Hello everyone! I am Ella, and this is Ivy. She is a 5 year old chihuahua mix, and she is the sweetest dog ever! Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with an orbital meningioma. A tumor of the meninges that is located within her eye socket.

At the end of June 2025, I noticed Ivy's left eye was swollen. A couple of days later, I took her to the emergency vet. At first we thought it was just an infection since her eye was still responsive and there were no signs of anything else, but that was only the beginning.

Throughout the span of the first three months, we went from the emergency vet, to her primary care vet, to a surgery consult, and finally to seeing an eye specialist. Everyone was unsure of what was going on until I was able to get her a CT. Once the CT was done, they were able to see a tumor in the back of her eye.

She had surgery on September 10th, 2025 to remove the tumor along with her eye, since at that point she had lost vision in it. I was hoping that with the surgery, that was all that was going to be needed. However, the reports from the tumor came back with unclean margins, meaning that although they removed most of it, cells were left behind, which potentially can increase and the tumor can come back this time, affecting her brain and could cause seizures and changes to her temperment.

I am now looking into getting her radiation treatment, but it is quite expensive on top of all the treatments we have already done. Ivy and her sister Selene are my only family here in San Diego. They have been with me since I was an active duty Marine, through the loss of my father, through breakups, and the ongoing uncertainty of life.

I do believe pets are family, and any donation helps.

All donations will go towards Ivy's treatment, estimated at $10,000-$12,000 for radiation treatment with VCA Specialty Group in Carlsbad. Dr. David Proulx

TLDR:

My sweet 5-year-old chihuahua mix, Ivy, was diagnosed with an orbital meningioma after months of vet visits. She had surgery in September 2025 to remove the tumor and her eye, but the margins weren’t clean, meaning some tumor cells are still there, and she now needs radiation. The cost of treatment has been overwhelming, and Ivy and her sister Selene are my whole world. Without this treatment, we run the risk of the tumor affecting her brain. Any help or support would mean so much to us during this difficult time! Thank you :)