Help the disfigured dog Mirana with vet bills

Hello everyone.

I am Charles, an artist, designer, and small business owner based in Bulacan, Philippines.

A childhood friend of mine, Cristina Rose, is lending her hand to set up this GoFundMe. I am writing this story through my lens, but you will see her name elsewhere on the campaign as the beneficiary by proxy.

We created a GoFundMe to help us help Mirana, an 11-year-old dog with a very unique face. Vast parts of her face have been stripped away after repeated bacterial infections of the mouth since 2018. Today, the left side of her snout (cheeks?) is completely gone, and a massive part of the right side is also missing. These infections haunt her repeatedly in irregular intervals.

TRIGGER WARNING: This section includes depictions of animal injury and photos may be triggering to some.

What is this fundraiser for?

We need additional financial support to treat Mirana's active infections requiring special tab tests, medication, and a specialized diet which is more expensive.

Your help means we have to worry less about the bills and expenses and focus on her well-being. Your assistance reduces our pressure to overbook freelance gigs and underperform on outstanding commitments.

How will the cash be spent?

Mirana has to be taken to the best clinic available in our province as soon as possible. Previous quotes from the vet estimated around $500 to cover several tests (CBC, blood chem, antigen, biopsy, x-ray, etc) and primary medication (antibiotics, anti inflammatory medication, supplements). $200 in excess will pay for other extras like her diet, tick treatments, follow-up checkups and additional costs that may emerge that aren't covered by the initial estimate. There will also be some transaction/conversion fees, so we expect actual received amount to be lower by 5 to 8%.

Note: This Gofundme was first launched in June of 2022. We are grateful for the amount of $75 we previously raised. In Nov 2022, we're sharing this because we're in a tighter spot, and Mirana needs help faster than we're able to make cash from our small business. If we get the total amount this time, we'll have more than enough to get sufficient help instead of cutting corners on the treatment.

Why raise funds in Gofundme?

I am unable to make sufficient cash to fund the treatments all the time, so I sometimes ask for assistance publicly. I've been making less money these days because I had to shut down my art commissions gigs after my iPad pro broke (which costs $200 to fix). I'm also in the process of rebuilding my small business supplying custom apparel and other merch to universities, organizations, and other companies but it's taking time. Currently i'm also applying for work (as a regular employee and freelancer) so i can fund my own medication, food, and pet care for my other docs and cats which i've had before the pandemic hit my livelihood. (If you are in need of a remote virtual assistant or freelance graphic designer part-time or full-time, feel free to hit me up so i can send you my resume!)

HOW TO SUPPORT

For supporters anywhere in the globe:

a. Share this GoFundMe to your friends. It helps get the story out there and reach more potential donors. 

b. Donate if you have the means. Here are ways you can donate:

  1. Donate through this GoFundMe managed by Cristina Rose. Funds will be remitted to us in a few banking days.

  2. Donate through my Paypal, allowing me to utilize the funds immediately.

Username: @charlesdelacruz | Email: [email redacted] | Or go to My Paypal payment page 

Payments routed through GoFundMe might take 2-5 days to be cleared to Cristina's account + a couple more days to be transferred to our Philippine bank.

For supporters in The Philippines:

You can donate to my personal accounts

CHARLES DELA CRUZ

Gcash & Maya 09167175449

Unionbank Acct# 109421043652

BPI Acct# 4589131636

I will update this fundraiser with your donations made outside GoFundMe as soon as I can.

OUR STORY

In 2011, our 13-year old dog Pretty Sussy made a shocking revelation that she was pregnant. We never imagined it to be possible. How could a dog give birth at such a late age? In our eyes, it was a miracle.

At first, it was a sad look --- stillborn pups born days apart but then there was one healthy pup nursing on our old dog.

We were so happy for Pretty Sussy because she always wanted to be a mother. She once adopted a dinosaur toy and would never let go.

 

Baby Mirana was the only surviving pup from her litter. She was surprisingly healthy considering her siblings were all stillborn.

Unfortunately, because of her old age, Pretty Sussy died a few weeks later from bleeding too much. We found Mirana still nursing on her remains pooling with blood.

I found Mom's old notes on her phone so we'll always remember the dates.

Mom's new child

At 13 days old, Mirana was orphaned. My Mom took it upon her to raise the miracle baby as her own. Mirana was a welcome member of my Mom's growing family of furbabies.

I'm still surprised how mom managed to raise Mirana without Pretty. She slept in my parent's room along with a few cats! She grew up to be this bundle of joy, full of energy and love to give.

As she grew, I'd take her to my side of the compound so her dad Zap wouldn't be alone. 

History of her condition

One day in 2019, her face got so swollen that it was comically huge - except it was not funny. It was so frightening. Smelled like something died. We got home from a week-long holiday and she was so much worse. 

 thought she was going to die for sure. We didn't have money, it seems like she definitely needed surgery.

We immediately got a vet who prescribed antibiotics. In a matter of two days, the swelling was gone. What wasn't gone was the dead tissue all over her face. She clawed her own face until a substantial portion of her cheeks were torn off and she ate it!!!

Warning: Graphic video

This was the aftermath. Gone was the foul smell of blood and pus. But so was her face. It was disheartening and depressing.

But the problem did not end there. The worst part was it came back every few months. It's a back and forth with antibiotics and losing a bit of her.

If I am counting it right, she had at least 4 major infections since 2019 and up to 10 rounds of medication for minor infections.

What remains of her face that has not beed eroded yet has to be protected regularly. 

This is what it looks like shortly after antibiotics has cleared an infection that took her tissue away permanently.

Sadly, as someone still trying to get my sh*t together to pay for my own medication and bills, I would miss the early symptoms, and it becomes too late to undo the damage.

Livelihood crippled by COVID-19 does not make it easy for me to focus on things that matter the most other than money. But somehow, thanks to the help of strangers and friends on Twitter on Facebook, we're still here.

I'd give anything to see her smile again like this, but that's not possible. I can only protect her to the best I can so she doesn't deteriorate to a worse state.

This was from her 10th birthday in 2021. As of writing, she's 11 years and 7 months old.

We apologize that you're here right now. We are very grateful for your time just reading the details, and maybe if you're in a position to help, you can donate or share this with your friends.