Hello. My name is Cary, and I have been given the most fantastic gift... spending time on this earth with my companion Teig. Teig is a 15 1/2 year old labradoodle who I consider "My Brother from another Mother." He is sweet, kind, loving, playful and loyal.

Teig is my shadow and follows me to work and adventures throughout the southwest. He is a premiere Colorado trail dog. We love hiking and exploring the backcountry. Teig has summited 24 of the possible 54 Colorado fourteeners. That is quite a feat for the average hiker but quite remarkable for a dog. He doesn't look the part but is tough as nails. He has been willing to climb mountains and cover 20 miles in a day on a long hike. He evaded a mountain lion attempting a leisurely lunch and fell from a cliff on a mountain without causing a scratch. He conquered seizures from flea and tick medications and helped local nursing home residents find their smiles. I have been blessed to be a part of his life, and he has enriched mine beyond words.

Teig recently had a medical emergency while traveling in southwestern Colorado. He had seizures, tremors, vomiting and a collapse of his strength while camping in San Juan Mountains. I rushed him to a vet hospital in Pagosa Springs, and he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection and given medication and fluids. The vet told me it was okay to have him at a campground in our truck camper for a family reunion, and he would get better. So we headed to Vallecito campground, and he appeared to get better over the next few days. On the third day (saturday), it turned sour for him, and I rushed him to a vet hospital in Durango, Colorado. The Vet there was very concerned and said he had pancreatitis and pnemonia, and I would have to transport him to Denver to the large vet hospital for critical treatment. I did that, and we drove 7 hours through Saturday night to get him to Wheatridge hospital at 2 am on Sunday morning.

Teig was in critical care over the next 5 days. He has acute pneumonia and pancreatitis. The urgent care team informed me that it wasn't looking good and gave him less than 50% chance of recovering. I decided to go forward with another day of support and see if he improved in the hospital. The next day I discussed his prognosis for recovery with the critical team lead vet. She informed me that it would be reasonable to end Teig's pain, but she believed that he could improve over the next few days in the hospital and fully recover with no long-term health issues from pneumonia. This would be expensive, but the prognosis could be good. I decided to take the chance and spend my emergency savings to move forward with the hospital support.

The next day was tough, and no improvement in his health. The following day, there was a breakthrough with improvement in his lungs, eating and overcoming the pneumonia. He improved the next day. I was joyful when they released him to go home the following day. It was fantastic and more than I believed would have happened a few days back. I was so optimistic about the future with my boy.

Unfortunately, 48 hours later, we were back at the hospital with new symptoms. Teig was panting, having tremors with visible pain. The vet ran bloodwork and tests, but there was a definitive reason for the pain. He was sent home a few hours later. These symptoms would continue, and the critical care team decided to run an ultrasound on his abdomen. This ultrasound did not find a cause other than a slightly enlarged liver. The vet now believes he might have Cushing's Disease. The test for the disease cannot be done until his pneumonia support and medication is completed. It appears that the earliest we can run the test is in late August and possibly early September. Teig is improving each day. He is gaining strength, walking and even climbing stairs. I believe that he will come back to pre-emergency form. The Cushing's Disease , if that is what he has, will be an expensive issue moving forward with medication and tests. I am dedicated to his quality of life moving forward. I am not sure how long that is. The vet believes Teig would have passed because of pneumonia had it not been for his excellent health, trim body and remarkable lifestyle.

I am starting this fundraiser to assist in covering the medical cost from the vet hospital. The cost has skyrocketed to over $10,000. I was encouraged to start this fundraiser by a multitude of friends and family. I am not comfortable and shy away from excepting charity from others, but so many people implored me to start this fundraiser because they love Teig and want to help. I am so thankful to all our friends and family in the support they have provided during this difficult time. I love you all and will pass forward any love or donation that wonderful folks offer to help us pay the hospital bills. There are so many generous souls out there who care. It makes such a difference in our lives and brightens the future. God bless you all. I hope you find grace in your life, friends and family as we have found in ours. We love you all, and Thank you.