On September 20th I took Roc, my equine companion of nearly 12 years, to UC Davis to the equine hospital. He's had chronic diarrhea for a while that did not respond to treatments recommended by our regular veterinarians and then sudden weight loss and poor appetite. After extensive tests and imaging, UCD found two masses in his intestines with infection and peritonitis. This is a guarded prognosis and he is very sick from the infection. I am devastated to say the least. I don't know what will happen for the long term. But for now all I can do is supportive care. I cannot imagine life without him. He's been the motivation to get me through some really hard times in my life. He truly is the best horse ever. Anyone who knows Roc is always impressed by his gentle nature, emotional intelligence and his regal beauty. He's truly been a blessing in my life.

This has been really hard on me emotionally and physically, giving medications multiple times a day. Financially, this has unfortunately set me back thousands. Roc's medical bills were put on care credit and will likely continue to increase. I was not financially prepared for this. I have put over a decade in to my career as a veterinary technician and have worked nearly constantly but it has never paid enough for me to have much of a safety net. I am now currently in a career transition that was much needed for my own physical and mental well-being but unfortunately I have not had a paycheck in awhile because of it. I originally was not going to do this, but I have come to realize that this will be difficult financially. Literally anything helps. And I cannot express how much gratitude I have for those who have already contributed.

Here is to hoping that whatever happens, we can both be as happy as possible for as long as possible.