Hi everyone,

Most of you already know and love our sweet Koda girl, but for those who don’t, she’s a 1.5-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix. Koda is full of energy, love, and personality—she lights up every room and keeps us on our toes in the best way possible. We couldn’t imagine life without her.

Right now, we’re going through something unimaginable. What started as a normal day turned into our worst nightmare. Koda, who is usually bouncing with energy and showering everyone with love, suddenly had no energy to greet us when we got home from work. We knew something was wrong and rushed her to the vet that same night. After a brief exam, we were sent home with medication and told to monitor her closely.

Later that night, we noticed a swollen lymph node and immediately scheduled another appointment for further testing. When her bloodwork came back, it only raised more questions. We were referred to the ER for more advanced diagnostics. Even after those tests, we left with no clear answers—just that it could be hundreds of different things. The vet suspected an infection, so we started her on antibiotics and waited for the biopsy results.

Two days later, we received a call that her biopsy was inconclusive and more testing was needed. Meanwhile, her condition worsened rapidly. She barely ate, couldn’t lift her head, and the antibiotics weren’t helping. We rushed her back to the ER, where her condition was deemed critical. Swelling spread through her throat, and she became skin and bones. We were heartbroken, doing everything we could while watching her deteriorate.

Her fever remained dangerously high, and the vets feared her organs could be affected. The decision was made to hospitalize her immediately and stabilize her condition so she could undergo a CT scan after the weekend. But even during her hospitalization, things got worse. The swelling spread across her face, neck, and chest—she became almost unrecognizable. We were devastated, desperate for answers that just wouldn’t come.

Finally, after the CT scan, we received a call from the vets: Koda needed emergency surgery.

After multiple vet visits, ER trips, several nights in the hospital under 24/7 care, and numerous expensive tests, we had already spent over $6,000. Now we were told her only chance at survival was an $8,000 surgery, followed by a lengthy hospital stay and recovery. Unfortunately, our pet insurance was maxed out before the surgery even took place.

We’re humbly asking for your help to continue Koda’s treatment and support her long road to recovery. Koda is now out of surgery and currently recovering at Pinnacle Veterinary. We’re anxiously waiting to see if the surgery was successful and hoping the test results finally give us answers.

Thank you to everyone who has shown love, support, and encouragement during this incredibly difficult time. We truly couldn’t have made it this far without you.