Help Save Beloved Service Dog, Chevy
My friend Mollie Minard has two beautiful daughters with a condition known as Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD), a metabolic disorder that affects the functioning of the liver and muscles. It can cause many issues, including hypoglycemia -- a medical term for low blood sugar that can lead to blurred vision, confused thinking, and slurred speech. If blood sugar stays low for too long, starving the brain of glucose, it may lead to seizures, coma and death.
Chevy is the Minard's diabetic alert service dog. He is trained to quickly alert the family when either of the girls' sugar becomes too low, so that they can quickly react. Mollie calls him their "100 lb hairy protector!"
Chevy has been the caretaker for Mollie's oldest daughter Gwen since she was in first grade, but now, Chevy needs care. A couple of weeks ago, he began limping, and then became extremely lethargic. They rushed him to the vet - where he tested positive for Lyme Disease.
He is very ill right now. The Lyme Disease has progressed to the point where it's not clear if he will ever be able to function as a service dog again. The care he needs is putting a huge financial strain on the family. They regularly spend between $1,000 and $2,000 per month per daughter on medical supplies for the girls. Both of them need feeding tube supplies, formula, blood sugar and blood ketone meters, and continuous monitors. Mollie and her husband make it work by taking extra jobs, driving for Door Dash, and do whatever is required to care for their family. But now, Chevy's vet and medication bills are climbing. This month, the family had to rely on donated medical supplies for the girls after spending so much on Chevy's care. While some service dogs are insured - Chevy isn't. He was injured a few years ago while playing with a stick, like a regular dog! Since then, he has been considered "high risk".
However, as Mollie firmly puts it, not treating Chevy is not an option: Gwen and Chevy have been bonded since day one. He technically works for both girls (or anyone who has blood sugar issues!) But Gwen and Chevy have an unbreakable connection. They communicate without words. She has been his handler since she was a 40 pound first grader, and they have navigated a lot together. He NEVER left her side as COVID-19 ravaged her body, and he is her comfort when she has feeding tube changes, blood draws and a myriad of other uncomfortable but critically important medical procedures. Chevers, as he is lovingly called, loved all of the lazy days of quarantine with his girls home together where he could keep an eye on both. He goes everywhere with Gwen, and has"sung" with her at school concerts, and napped with while she reads at the school library. He loves working, and right now, while he is so sick, it is so hard on him to see his girl get on the bus each morning now without him.
Chevy is deeply loved by the entire family. And just as Chevy has saved their girls' lives countless times, the Minards are determined to now save his. Thank you for helping them make sure their faithful companion and their perfect girls get all of the care and support that they need.