Ruby's Medical Fund

The beginning of November 2016 I noticed that Ruby had very large lymph nodes in her throat area. This came about really fast and they got really big, with multiple lumps all along her neck line.  I immediately took her to our local vet and we found that all of her lymph nodes were very enlarged (neck, groin, and haunches). Cancer.

We started her on a few different herbs and supplements and changed her diet. We saw great results, pretty quickly.

This lasted a couple of weeks. Then she started being picky about food and not eating much. She would only eat meat for a while, and lost a significant amount of weight to the point of bones starting to show. 

About a month in, she started breathing very, very heavy, like we just went on a long hard hike, all the time. Even when she was laying down. This was extremely concerning to me so I spoke with the vet and we had another blood test done.

This blood test shows anemia. They suggested steroids to keep her comfortable and help to bring back her appetite, and an herbal tonic to help oxygenate her blood. We also started her on medical cannabis. Our hopes is that the herbs will keep the cancer at bay and others will help her immune system fight it to a point of healing.

Fast forward two months and she is still hanging in there. She is eating better, and her breathing is a bit more regulated. She is starting to gain weight back little by little. She has her good and bad days, and we are still trying to find the best herb and supplement concoction for her. 

All of these thing will have to continue into the future and probably for the rest of her life. We will continue to have multiple vet visits each month and follow up blood tests to check on how things are going. These past two months have been over $1500 in bills and medications. 

Ruby is my best friend and companion.
I hope that we can continue to share time together and have the ability to explore this wonderful place we call home.

So I am asking for help in maintining her comfort and health as the expenses have reached a point of being difficult to handle on my own.

Mahalo nui loa for reading, sharing, and opening up your hearts to ours.