Help Pinky Get Life-Saving Surgery

For many of you that know me, know that I care deeply about my pets. I think many could go to say I care more about my pets than people sometimes (sorry not sorry). Since moving to San Diego, I lost Koda and Diesel in 2019 and they were never able to make it there with me. In the beginning of 2017, I got Pinky, my American Bulldog. She is now 7.5 years old and she has moved with me throughout San Diego numerous times, travelled to Maryland with me a handful of times, spent countless of hours with me studying while I got my degree, and allowed me to accompany her to dog beach and dog parks to see her live her best life. She has been my best friend for years and she is such a special dog.

On Friday, October 1st, I took Pinky to a last minute vet appointment. She had peed in the house 3 times in the last week which is really unlike her and she was sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to drink extra water, like an excessive amount of water. We went to the vet and did a bloodwork panel and a urinalysis with an ultrasound and I waited anxiously for 4 days to get the results back. She progressively got worse between Friday and Tuesday and I was blowing up the veterinary office with answers. I kept worrying I was going to arrive home and my dog be dead in her kennel. The results showed elevated kidney levels, but also calcium levels which means it’s not caused by kidney disease or failure. We made a last minute appointment for the next day, Wednesday, for more examination. The first appointment cost me $462 and I was told she needed another bloodwork panel to check the calcium levels ($679). All of this just to find out what is going on.

On Wednesday, I brought Pinky in for an exam of her anal glands. I was told that the only type of cancer that causes elevated calcium levels is a tumor on the anal glands. The other option is going to be hyper parathyroidism (a tumor on one of her parathyroids). The only solution to either of these problems is a surgery costing $4500 to $5500 (on top of the money already spent). I am in a vet tight position right now imagining the worst and what is going to happen. I am by myself here in Arizona, with not many friends and certainly no family. I rely heavily on my dog and cats for emotional support and companionship more or less. As of right now, I am not in a spot to be able to do the $679 hypercalcemia panel to give me answers.

Before moving forward with the hypercalcemia panel, I am going to get a 2nd opinion from another veterinary office because I have no answers. I was told that I could bring Pinky back in to see the vet in 2 weeks to examine her anal glands again because if it is the anal gland cancer then this tumor will progress rapidly in a month. Right now, she is lethargic and uncomfortable. She can barely walk up and down the stairs and she is suffering incontinence. She is excessively thirsty and I am monitoring her water intake without dehydrating her. My time is consumed with washing her linens, stripping her dog bed from when she pees in her sleep, and watching out for random accidents during the day.

I am incredibly stressed out about this whole situation. I am not ready to lose Pinky and I hope that there is a solution to this. I am even willing to look into options in Tijuana for a more affordable veterinary office, but right now with work planning those logistics is complicated. I know right now the economy is garbage for everyone, but I don’t just have thousands of dollars sitting around to help Pinky figure this out. And yes, I have considered insurance. I do not have pet insurance and most insurances will only help situations like this if it’s not a pre diagnosed condition which now, it is. I am asking that anyone donate what they can to help Pinky during this time. I know it’s a lot to ask and I am doing my best to keep her comfortable. Thank you for even reading this and considering.