Help Noodlez Get the Surgery She Needs

 

Hello. My name is Russell and I'm Noodlez's dogfather.

 

I've had many dogs in my life. When I say Noodlez is special, though, I can't emphasize that enough.

 

 

 

We were instant buddies the first day my girlfriend, Izzy, introduced us. I've been very grateful that I get to hang out all day, every day, with my best friend as I've worked from home throughout this pandemic. She sleeps on the job and asks for snacks all day, but she's still been the best co-worker, ever!

 

Noodlez has had an arduous medical journey. She initially developed an ear infection that, at various stages, seemed like we were treating effectively, but never went away. The emotions have ranged from elation when we seemed to be making progress, to the dejection we felt when it came back.

 

Since this started, Noodlez has been treated by six different vets, only two of which Izzy and I have actually met in person because of this pandemic. We still haven't physically met her current doctors and I don't think I've ever gotten used to this part.

It got really bad with her first dermatologist, who didn't seem to care much about Noodlez, and continued with medications that we all knew weren't working. She didn't change her treatment plan, for some reason, and in the end, she told us that a TECABO surgery was our only option. In short, it is a very expensive surgery that involves a complete removal of her ear canal and middle ear. She will be deaf in that ear, but much more comfortable and pain free.

We consulted with a surgeon, who agreed that a TECABO was necessary, but refused to operate on Noodlez because her ear infection was so bad, she was worried she'd bleed out on the operating table. I very vividly remember Izzy and I crying our eyes out as we felt like we were saying our goodbyes to our girl.

 

This surgeon then referred us to Noodlez's current specialists as a last resort. We were once again hopeful as they told us that they were confident they could effectively treat this without surgery.

 

Since then, we have aggressively attacked this in many different ways. It hasn't been cheap and I've maxed out a credit card paying for these treatments, but it seemed like we were beating this thing and we had our girl back, so that made it feel worth it. I do believe this current clinic exhausted all options before ultimately deciding that the TECABO is still needed. I get it, knowing we can't keep her on steroids and antibiotics, forever. She's in a much better place for surgery, now, than she was before, but the infection has also opened up a drainage tract on her face and limited movement in her jaw.

 

 

Because of this, we are wary of taking her out to her favorite places. We miss taking her to the dog park, street fairs, breweries, the beach, all of our friends' houses, etc. She LOVES people and meeting new faces so much! I know she misses that.

 

We've tried many different ways to raise the money needed to pay for this surgery and all her other vet visits and meds. Izzy has done extra photoshoots. We've sold our collectibles. I've sold stock and also tried investing in this stock or this crypto coin, trying to catch a wave, but to no avail.

 

Asking for financial help is something I felt like I just couldn't do, for some reason, and it's still hard to do as I type this. How do you just let your best friend suffer because of pride, though? I've thought about the alternative, but how do you just give up on your best friend and end her life? She's otherwise a healthy, happy dog and I feel like she has a lot of life left in her.

 

So here I am, knowing that surgery is the best course of action, but not knowing how I'm going to pull off paying for it. I guess I'm throwing one last Hail Mary, hoping it lands in some helping hands. Please help us bring our girl back to her favorite spot!

 

 

Thank you for your time and patience as you read this.

 

--Russell and Izzy