Ben’s family for his unexpected Final Expenses.

My name is Lora. I volunteer as a foster with local rescues and absolutely love helping all of God’s creatures. Sometimes very unexpected things happen and pet parents and families are left with very large medical expenses for their FurBaby with the hope that they will come home. Sometimes no matter what you do, how much care they get, and no matter how much money you spend, the most precious gift is to let them rest in peace. This is what unexpectedly happened to Ben & his loving family. These are good people who did all they could and unfortunately it was time to let him go. This is Bens story from his Furmomma & family.

Ben was born on October 29, 2015, in Monterey LA. He lived with his brothers and sisters out back behind their house in a chicken coop. His mother was unfortunately hit by a vehicle and passed shortly after giving birth to the litter. We brought Ben home on December 20th, 2015. He was the runt of the litter, 3lbs, and full of worms. Ben lived a happy, healthy, fun filled life. For 8 years, he enjoyed spending his days outside playing in the pond or with his dog friends next door. He loved to take car rides!! On New Years Day 2024, we noticed Ben was not acting his usual self. He did not want to eat, go outside, or even get up off the floor. We called our vets office first thing Tuesday morning, but unfortunately, they were not unable to get him in until Wednesday. We decided to take him to University Veterinary Hospital on Tuesday instead of waiting any longer. Dr. Durov and his team were absolutely amazing! They immediately got him back and started with lab work. His liver levels were off the charts high. They said he was dehydrated and

also had a UTI. They were scheduling him for an ultrasound first thing Wednesday morning and keeping him overnight for iv fluids. The ultrasound confirmed his liver was severely enlarged. It was recommended that we do a liver biopsy but unfortunately Ben was not a good candidate for this procedure due to him being so weak and not being able to stand and It would take to long for the results to come back and we didn't have that kind of time. He was declining in health, and we needed to start some type of treatment immediately. They started him on steroids and several other medications along with keeping him on the iv fluids. Dr. Durov did a consultation Wednesday afternoon with a specialist who also recommended the liver biopsy, which, unfortunately, we were not unable to do , due to his rapidity declining heath. He was just too weak to make it thru the Procedure. His health continued declining rapidly, and we were unsure if he would survive the night much less the procedure. Thursday morning, we got our daily update, which unfortunately was that his health was still rapidly declining. We had to make decision quickly. After thorough examination of all of Bens options with consideration of his condition, and suggestions from our Vet. The kindest option for Ben was to make the decision to discontinue his suffering and allow his tired body to rest that afternoon. We were never able to find out what happened to our sweet boy Ben, but Dr. Durov suspected that because it came on so fast that it could have been one of 2 things. 1. A rare parasite called liver fluke that he could have contracted from the pond out back or 2. some type of toxicity from something he may have ingested like a poisonous mushroom, plant, or other substance. Our hearts are broken about Ben. He was the sweetest, most loving dog ever. Our 13 year old daughter who picked him out of the litter when she was only 5 years old is just devastated. Although the medical bills were expensive and completely unexpected at that time, we would have done it 10 times again if it meant we would have more time with our baby. Please keep our family in your prayers and for our daughter Kenzie. It's never easy to lose someone that was loved so deeply & unconditionally. Ben can never be replaced. His medical bills had to be paid and they only way was to use Care Credit, the invoices are available for anyone to see. Any and all help, prayers, thoughts, & shares are greatly appreciated.