Luna Needs More Time. I Need Urgent Help.

*Please see the last update before continuing. We still need help, but I don’t want anyone contributing under the impression it’s going toward Luna’s treatment in a way that could save her.*

I'm begging for your help right now to help save the life of my 5-year-old husky, Luna. And I'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to learn about her and her current situation. (There's a longer version of this I'll post in an update if you'd like to know more about how amazing she is.)

My wife Courtney and I adopted Luna about 5 years ago, after our similarly beloved rescue German Shepherd Ezra passed. Luna saved us in that moment—because, devastated as we were at the time, it is impossible to be in the same room with her and not feel joy even in the darkest of times.

Here's the current situation: Luna has never had a medical issue. She is also my best and least picky eater. So I knew her skipping dinner altogether on Tuesday (March 25) meant something was seriously wrong. When she didn't eat at all the next day, I set an appointment. She got treatment, but nothing changed. She was still vomiting, still not eating, and becoming increasingly lethargic. After blood tests and x-rays and numerous theories, we learned yesterday that her kidneys are failing for reasons we don't know just yet. The biological indicators of kidney functioning like creatinine are beyond what some of the machines can detect.

We were told that either she goes into emergency care for 3-4 days, or we needed to talk about end of life options. The latter is not an option I'm willing to do if there's still hope. And while doctors have expressed the seriousness of the situation, there is hope. But hope comes with a price tag we can't afford on our own, so I am pleading for your help.

As far as her diagnosis and prognosis goes, what we know is her kidneys are in critical condition. They are still testing as far as what the cause might be. Acute kidney failure isn't especially common for a dog her age. It could be a bacterial infection. It could be pancreatitis that led to the kidney issues. It could be simple, it could be complex. But what's absolutely known is that if her kidneys aren't flushed and fixed, she will die. This is an urgent ask.

Unfortunately, I only have what we've already paid and what's been roughly estimated to say how much we need. So far, we've paid about $5,000. For two or three more days, that would likely be another $4,000-$5,000. That's assuming they don't find something more serious and she ends up needing additional care. But for now, I'm asking you to help us give her just the next couples days.

As uncomfortable as this is to say, our financial situation is bad. I'm not sure we could have afforded this a couple months ago, but since then my wife lost her job and using a sizable portion of her severance was the only way we could pay for one day of in-house treatment. She needs more time. We urgently need your help to make that happen. Please.

If you can't donate, I'd be so appreciative if you could share. And if you can donate, please know you will be saving a puppy, helping reunite her with her sisters and cousins—and honestly, saving me and my wife. Nobody wants to beg for financial help. Nobody wants to see their companion suffer or die. I am on my hands and knees. Please.

Thank you so much for reading this and for considering helping us through this.

—With profound gratitude, Kyle, Courtney, Maggie, Stella, Mabel, Bear, and Vader.