpering in pain. At 6:30am I rushed him to the emergency vet, where they found he was severely dehydrated from all the fluid loss. The team did an x-ray to rule out a bowel obstruction and tested for parvo, even though he’s vaccinated, because they’ve seen breakthrough cases. His bloodwork showed inflammation, but they couldn’t pinpoint the cause. Thankfully Galileo responded well to IV fluids and medication, and he’s now home and recovering, though we still don’t know what caused his illness.

Galileo is more than just a dog or an ESA. I got him in the middle of cancer treatment last summer (literally- was 2 rounds of chemo down, and 2 to go), and after suffering so many losses prior to that, he came at the right time. Raising a 3 month old puppy on top of cancer treatment and my 2 jobs (medical bills arent gonna pay themselves, and unfortunately I didnt have the luxury of dual income to be able to take the time off work), but taking care of him, and his love of me, saved me when I needed it most. He's my child, my entire heart. Now with my job ending next month and my own medical bills the equivalent of a second car payment each month, the timing of his emergency couldn’t have been worse. The vet bill is overwhelming, and I’m doing everything I can to make sure Galileo gets the care he needs while keeping up with my own health expenses.

I know some people may frown upon asking for help, but enough people have asked for it that I created this. So if Galileo has made you smile in some way, whether through his cute photos, or his sweet and silly demeaner, and you have $10 or $20 or whatever to spare after your black friday shopping... I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And promise extra puppy snuggles and kisses next time you see him!