3 months ago, a sweet stray girl wandered into my life and never left. I named her Luna. She was my very first fur baby and from the moment she arrived, she filled my home with a kind of love I hadn't known before.

When I first took her to the vet, they noticed a small mass on her breast. They believed it could be milk buildup, likely from a recent litter she'd had before I found her. We were told to monitor it closely.

This past Sunday, Luna's condition changed dramatically. The mass had become severely engorged and inflamed overnight. I knew immediately this was an emergency.

I rushed her to the animal hospital. The doctors ran lab work and a fecal exam to assess her full condition. That's when I got the call that stopped my heart: Luna had heartworms. Her heart was only functioning at 50% capacity, making any surgery extremely high risk.

But I couldn't give up on her. I made the decision to move forward with the surgery to remove the mass and Luna pulled through. She is currently in recovery, resting and healing. We are waiting for the biopsy to know if the tumor removed is malignant or benign.

This all happened so fast. The emergency visit, the diagnostics, the surgery, the aftercare. None of it was planned, and all of it came at a cost I wasn't prepared for. I am doing absolutely everything I can so that Luna gets the healthy, happy life she deserves.

If you've ever loved an animal, you understand. Through your generosity, any amount will make a difference for her recovery and ongoing heartworm treatment.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-Melanie