My name is Ashley. I currently have a 15-year-old cattle dog mix, Oso. My boy has been dealing with different health issues since he turned 13 years old. He was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, and about a year after that, with a splenic mass. Recently, he has been diagnosed with a stage five heart murmur and Cushing’s disease. I’m a veterinary technician, and because of my job, I know his outlook has never been positive. Because of this, I have made the choice to not put him through an extremely painful surgery, as he is not a good surgery candidate. I did not want him to have to go through that. For the past year, I have been concentrating on keeping him comfortable and happy. Over the past three weeks, he has steadily been declining. He is steadily losing weight, even though he’s always eating. He is confused about where he’s at most days, and now he has problems urinating and defecating, and I suspect it is because of the size of his splenic mass.

I am new at my current clinic, and because of this, I don’t really get a lot of the discounts I would if I was there for longer. I need help to get the funds to say goodbye to my boy. I have always planned to get his ashes back and make jewelry for my sister, myself, and my grandmother. He has been such an integral part of mine and my family’s life. He has literally saved my life more than once and has gone through a very traumatic time in my life with me. This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I cannot let him suffer because I can’t let him go. Because of the time of year, most of my funds have gone to getting my kids presents. If you’re able to help, I thank you.