My sweet girl Loca passed away in her sleep on August 22nd. She was the best dog I could have ever asked for, and we had been through a lot together over the past 13 years. About six months prior to her passing, Loca was diagnosed with kidney disease, and we started medication and special food, of which she was not a fan. In late June, after a bout of diarrhea, she underwent an ultrasound and was diagnosed with an adrenal gland tumor. I opted to have a CT done and eventually have the tumor removed. Her first surgery date was postponed because Loca decided that 2 in the morning on the day of surgery would be a great time to develop pneumonia. She spent some time in the hospital and recovered enough that the surgeon was comfortable performing her surgery two weeks later. Loca came through surgery like a champ; she had the tumor(possibly the whole kidney) removed as well as her spleen. After she got over the after-effects of the sedation and pain meds, she was eating better and acting a little more like herself. Unfortunately, she started eating less and less, eventually not eating at all. I was planning to take her to the vet the morning she passed to discuss our options, but she relieved me of any hard decisions I would have had to make.

I have been battling with myself about asking for assistance with her medical bills, but the expense is overwhelming my pride. Thank you in advance, and please feel free to share.

Lastly, if you have a pet, please consider getting health insurance for them. There are a number of options out there; there are even some employers who offer pet insurance through their benefits packages. These insurances can greatly reduce the cost to you if you are ever in my position

(I wish I'd had her insured).