Ruby is my beloved dog and Emotional Support Animal, and I am fundraising $3,000 to recover recent emergency veterinary expenses and prepare for future costs. She became very ill in March and was recently diagnosed with Protein-Losing Enteropathy (PLE) secondary to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which likely onset after a bout of Salmon Poisoning Disease (SPD).

Ruby was initially seen by my local vet for SPD and it seemed like she recovered for a few days with antibiotic treatment, but then became ill again. After another couple weeks of failed treatments, Ruby declined further and had to be seen in the Emergency Room and by a Vet Specialist. Both the Vet Hospital and Specialist are 7 hours round trip and options for local rural care are limited.

The vet specialist determined that Ruby has Protein-Losing Enteropathy (PLE) secondary to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). PLE is serious and life-threatening and escalates her case to critical. The vet specialist believes Ruby has a good prognosis and should recover with steroid treatment, but some dogs do not respond and waste away. She is underweight and currently weighs what she did when she was 9 months old. If she recovers she will still require continued care for the rest of her life as IBD is a chronic autoimmune condition. She is only 7 years old, and she deserves a chance at life that I cannot afford to give her alone. Up until March, she was a healthy, happy, playful dog, and I have hope we can get back to playing ball soon.

Her initial vet visits cleaned out my savings account, and the ER visit and specialist were charged to CareCredit. I am currently trying to fundraise $3,000 to pay off the credit card and recover what I've paid so I can be prepared for her continued care.

Here is the breakdown of expenses thus far (up until 5/9):

Exam Fees: $726.45

Labs: $633.00

Imaging: $651.74

Pharmacy: $663.85

Supplies: $119.36

Other Treatment: $151.00

Total: $2,945.40

Because I am disabled and currently unable to manage gainful employment, earning this amount of money takes me a very long time. I have been going through many different destabilizing treatments for my own diagnoses, and while some of these treatments finally have me feeling well enough to start freelancing again, I am far from being able to shoulder the cost of Ruby's vet bills alone. Unfortunately having to be so focused on Ruby's care has negatively impacted my ability to complete freelance projects, making it even harder to manage these new expenses.

My disabilities mean that, for many reasons, I have been living very isolated for several years, with Ruby as my only real companion. Having Ruby by my side has given me purpose and a reason to get out of bed each day. She is all I have. She has been there for me through the darkest times of my life and I owe it to her to be there for her in her darkest time and fight like hell for her recovery. Please help me care for her.