This story is about the sweetest dog named Layla, and her Mommy and best friend, Angela, who rescued her as a puppy in 2016.

Layla, a healthy and active dog, became suddenly and violently ill on January 13th. She began vomiting and having bloody bowel movements, and was diagnosed with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, a severe, fast-moving, but treatable illness with no known cause. Layla was admitted to an emergency animal hospital where they began treatment for severe dehydration with intensive IV fluids and around the clock monitoring. However, after 24 hours and still refusing food, her blood protein levels were dropping rapidly. The vets were still confident that Layla would recover because Angela sought treatment immediately. One vet actually said, “She will get better. We see this every week.”

They installed a nasogastric feeding tube to begin small meal replacement, and which also allowed them to remove nasty gastric fluid from her stomach. Layla’s spirits and energy actually initially seemed to improve. However, at 3:00 a.m. on January 15th, Angela received the call that Layla was declining. The therapies were not working. Her blood pressure was dangerously low and the recommendation was a plasma transfusion. Even with the transfusion, Layla had only about a 25% chance of survival.

Angela made the difficult decision to allow Layla peace instead of continuing to try additional therapies on her tired, broken little body. Layla crossed over very early that morning, her head cradled in Angela’s hands, knowing that Angela was there, loving her so completely.

Layla was loved by everyone who met her, and while Angela gave Layla an amazing life, the reality is that Layla enriched Angela’s life so much more. They shared many adventures: hiking, kayaking, dog park trips and work days at the office. Layla loved finding favorite sticks, digging for her ball in the snow, riding shotgun, and having Dairy Queen pup cups. But she also relished blanket snuggles, and even doing nothing, as long as it was with Angela. Understandably, Angela is in shock, grieving for her beloved pup.

We are asking for help to support the $5,857 Angela amassed in emergency veterinary costs, trying to save her girl. If you are so inclined, please consider making a donation to this campaign. Any contribution, no matter how small, will be appreciated and will go directly to Angela to offset Layla’s treatment costs.