Help Us Honor Baby Bugsby’s Final Journey

Hello everyone,

My name is Brittany, and I’m reaching out to share the story of my sweet boy, Baby Bugsby.

For the last 15 years, Baby has been by my side through thick and thin. He was my rock through the hardest times in my life and my guiding light on the best days. From traveling across the country together to cuddling on the couch, Baby was there through it all—every trip, every adventure, every heartbreak. He wasn’t just my dog; he was my soulmate, my best friend, my baby.

And for the past six years, he was so lucky to have Josh as his “fapa” (fur papa). The bond they shared was everything I could’ve hoped for. Baby only ever knew love—from both of us and all of his kitty siblings. We were all so lucky to know and love him for as long as we did.

Baby passed away on April 23, 2025—just two days after my 35th birthday. It’s been a month since he’s been gone, and nothing is, or ever will be, the same.

Baby had been doing well up until a few weeks before his passing. He developed an ulcer in his eye, which prompted an emergency trip to the vet in Wooster. He was prescribed several medications, and we began caring for him around the clock. Every six hours, four times a day, we administered multiple eye drops. Though he was reluctant, we did everything we could to help him heal. The ulcer wasn’t getting worse, but it also wasn’t improving.

Then, about a week later, Baby was stung by a wasp. We contacted our vet and were advised to monitor him. That night, he became lethargic, and we rushed him to the 24/7 emergency vet in Akron. Thankfully, the sting was manageable—but an X-ray revealed something unexpected: a mass in his leg that the vets believed could be cancer.

We immediately scheduled an appointment with the oncology team at OSU. They performed additional scans and tests, including a needle aspirate, but couldn’t collect enough cells to confirm cancer. Still, the odds were high. The plan was to proceed with more testing and a possible biopsy, but we were told we likely still had time—months, maybe even a year.

The following week, one day after my 35th birthday, Baby’s eye started to bleed. We rushed him to the vet in Wooster. That’s when we were told it was time to begin considering his quality of life. It felt sudden—too sudden. Not ready to give up, we rushed him to the OSU emergency department, where we knew he’d be in the best hands.

That was the last time we saw Baby awake.

He had to be intubated to receive medication because the ulcer had ruptured his eye. Surgery to remove the eye was the next step, and we were ready. But overnight, Baby developed fluid in his lungs and became too unstable for surgery. The vet told us his chances of surviving surgery—or even having the breathing tube removed—were slim. There was also concern his trachea might be collapsing.

Heartbroken and confused, we made the hardest decision of our lives. We didn’t want him to suffer anymore. If he was going to pass, we wanted him to do so peacefully, with us by his side. He was already asleep when he passed. I wish so badly he could have looked at me one more time. We held him, told him how much we loved him, kissed his little face, and let our tears soak into his fur one last time.

Now, we hold his ashes—and every beautiful memory from the life we were lucky to share with him. He was truly one of a kind.

Between emergency care, oncology, diagnostics, and treatment attempts, our total vet bills came to $7,804.18. About $2,800 of that was for an emergency C-section for one of our cats, which happened just a couple weeks before Baby’s decline. That means Baby’s care totaled close to $5,000, which is all we are asking for help with. We don’t want to ask for support for the cats, but if anyone chooses to give beyond our goal, it will go toward caring for the kittens and their vet needs. These totals do not include cremation costs.

We’ve already paid $100 toward the bill, but interest is accumulating if we can’t make larger payments. We’ll include bank statements and medical receipts for transparency.

If you’re able to donate or share this campaign, it would mean the world to us. Baby was more than a pet—he was our family, our constant, our little shadow. He was my entire world. We did everything we could to fight for him, and I would have given up years of my life to give him just one more day. We’re just so thankful for the 15 beautiful, crazy years we had together.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Thank you for honoring our sweet Baby Bugsby.

With love and gratitude,

Brittany, Josh, and all of our kitties