Posted with authorization from the mods/admins of the SDMB:
This is what I posted in the June mini-rants thread in the Pit last Tuesday:
*My niece became the mommy to a couple of golden retriever puppies about six years ago (well, a year apart). She’s always been into personal physical fitness, and was constantly going on runs and hikes with them; first in Pasadena, and more recently in Montrose.
She got home from work yesterday and found both of them in terrible condition; one was having seizures, and the other very sluggish. She took them to the ER vet near the LA Zoo, and stayed with them several hours, while the staff tried to stabilize them.
They had to spend the night in ICU. At 11p.m. the six-year old passed away.
My niece went back in the morning and got some time to cuddle with the five-year old for a while, but she deteriorated (my niece said something about how the dog is “still not clotting”), and about seven hours ago, she had to make the decision to say goodbye.
She’s absolutely devastated. I never got to meet her doggies, but she is my favorite niece, and Michaela’s favorite cousin, so things aren’t too cheerful over here, either.*
My niece has been working as a social worker in Los Angeles, taking care of abused and at-risk kids, for the past eight years. Lauren and Heidi were effectively social workers for her, providing her with emotional recharging after what were often (usually) stressful and draining days. Now they’re both gone, and on top of that, she has incurred some $6,000 in bills to cover the cost of this tragedy.
A friend has set up a crowdfunding page where her friends, her loved ones, and their communities can contribute toward getting this paid down. Here’s the link.
I’m pretty confident that the $6,000 goal will be met, and in addition to making a contribution of my own, I thought I’d invite the Angelenos, the esteemers-of-kaylasdad99’s-posts, and the dog lovers of the SDMB to join in the effort.
Thanks to all for your time and any assistance you care to give! 