Maya is a rescue from the Grand Bahamas. We got her as a puppy when she was 9 weeks old and 3.9lbs. She was the cutest little peanut. She is now 7yrs old and 68lbs. She is our joy and such a sweet girl.

She's been very healthy until now. We noticed that she was not playing as much and not eating well. She was also breathing hard which made it difficult to play even though she wanted to. So we took her to the vet where after an exam and xray the vet found that she had fluid in her chest cavity. This put pressure on her lungs. She was put on an appetite stimulant and a steroid.  The next day she she had the fluid drained from her chest where almost 2 liters of fluid were removed. This has been done twice now. The fluid was tested and no cancer cells were present.It was then suggested that she have an ultrasound to rule out a tumor or heart disease.  She ended up having to stand for it because lying down on her side her breathing was difficult. The ultrasound showed no tumor or heart disease.  Because there is no reason for this it's called idiopathic.  

The diagnosis is Idiopathic Chylous Effusion.  What is it? For one it is uncommon. It's where  fatty fluid accumulates in the chest cavity. This fluid is called Chyle.  It is supposed to drain from the abdominal lymphatic channels into a reservoir that funnels into the thoracic duct on up and eventually empties into the cranial vena cave close to the heart. In Maya's case there is a rupture or abnormality that causes the fluid to leak, possibly the duct is the cause. This can also weaken her immune system and cause inflammation to the the linning of the lungs and heart. 

Maya can't have the fluid drained forever so she needs surgery to fix the leak. We will have to go to Cornell University in New York state for it which is 2 hours away. We don't have the money for this and without it her outcome is not good. 

Please find it in your heart to contribute to our sweet girls operation. Please also cross post and show family and friends. Any help will be deeply appreciated. Thank you from Maya and us in advance!