TLDR: Toby had back surgery. We spent $13,000. If you have any spare dollar bills, we would humbly accept them to help cover the medical expenses.

I’ll try and keep this short, which we know is hard for me.

Three weeks ago Toby changed overnight. He stopped being the dog who would wag his entire body when he saw you, couldn’t muster the energy to care about any small (or large) woodland creature, he wasn’t humping you and he wasn’t able to sit on any chairs. He started shaking, panting, wobbly legs, unable to lay down or move comfortably. He was in pain.

After multiple vet visits, endless medication, strict rest, x-rays and sleepless nights and stressful days we brought Toby in for an MRI on Friday, December 29th.

The MRI showed that he had an intervertebral disk extrusion (a ruptured disc) and would need a hemilaminectomy, which removes the disk material and relieves compression on the spinal cord. The vet explained that while it’s serious the surgery is routine and he would have a very high recovery rate with a great quality of life after he heals.

We gave them the green light. A few hours later, we got a phone call from his doctor saying that the surgery was successful and he did great. On Monday, we were able to pick him up from the hospital and take him home, where he is recovering like a champion.

Get to the point already: We need help from our people. Y’all have reached out endlessly with love and support and letting us know if there is anything that you can do, please let you know. This is me letting you know that we could use some breathing room while we figure out how to get financially organized after his medical costs, which are currently at $13,000.

If you are able to spare a few bucks, we will take this support. We also know that support and generosity comes in many forms and we wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without our community supporting us by checking in, bringing food, sharing in funny Toby memories and the list goes one. Thank you.

All our love,

Sarah (Yaza), Kelly and Toby.