Support Mia's Journey to Health and Happiness

I am raising money to try and pay for over $15,000.00 in medical bills spent trying to diagnose and treat my red heeler, Mia, who is our youngest dog. She is a treasure to our family and brings us so much love and joy. Below is her whole story- I hope you'll consider helping us.

Mia's Story:

My name is Mia, and I'm about four or five years old. It's hard to know, really, because I'm a rescue dog. My mom and dad rescued me when I was pretty young. That's where my story starts, and I'll warn you now. It's pretty sad. I've already had a hard life, and I'm young.

A good samaritan found me on the side of a road in Texas. I was protecting my eight babies, and I was a brand new mama. Someone had dropped me there- I guess they didn't want to take care of a bunch of puppies. Plus, I was pretty sick. I had Parvo- a disease that is very contagious and fatal if it goes untreated.

So this good samaritan brought my puppies and me to a local shelter in Texas. Luckily, the shelter knew about the ACDRA (Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Association), so they called the ACDRA and said, "We've got a really sick mama and eight puppies here. Can you help pay for the vet bills?" ACDRA got busy raising money to pay for my medical bills, but I couldn't be anywhere near my babies, or anyone really. I was in the ICU for a long time and almost died. My mom saw me on the ACDRA Instagram, and she donated money to help get me well. It might have been fate!

A few months later, my mom emailed the ACDRA and asked about any dogs up for adoption, and a volunteer said, "What about Mamma Mia?" My mom said, "Yes! Definitely!" I was gradually getting better, and my foster mom was taking really good care of me. All my babies had been adopted and were doing great! I hadn't found a new home yet, though. Mary Jo, my foster mom, nursed me to good health and saved me for my new family.

I met them right before Halloween in 2021. I was pretty nervous at first because it had been a very rocky and hard year so far. I loved my foster mom and dad, and I was scared to leave them, but the first night at my new house was awesome. I laid my head on my mom's shoulder and shared her pillow. I knew it was home.

The next year, I wasn't feeling so hot. I kept coughing, and my mom was really worried. We went to see Dr. Julie, and she said I had heartworms from Texas. My mom was really upset and scared. I had to spend about eight months- no jumping, no running, and no getting excited. What a bummer! That's really hard for a cattle dog- lemme tell you! Eventually, though, I recovered and got back to running and jumping and taking walks with my dad.

My family and I thought the worst was behind us then something else happened. One day, I had trouble getting up. My back legs wouldn't work very well. I was in a lot of pain. My mom took me to see the doc, and they ran some tests and took some pictures but couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. So, my mom had to take me to see the doggy neurologist in Portland, Maine. They took more fancy pictures, did more tests, and took more blood. I got poked and picked and you name it! Have I mentioned how much I hate going to the doctor? The only good part is that every time we go, I get to stay at the hotel with my mom and have chicken and rice. That's not so bad!

This last time, when we were there for the third time, I got an ultrasound, joint taps and a spinal tap. It was NOT FUN, but I think we have almost figured it out. I am still taking lots of pills, and my mom and dad wrap me in blankets and ice me down at night. That helps with the pain, but I just hope we get an answer soon.

My mom says that I'm the toughest girl because I've been through so much and never complain. She also says all the money is worth it for how very special I am. I bring her and the family so much joy, and there's no price for that. I hope I can live a long, healthy life after all this is done and continue to bring my family happiness and comfort.

I want to end this post by saying thank you to two individuals:

Dr. Julie Krasne of Wiscasset Veterinary Hospital, who is the most thorough and attentive physician I have ever encountered (human or veterinarian) in my life. She is not just experienced. She is caring and emotionally intuitive in a way that is rare these days. We are so grateful for her. A sidebar: I drive two hours to Wiscasset to bring my dogs to the vet, and people think I'm crazy. She is the reason. After this situation with Mia, I know people will get it.

Dr. Danielle Eifler of PVESC in Portland, Maine, Mia's Neurologist. Dr. Eifler was simply amazing throughout this entire confusing journey. She was transparent, communicative and thorough. She really cared about Mia, and it showed. It's hard to explain, the mixture of emotion one goes through when your furbaby is struggling so much and no one can give you an answer (I wasn't sleeping and Mia wasn't sleeping), but Dr. Eifler seemed like she was right there with us.