Help Save Little Rio
Donation protected
Today, my sister and our family received devastating news about her beautiful, 6 year old Shih-Tzu named Rio.
Last week, Rio was her normal self up until the weekend. Rio's hind legs would go limp and she'd whimper at the slightest touch around her neck. This past weekend, my sister decided to rush her to the emergency room. A general exam and x-ray came back negative. We thought it might be a temporary thing. However, Rio was still in pain. She stopped eating completely. She struggled to go potty outside and could barely walk. She would not move her neck to the right or else, she would cry out.
My sister decided to take her to the neurologist today. She knew something was wrong. After seeing the results from the MRI, the doctor could not bring herself to give my sister the bad news. Finally, the doctor told her that they had found a life threatening tumor in Rio's spine, closer towards her neck. Unfortunately, they are hesitant to perform the surgery because the tumor is in a very dangerous location of the spine. Surgery is risky and would likely not remove the entire tumor. Rio would, also, need chemotherapy over a span of 3 weeks, which would include travel to Austin or Houston, hotel and time off from work. Doctors have estimated the cost to range anywhere from $8000 - $10,000.
The doctors gave Rio, our precious fur-baby and my fur-niece, 3 - 12 months to live.
My sister and her fiance just recently got engaged and were in the process of planning a wedding up until now. Right now, they want nothing more than their fur-baby to be herself again: standing on her hindlegs begging for a treat, running across the yard, and getting up on the couch to snuggle with her mommy or her favorite aunt (that's me, of course!). Right now, all we want is for Rio to fight this and live a long, healthy, happy life. I know my sister is willing to do anything to save Rio and make sure she is pain free and living her best life.
Please help us save our 'Princess'. It's hard to see both my sister and sweet fur-niece in so much pain. Rio is one of the sweetest, most loving, low-maintenance and the most 'chill' dog I've ever known. She is 6 years too young to be going through this. We want her to celebrate more birthday parties with her parents, Cooper and Daisy, and sister, Coco, eating dog cake and playing outside.
We appreciate your support. Thank you for going on this journey with us.
Last week, Rio was her normal self up until the weekend. Rio's hind legs would go limp and she'd whimper at the slightest touch around her neck. This past weekend, my sister decided to rush her to the emergency room. A general exam and x-ray came back negative. We thought it might be a temporary thing. However, Rio was still in pain. She stopped eating completely. She struggled to go potty outside and could barely walk. She would not move her neck to the right or else, she would cry out.
My sister decided to take her to the neurologist today. She knew something was wrong. After seeing the results from the MRI, the doctor could not bring herself to give my sister the bad news. Finally, the doctor told her that they had found a life threatening tumor in Rio's spine, closer towards her neck. Unfortunately, they are hesitant to perform the surgery because the tumor is in a very dangerous location of the spine. Surgery is risky and would likely not remove the entire tumor. Rio would, also, need chemotherapy over a span of 3 weeks, which would include travel to Austin or Houston, hotel and time off from work. Doctors have estimated the cost to range anywhere from $8000 - $10,000.
The doctors gave Rio, our precious fur-baby and my fur-niece, 3 - 12 months to live.
My sister and her fiance just recently got engaged and were in the process of planning a wedding up until now. Right now, they want nothing more than their fur-baby to be herself again: standing on her hindlegs begging for a treat, running across the yard, and getting up on the couch to snuggle with her mommy or her favorite aunt (that's me, of course!). Right now, all we want is for Rio to fight this and live a long, healthy, happy life. I know my sister is willing to do anything to save Rio and make sure she is pain free and living her best life.
Please help us save our 'Princess'. It's hard to see both my sister and sweet fur-niece in so much pain. Rio is one of the sweetest, most loving, low-maintenance and the most 'chill' dog I've ever known. She is 6 years too young to be going through this. We want her to celebrate more birthday parties with her parents, Cooper and Daisy, and sister, Coco, eating dog cake and playing outside.
We appreciate your support. Thank you for going on this journey with us.
Organizer and beneficiary
Meredith Schnuriger
Organizer
San Antonio, TX
Tatum Schnuriger
Beneficiary