My best friend (basically, sister) Julie has had an emergency situation arise for the first dog who started her dog journey, Queen Latifah (QL or Q, as she's most commonly known).

QL was rushed to the emergency vet in the early morning hours of October 4 with swelling around the neck and mouth. Her trachea is misaligned due to whatever is causing the swelling, making it difficult for her to breathe.

She will need to stay in hospital for an unknown amount of time to help with her breathing and keep her comfortable as they try to figure out what is wrong. The estimate for keeping her there for up to 3 nights will be as much as $3,000, on top of the approximately $2,000 already billed for the emergency vet's services.

If she has to be transported to Riverview for additional testing and evaluation it will be an additional $5-7,000.

Help is appreciated to offset these unexpected expenses. Being away while this is happening makes this even more difficult.

Please keep QL and Julie in your prayers and hearts, and if you are in a position to contribute to Q's care, you would have the utmost gratitude and appreciation coming your way.