Help with medical costs for my service dog.

Hi, my name is Nic. I'm reaching out for help due to high vet fees for my service dog, Winston.

I hate to ask and creating a fundraising campaign is uncomfortable for me. But I've run into high and unexpected veterinary costs for my service dog. A few people reached out to me asking how they could help. Hence, this fundraising campaign. I appreciate anything you can do to help.

Maybe you aren't familiar with Winston and the amazing dog he is. Winston is a fully trained mobility assistance dog. He does a lot of things. Some of the things he does he was trained for. Like helping with things like pulling my wheelchair, grabbing items I drop, and helping with transfers. We've been working together for over six years. I say "work," but it's all fun for him. And as a service dog, he gets to spend all his time with me. Our bond is very strong.

Winston has been unwell for a few weeks. He's lost nearly 10 pounds. He's panting as if he'd run a distance in the heat. He's experiencing severe stomach issues (which I won't describe as it's quite gross). We have been to the vet a few times, and so far, things are "inconclusive", so we're running more tests. Antibiotics have helped a bit, and then not helped.

I've spent over CAD$2,000 recently between testing and medication. This is a considerable sum that I can't really afford at the moment. But I can't afford not to spend the money because Winston's well-being and long life are critical to me.

(alt: Head and shoulder photo of a big black furry dog standing in front of an amazing sunset)

I've budgeted and planned for veterinary expenses. Unfortunately, this is the second run of high medical bills this year for Winston, above and beyond the ongoing and typical vet costs. My resources are now strained.

Thank you in advance for any and all help.

Update 1: I've just spoken to the vet and some of the test results came back. Positive with an "unusually high level of enterotoxins and clostridium perfringens". Unfortunately, it looks like the costs are going to keep mounting a bit. As per Juliette Alexandria's comments, this is turning out to be even more costly :( As a result, I'm increasing the target goal. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Update 2: THANK YOU to everyone who's helped. I'm trying to keep up with you all!

In response to someone asking, last year we spent $1,775.64 in vet fees. This year, to date, it's been $5,255.51.

Some of this relates to ongoing costs. As he's a service dog, I don't have the luxury of skipping things like annual vaccines, health checks, etc. Keeping up to date with all these means he can be with me everywhere I go. These ongoing costs aren't cheap in and of themselves. For example, here's an annual health check and vaccination:

(alt: Screenshot of a vet bill totaling $622.43, with items such as annual physical exam for $75, several tests like urine analysis for $132.94, or vaccine like rabies for $27.90)

The other costs have been for emergency treatment, such as these bills (just a few examples):

(alt: Screenshot of a vet bill totaling $1,078.28, with items such as radiographs for $660, pain medication for $39.45)

(alt: Screenshot of a vet bill totalling $613.69 with items such as general panel for $181.49, subcutaneous fluid administration for $55, or a Spec cPL test for $112.09)

(alt: Screenshot of a vet bill totaling $837.27, with items such as giardia test for $49.50, pain pills for $68.10, or aerobic culture for $175.45)

(alt: Screenshot of a vet bill totaling $232.84 with Clavaseptin antibiotics for $75.40 and a Diarrhea panel test for $208.84)