Nakita is my 1 1/2 year old female Rottweiler, and I rescued her as a pup when she was just two months old. Shortly after bringing her home, she developed a round sore at the top back of her neck. Despite seeing a vet for her first shots, we were discharged without any support or advice for her wound. Over the next two months, the sore grew into a large open hole, and fluid built up on her chest. After weeks of searching, I found a different vet who diagnosed her with cellulitis and performed emergency surgery. Nakita came home with four drain tubes and a heavy regimen of antibiotics and steroids, and I visited the vet every week for months until her neck finally healed. During this time, I lost my job due to a broken ankle, making it even harder to afford her care.

Nakita’s healing was complicated, requiring frequent changes in medications, and she has spent most of her life on pills. Two months after her initial recovery, Nakita scratched her neck open again in the same spot, and she has now had an open wound for seven months. I’ve taken her to three different vets, and one even suggested she had lupus or another autoimmune disease. Eventually, I found a nonprofit in Cincinnati, and after our first visit, Nakita tested positive for Ehrlichia, a disease caused by a brown tick bite. Thousands of dollars later, Nakita still hasn’t received proper treatment, and her disease was completely curable in its early stages. Despite doing everything right, I was let down by the care she received, and now I can’t afford the next steps for her recovery.

Nakita needs to see a specialist for surgery to close her wound, and she’ll require more tests, at least one surgery, and 12 months of follow-ups and medication. I’ve never tried reaching out for help, but the grief I feel seeing Nakita suffer has pushed me to ask. Nakita has shown incredible strength and will to survive, but she can’t do it without medical treatment. Any support for her recovery means the world to us.