Hi, my name is Scott, and Toffee & I are asking for your help. To put this upfront, Toffee was recently injured and is having neurological issues. He cannot walk without staggering. He is prone to falling over and not being able to tell where he is placing his feet. When this started, it was affecting his eyes too, a condition known as Nystagmus - an involuntary rhythmic side-to-side, up and down or circular motion of the eyes that occurs with a variety of conditions. This was creating dizziness and nausea which means he stopped eating from feeling sick. It has been a week now with very little appetite to sustain my loving fur-ball.

 

We are unsure if his fall created these issues or these issues created the fall. After a visit to our vet and a side trip to the emergency vets, over an hour away, we know it is neurological. Those two visits and medication have already shown us the start of financial costs to come. Tonight he travels back to the emergency clinic to stay overnight. He will be preparing for an early morning MRI to hopefully give us a game plan for healing or moving forward.

 

For those who don't know Toffee he is an amazing dog that has a horrible origin story. Toffee is a lab mix from Mexico. He was living on the streets for the first year of his life. The odds were stacked against him from the start, one for being black, two for being a mixed breed. When he was rescued he was in bad shape. He was malnourished, had bite marks all over his body, sharp cuts across his head, and had been hit by a car, leaving him with a broken leg and tail.

 

 

When I received him he was still walking on only three legs. His recovery got him use of his broken leg but it remains slightly twisted from healing while on the streets. His tail sits at a constant arch and has no feeling in it. He was placed in a rescue before I got him where he managed to catch a illness that delayed his arrival by a month.

 

When he landed in the U.S. he had many issues to get beyond. Healing, recovering from obvious abuse, learning to play, understanding he didn't need to eat anything he could find because he would now have regular meals, and how to get along with people and other animals.

 

 

He was a quick learner in some areas and slow in others, but he shined! He has been an amazing companion for almost 9 years and I want to do all that I can to help him recover. For that, I need your help.

 

I don't normally ask for help like this but these past years have taken their toll on this family. Pre-covid had us deal with two surgeries and the need to replace both vehicles so we could continue to get to work. 2020 brought us the pandemic and the loss of my 16-year career and a reduction of hours for my husband. It has taken 18 months to finally land a job and after a month we are now both out due to COVID.

 

Timing is everything, they say and this timing sucks. I know the amount I am asking for is nowhere near what I will need when this is over but I am not expecting everyone to cover it all. I am hoping this can alleviate the stress of making decisions about my friend's health by not worrying about the financial component and leave me to focus on making good judgment calls based solely on his health.

 

My heart is breaking right now as I watch my little buddy. He is not the same, there is no joy or playfulness when you look at him. I hurt because I can't fix this. I am crying daily because I am at a loss of how to heal him. So I ask you please help us if you can. Your donation will go to the cost of the MRI, medications, and follow-up care. We also accept prayers, healing energy, and your kindness in sharing this fundraiser with everyone you know.

 

 

 

THANK YOU!


Just so you know where your money is going:

1st Vet bill $430.60
1st emergency visit $307.66
Medication $93.83
MRI and overnights $3,831.21
Blood work $?
Follow-up treatment plan $?


YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!  We reach our original goal within 6 hours of posting.  My tears are now joyful ones.  We leave in a few minutes to start Toffee's journey towards what we hope will be a full recovery. Time & testing will tell.  We will keep you updated. My heart is full right now. I was so scared to ask for help and you amazed me! 

The goal was updated to reflect what we now know to be the upcoming costs.  Thank you for all you are doing to help my companion.