Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to read about this fundraiser! My name is Hannah, and I set this up for my cousin, Alexx, and her rescue dog, Bella. Let me tell you a little bit about Alexx. She's a very kind, generous and thoughtful person. If you're in need of help, she's someone you would want in your corner. She truly is someone who makes this world a better place. Unfortunately this year has been really hard on her. She's going through a major personal hardship. She had to leave her home and sell a lot of her belongings. On top of all that, her sweet dog Bella is having more health problems than ever. Alexx is not someone who asks for help. I had to convince her to let me set up this fundraiser! But I wanted to do it because she is truly one of the most deserving people I know. She's an excellent dog mom and always has her two dogs' best interest in mind. Both Bella and Gracie (her other dog, who is, thankfully, healthy) are so lucky to have her! As you will understand when you continue reading, Alexx has done everything in her power to keep Bella's quality of life as high as possible, despite her many health problems. Alexx has done everything she can to fund Bella's medical bills on her own up until now. She has pet insurance and uses CareCredit. But even with those resources, the bills are simply becoming too much for one person. Alexx has and will do anything to help those around her, so now it's our turn to help her! The money raised in this fundraiser will go directly to Bella's future bills for testing and treatment and to pay off debt from past bills. If there is any money left over, she will donate to a worthy dog charity/shelter/rescue. Any amount you can donate will make a difference and will be greatly appreciated by Alexx, myself and all others who love her and her sweet pups!

Here is Bella's story in Alexx's words:

I got Bella in April of 2017 from a family looking to rehome her. I met Bella and her family at a local dog park with my current dog, Gracie. Gracie and Bella chased each other around the dog park while I asked questions about Bella's history to her family. It seemed, at the time, Bella was being given up because they did not have the space for a second dog. Bella was (and still is) the silliest, sweetest pup I've ever come across, so without hesitation, I brought her home.

It wasn't long after I had brought her home I began noticing Bella having health issues. Bella, at age 1, was unable to jump onto the couch, get in the vehicle on her own and was having a hard time walking up and down stairs. I also noticed when she would urinate, it would end up all over her legs and tummy. There were other issues that came up, but these were my two major concerns at the time. I brought her to two different vets and they both confirmed Bella had a recessed vulva and hip dysplasia. Until I was able to save up for the surgery to correct her recessed vulva, the solution was supplements to help strengthen her urinary tract, since reoccurring UTIs are very common with her condition and regular cleanings of the area to reduce the amount of infections she gets. She is still averaging one UTI every month to two months. She also started on a joint supplement to help with her mobility until it gets to the point where surgery is necessary.

About a year and a half down the road, I had just started talking to the vet about her vulva reconstruction surgery when Bella became very sick. She stopped eating and drinking and was throwing up any attempt I made at getting her to do so. I brought her to our local vet who ran some tests and gave her some medication. At that point, we were hoping it was a bug of sorts. After not getting better and going over a week without eating, the vet ran more tests and found her liver levels were off. He recommended we go to the VCA Aurora emergency hospital to get her an ultrasound and further testing. His fear was it may be cancer or something bigger than he was not able to treat.

I took her for a second opinion at another emergency hospital who confirmed the best option would be the ultrasound and full bloodwork. I took her to the VCA and they admitted her into the emergency and internal medicine unit. She remained in the hospital for 3 days to run further testing, get her started on medications to help regulate her blood levels and get her hydrated/eating. After many vet trips to her internal medicine doctor, they were unable to locate the source of the issue. They wanted to do a scope of her stomach as they were suspecting IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), which was going to be another $4-6k. At this point I, I had already spent over 10k on all her testing and vet bills, so I was really not able to spend the additional money. After discussing options with the vet, regardless of the procedure outcome, they were going to recommend treatment for IBD, so I opted out of the additional testing.

Bella currently takes 12 pills a day just to keep her blood levels regulated. She's taking potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, folic acid, Prilosec OTC and Claritin. About a month ago, Bella began frequent coughing, reverse sneezing and sneezing accompanied by a green discharge from her nose. I scheduled an appointment with the vet and out of an abundance of caution with her other issues, he recommended we try a safe (for her) antibiotic immediately and then run further testing/scope her if it did not get better. Unfortunately, it did not get better. Bella went back to the vet and they did a chest X-ray and culture on her nose discharge. The culture came back positive for 3 different types of bacteria, but, thankfully, the X-ray did not show any issues with her lungs/trachea. One of the bacterias that she tested positive for is not typically as responsive to treatment, so the vet was a little worried about it. He changed her medication, strengthened her dose and she has been on that medication for 4 weeks now. I was able to bring her to another vet for a second opinion and he confirmed we are currently on the right path and also suggested a scope and CT of her nasal cavity.

Now, we have an appointment booked with her internal medicine doctor at VCA Aurora for a scope and CT of her nasal cavity. The appointment is set for August 18th and they estimated the cost of the testing to be between $5-6k.