Hello everyone, I’d like to start off by introducing myself and my partner. I am Kira, and my partner’s name is Tyler. I’m going to college in January, working part-time as a dance teacher, barista, and self-employed nail artist. Tyler is a full-time lawn care specialist. We’re working really hard during this time to fund Xena’s treatment. We’re in the process of moving out of my family home by the end of 2025, to give ourselves and our pets, Xena and Dahlia, a more comfortable life! Xena is our beloved almost 8-year-old Husky/Malamute mix, and Dahlia is our 3-year-old kitty! Those two are the best of friends!

In August of 2025, Tyler and I noticed open sores on Xena’s leg. Xena has a long history of anxiety and self-soothing behaviors like licking and biting. However, it’s never gotten to this point, so we immediately got her in to see the vet as soon as possible. The vet determined that Xena’s anxiety was, in fact, the cause of her hot spots and sores. The vet decided the best course of action was to put her on anxiety medication, which has been working flawlessly for Xena’s compulsive behavior!

Xena was overdue for some bloodwork panels to check on her overall health and needed some to check on how her new anxiety meds were affecting her. The vet found some concerning hypercalcemia, which can have many causes but can be very dangerous. Turns out, the cause of this hypercalcemia was an endocrine disorder called Primary Hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a rare thyroid condition. It causes abnormal cell growths, or tumors (mostly benign, but doesn’t rule out cancer), on one or more parathyroid glands. Parathyroid glands are responsible for maintaining healthy levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body. When a tumor grows on one of these glands, it can cause the body to overproduce calcium (hypercalcemia) and lead to life-threatening symptoms, such as seizures, kidney stones, kidney failure, and more, if not treated in time.

Xena’s vet explained to us that this condition isn’t typically found in middle-aged dogs. It’s usually found in elderly, symptomatic dogs, making her hopeful that we caught this condition extremely early. Newsflash, we did! Xena was, and still is, completely asymptomatic for her condition.

After almost two months of research and calling many veterinary clinics, we got Xena an appointment to see an internal medicine specialist with a particular interest in endocrine disorders. After several ultrasounds and an echocardiogram, the veterinarian determined that Xena’s health is still in great condition, despite her disorder, and only one parathyroid gland is slightly affected with abnormal cell growth! This makes her a great candidate for a less invasive, and less expensive procedure called an Ultrasound Guided Ethanol Injection. Instead of open surgery and removing the parathyroid gland, the internal medicine specialist can guide an injection of ethanol to the parathyroid. Ethanol is toxic to the abnormal cell growth on the glands and will begin to make the growths go necrotic over time, curing her of her condition with fewer risks, and no time away from mom and dad! She can recover in the comforts of home and just needs to see her vet once daily for a week following her injections.

Xena’s scheduled for the Ethanol Injection Procedure on November 3rd, 2025, and will be seeing her vet daily that entire week.

Tyler and I have been hesitant to reach out to our loved ones for help, as we are extremely stubborn. We were determined to try and figure this out on our own, but with Xena’s newly diagnosed condition, our first move coming up extremely soon, and college approaching quickly as well, we could use all of the help, love, and support we can get! Vet bills get extremely costly, and unfortunately, Xena’s pet insurance hasn’t been very cooperative in covering her procedure.

We are trying to raise $4,000-$5,000 to mostly cover the following:

- Ethanol Injection Procedure

- 5 Days of follow-up appointments following the procedure

- Blood Calcium monitoring

- Echo & Ultrasounds performed

- Calcium Supplementation

- Follow-up Appointments, Ultrasounds, etc. months following the procedure

Tyler and I are greatly appreciative of all of you for being here to learn more about our sweet girl Xena’s condition. With your help, Xena will never have to face the discomfort and potentially fatal symptoms of her condition. Any of you who know Xena, know she’s the sweetest, goofiest, and most people-oriented dog probably on the planet. She’s truly our light in the dark, and we’d move mountains for her. Xena’s still got a whole life ahead of her and hasn’t slowed down at nearly 8 years old! We won’t let PHPT slow her down yet.

Anything you can do to help us during this busy, emotional time of weakness is so very much appreciated. Even if you can’t donate, a share on social media, a kind message, or a wish of good luck will help Tyler and me tremendously during Xena’s recovery. I couldn’t be more grateful for the village we have to stand behind us with open arms during this time.

With immense love & gratitude,

Kira & Tyler <3