Support Bandit's Life-Saving Surgery Costs

On Saturday, I was on a flight for work when I received a devastating text message: "Bandit has gallbladder torsion and needs emergency surgery, or we have to put him to sleep."

I immediately started asking questions about how much time we would have with him and what his quality of life would be. In full tears on the flight, I questioned whether I was being selfish to say do the surgery because I wouldn't have gotten to say goodbye, and his last memory of me would be me leaving. I was about to make the hard decision to let him go when I got the message that my parents had put the cost of the surgery on their credit card.

A little backstory: I got Bandit and his sister when I was in college at Georgia Tech. He was always my best bud, and I did everything I could with him. After graduating, I moved to Texas for work and, unable to fully care for him like he needed, I left him and his sister with my parents to keep them from feeling too much like empty nesters. Being a Shiba Inu, Bandit has such a unique personality that has always been entertaining, so I missed him dearly.

After a few years, I moved back to Georgia, but by this time, he and Abby had really become my parents' dogs. I still visited regularly, and he was still my little dude. Sadly, his sister, Abby, had a brain tumor and passed away in 2021, but Bandit has remained relatively healthy and energetic despite being older than her.

This all came as a sudden surprise. He was throwing up on Saturday morning, and everyone assumed he ate something bad. Obviously, he wasn't feeling good throughout the day because he vomited a few more times and couldn't even stand or walk. It got to the point where my parents rushed him to the emergency vet.

On Sunday, July 14, he had to undergo emergency gallbladder surgery. This surgery, plus the stay in the veterinary hospital, has been an extreme financial burden on my parents, who have recently retired and are living on a fixed income. Amber and I really want to help them as much as possible. I hate even the thought of asking for help, but this one hurts, and anything would be helpful.