Our little Mooncake needs critical care to no longer be in pain.

This is so difficult to write - but our 1.5 year old Bernedoodle, Mooncake, needs critical surgery and lab work done to biopsy an unknown Gastrointestinal Disease. Since we brought Mooncake home, she has always had stomach problems. We initially thought it was allergies, eliminating certain proteins and other common allergies from her foods, to now cooking her fresh meals from scratch. But no matter how many trips we took to the vet, and how many times we changed her diet: Mooncake was always showing us signs she was in pain.

Mooncake’s GI issues keep her from resting peacefully. She often wakes my wife, Yohanna, multiple times in the middle of the night to rush outside. It’s exhausting for everyone, but mostly it’s heartbreaking to see her so uncomfortable and unable to rest for prolonged periods of time. The restless nights and worry have become constant, but our biggest concern is seeing her struggle so much.

After endless trips to the Vet, we were finally able to get some guidance from a GI Vet Specialist with steps to begin to take to bring peace to our family. But, as you can imagine - seeing a specialist is not cheap nor are the steps to take to even start this process. Mooncakes double endoscopic biopsy is going to cost $7,000.

And that’s just the start. We’re expecting the biopsy to give us answers. But from those answers we’re hoping to get solutions and a proper treatment plan; from medication, vet visits, potential procedures, specialized diet and so on…

We do have pet insurance, but because Mooncake has struggled with stomach issues since she was a puppy, this is considered a pre-existing condition and isn’t covered. We’ve always tried to be prepared, but none of the specialist visits, tests, or biopsies are eligible for coverage. It’s been discouraging, but we’re determined to do everything we can to get her the care she needs and finally bring her some comfort.

We’ve always wanted to start a family, but it hasn’t been possible for us yet. Mooncake filled that space in our hearts — she’s our baby, our little family of three, and the center of our world.

If you choose to donate, even just a little, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We hope that one day you get to feel even a small slice of the sweetness that Mooncake brings into our lives every day.

Ryann, Yohanna and Mooncake