On April 9th around noon, my dog Stella started to pant, shake, and drool immensely. She also showed other symptoms like nausea, constipation, diarrhea, lethargy, and had no appetite. Her gums and vulva turned white, and it was clear she was in distress. My girlfriend and I visited three different vets, desperate to find out what was wrong and to get her the help she needed. The financial impact has been significant, and if it wasn’t for my mom nearly maxing out her care credit, Stella would still be in pain and we wouldn’t know what to do.

After a number of tests, the vets found that Stella has an enlarged spleen, swollen lymph nodes in her stomach, a thickened colon wall, and pancreatitis. She was held at the emergency vet for one night to make sure she was stable and comfortable. She’s only four years old and is already battling two tick-borne diseases—anaplasmosis and Ehrlichia. We’re waiting to find out if this was all caused by a flare-up, but the vet said that dogs with pancreatitis usually have a good prognosis. Stella is on three different medications right now and, thankfully, she’s already feeling a lot better.

The funds from this fundraiser will go directly toward paying off Stella’s current vet bills, her emergency overnight stay, and covering any follow-up visits if she doesn’t continue to improve. Anyone who knows me or my girlfriend, knows Stella. She will always come first. If you ever get the chance to pass by her, just know she’ll be ready to receive love and most importantly to shower you with it in return. If you can’t donate, absolutely no worries. We’re grateful for everything we receive and for any support you can offer to help our sweet girl get back to her happy, healthy self.