Queso to live her life

Those of you who know me, most likely know Queso... or at least know how much she means to me. Queso is 3.5 years young. We've been best friends ever since she was 8 weeks old. We are constantly together, always a unit. I cannot imagine my life without her by my side. It’s just way too soon. She has always lived a full healthy life, with plenty of lands to explore, other dog friends to play with, and has always been admired by many.

Last Friday (January 8th, 2023) she was acting very depressed, so much so that she wasn't eating, wasn’t drinking water, couldn’t walk straight, breathing very quickly, and had horrible breath. I originally thought this was due to emotion/stress, since I had seen a version of these symptoms last October when I left for a weeklong trip without her and her pet sitter had to take her to the vet and get medication. She began to have these symptoms again, but at a much worse rate. Taos vet clinics were closed for the weekend. Being concerned that this has happened before and how bad it had gotten, I drove to Boulder, CO (which has much more advanced health care for dogs and humans) and went straight to the emergency vet. When we got there she peed blood on the clinic’s floor. I was shocked and scared by the sudden reality of how serious her problems could be. She was diagnosed with idiopathic Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). This means that she has an autoimmune system that causes her body to attack her red blood cells, leading her to a loss of blood and oxygen. She had to get transferred to a different hospital that has specialty departments including blood.

After a few failed blood transfusions, the vet told me that she has a 50/50 chance of survival, unless I want her to receive a plasmapheresis procedure which costs $20k (not including the initial emergency vet workup and post-care). My heart shattered after hearing the reality of how bad of a condition she is in. I decided to move forward with plasmapheresis (removing her problematic plasma that is attacking her red blood cells and replacing it with new healthy plasma) which leads to a 90% chance of her surviving. I would do everything I possibly could for a being that takes up most of my heart. I opened up a new credit card, maxed out my current card, and used my savings to do everything I could to keep her going. It’s not her time to go. If you have met her, you know this to be true too.

Those of you who can share a few dollars, know that even a small amount would help and make a huge difference in my and Queso’s life. If you are tight on funds, it would mean a lot to me if you could share Queso’s story and keep her in your thoughts with positivity and love.