Mila girl needs surgery

Hi, my name is Brittany, and as most of you know, my pets are the center of my world. I’ve spent years doing everything I can to be the best cat and dog mom possible—reading every single ingredient on anything I give them, creating a binder with all their favorite things, just in case something ever happened to me. I’ve always wanted to make sure they’re safe, happy, and so deeply loved.

Mila comes everywhere with me. From running errands, to teaching dance, where she loves stretching with the team. If you’ve been in a room with Demi or I, there’s a 100% chance we’ve made you look at a hundred pictures of her while we go on and on about how smart she is.

Despite all the love, care, and caution, some things are just out of our control. Demi and I are creating this fundraiser because our sweet Mila girl needs surgery as soon as possible.

A little while ago, Mila and I were doing our normal daily routine—taking a long walk around the pond, then running around in a big open field with her favorite ball. Everything seemed fine, but later that day, I looked down and noticed her paw was extremely swollen. We rushed her to the vet, where they said a grass seed had probably embedded itself in her paw. After many Epsom salt soaks, the swelling didn’t improve, so we went back.

She was diagnosed with an interdigital cyst. Despite multiple rounds of medication and daily soaks, nothing has worked—and any time she plays or runs outside, the swelling flares back up. The next step is surgery to remove and biopsy the cyst, because there’s a possibility it could be mast cell cancer—a common concern for her breed, especially after we recently found out about her extensive list of allergies.

The cost of the surgery alone is overwhelming, but because of the location on her paw, the aftercare is expected to be just as costly. We hope with everything in us that this turns out to be a benign cyst, but we won’t know until it’s removed.

Mila means the world to us. She’s not just a dog—she’s family. She’s the happiest, gentlest soul and the best sister to our two cats, who absolutely adore her. I can’t remember our home without her, and I can’t imagine it feeling like home without her big smiles and energy.

We would give anything to make sure Mila lives the healthy, happy life she deserves. We’ve already invested so much into trying every option, but we’ve reached a point where we can’t do this on our own. I work three jobs already, and adding a fourth just isn’t realistic.

So we’re reaching out and asking for help—whether that’s through a donation or simply sharing this with others. Anything helps. Mila deserves to run in the fields again, to play with her ball, do obstacle courses and to continue being the bright light in our lives.

The surgery is schedule for the second week of May to get this removed and sent to test.

Thank you so much for reading, for caring, and for loving our little chicken with us.

With love and gratitude,

Brittany, Demi, Mila, and her partners in crime—Magnet and Mayhem