Hello everyone,

This is my dog Sebastian. If you came here from my social media, you are likely familiar with him already. He's been my best friend for the past 12 years. I adopted him when he was just an 8 month old, traumatized puppy shivering at the back of his kennel and I was a severely depressed 23 year old. He was afraid of everyone but me, for whatever reason. When I crouched down in front of his kennel, he got up, padded up to me, put his paw on the bars of the kennel and licked my hand. I knew right then that he was my dog.

Recently, I learned that Sebastian has small nodules/tumors on his parathyroid gland. They are making the gland hyperactive, throwing his system out of wack. If left untreated, they will continue to put stress on his kidneys and other organs, leading to eventual organ failure and death. He will need surgery to remove them and ensure that they don't continue to spread to other parts of his body. I love him and am committed to making sure my best friend gets the care he needs, but the cost will be very difficult for me. I have Crohn's disease and am currently dealing with my own debt from a severe flare up two years ago that had me in and out of the hospital/on bedrest for months, so finances are tight. Based on the estimate for the surgery I was given and the cost of postop bloodwork and medications, I am looking at out of pocket expenses of about $3500 after insurance. I hate to ask for money when I know everyone is struggling, and creating this GoFundMe causes me no small amount of guilt and anxiety, but if anyone is able to contribute anything to this I would be so incredibly grateful. If by some twist of fate I receive more money than I need for the surgery and postop care, I plan to donate it to the ASPCA or other animal-related charity. Thank you for reading. Please share if you are comfortable.