Sasha Needs Our Help

Those of you that know Kevin probably immediately associate him with his abnormally sweet Akita, Sasha. You know he loves to bring her anywhere that will let him in the door and a few places that won't. You have probably seen her iconic fluffy tail and teddy bear face making the rounds at Craftsman or chilling on the patio with us at Sunday Brunch.  If you don't know Kevin or Sasha you should know of their unspoken generosity. For as long as I've known him, Kevin has always been there when a friend was in need. From listening to their troubles, helping them out of a tight spot, or simply buying them dinner or a couple rounds of drinks. As long as he's had the means, he's been there. He's been there with Sasha. Sasha who gives licks and tail wags and patiently lets complete strangers walk up and pet her to bring a little brightness to their day.  You should also know, to us, our animals are our children and we love them fiercely and without shame. We've adopted, fostered, provided daycare and dog boarding, donated to local causes and spread the word when a furbaby was in need. Now, we are the ones in need.  Sasha needs help.  Early Friday morning we woke to find Sasha’s hind legs to be uncoordinated and almost like they were reversed. She did not whine while standing and appeared to be unaffected otherwise. After watching her clumsily attempt to walk around the backyard it was clear something was wrong and she needed to be taken to the vet ASAP. Kevin was hesitant. Since loosing his job in September and no prospects in the near future, the cost of going to the vet was not an easy pill to swallow. Still, watching her repeatedly fall over and struggle to climb into her chair was so shocking that by late morning he was at Austin Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center speaking to a neurology specialist. They determined a possible slipped disk or spinal blockage that is causing the lack of coordination with her hind legs. The vet wanted to immediately take an MRI and prep her for surgery, which would be an overall cost of $5,300, half of which is just for the MRI. We do not have $5,300 and after the Equifax scandal we froze everything to protect our credit.  Feeling overwhelmed, we decided to wait out the weekend and see if she would get better hoping it was a case of FCE (Fibrocartilagenous Embolism).  Sasha has not gotten better. She can no longer stand without assistance and needs to be supported in order to go to the bathroom. This has come about VERY quickly and at the worst possible time. However, I am not willing to give up. Sasha is alert, eating and drinking water, going to the bathroom regularly and only 3 years old. This may not go away on it's own but I'll be damned if we let her fall apart while she's still fighting. We are taking her to the specialist on Monday to move forward with the MRI and hopefully work out a payment plan or skills trade to get the overall cost down to something we can both manage.  This money is for the MRI and surgery. This is what we have to come up with this week. If we had two incomes things would be playing out a lot differently. In exchange, not only will we be eternally gratefull but I can also offer future photography or graphic design services. Afterwards, once Kevin has a job, we will invite everyone who has donated to our cause over for a giant BBQ at the house.  We are willing to do what it takes to fight for our animals when they can not. This is what we need for Sasha. We need help.