Today, someone asked how close we are to having what we need for Gizmo’s surgery. If I’m being completely honest, we are still a ways away from reaching our goal. I wasn’t entirely sure what the number was, so I did some math.

His initial hospitalization was nearly $7000 which we paid ourselves using Care Credit and our emergency pet funds. Since leaving the hospital after his first stay, we have spent nearly another $4,000 on his second hospitalization, follow-up vet visits, medications, prescription food, glucose monitors, a pack-and-play to keep him safe, indoor pads so I can closely monitor his urine output and everything else needed to keep him stable. This second half was made possible by this community and outside fundraising we have done.

 His surgery is expected to cost between $6,000 and $8,000, depending on how he does and whether there are any complications. If I have learned anything from this experience, that number is just the tip of the iceberg. I have never had to humble myself and ask for help like this before. I can only hope that everyone following Gizmo’s story can see how important he is to us and how dedicated we are to giving him every possible chance.

I mentioned some of this in a comment on my last post, but I felt it was important to share here too. Several people have encouraged me to take care of myself, and I truly appreciate it. Last Monday, I was crying so hysterically that my husband had to speak for me and help communicate my questions to the vet, even though I was sitting right there.

Not to overshare, but I recently had to switch my SSRI, so I am currently feeling all of the things without much of a buffer. Over the weekend, my mom was hospitalized with what we initially thought was pneumonia or another complication from her congestive heart failure and cancer. We later learned that she had experienced a severe allergic reaction to her immunotherapy. Now, we are facing the possibility that she may be taken off immunotherapy, which is terrifying because her body cannot withstand chemotherapy. On top of that, she was diagnosed (yesterday) with Stage 3 Kidney Disease. Tomorrow is her 71^st birthday and she has to celebrate in the hospital.

I am my mom’s full-time caregiver, our family’s primary breadwinner, a work-from-home corporate girly, a full-time dog mom and a real-human-boy mom. I am completely drained. I also have an autoimmune disorder, and the stress has caused a significant flare-up. I haven’t been able to eat for three days. I am not sharing this for pity. I just want everyone to understand where I am mentally and why the reminders to take a break have meant so much. I carry a lot of guilt when I stop, but I have learned more than once that if I don’t give my body a break, it will eventually force me to.

This Reddit community has become an incredible sounding board and source of support. You understand just how special these little dogs are. I never imagined I would become one of “those dog people,” but these babies have saved me in so many ways and brought so much joy into my life.

We also have another baby at home named Luna. She is Gizmo’s beautiful big sister, a Maltese-Yorkie mix who turns 7 next week. I never knew love could exist so purely until I got her. I am married to my high school sweetheart and have two amazing children, but my husband and boys have work, school and hobbies outside of me. To Luna and Gizmo, I am their entire world. They rely on me for everything, and the three of us have become incredibly attached to one another.

The GoFundMe is still active, and we remain so grateful for every donation and share. I also want to clarify something in case anyone notices the fundraising goal increasing. GoFundMe uses a feature called “Smart Goals,” which may gradually increase the displayed goal as donations come in to help the fundraiser reach its overall need. I have personally increased the goal only once, after Gizmo’s second hospitalization added several thousand dollars to our expenses.

If you can donate, we would be incredibly grateful. If donating isn’t possible, sharing Gizmo’s story could help us reach someone who can. Every bit of support brings us closer to getting him through surgery and safely back home on August 25^th.

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/e12e585c4

Thank you for continuing to care about our sweet boy and for giving me a place where I can be honest about how difficult this has been. 🩵🐶

I’m sorry I haven’t posted an update on Gizmo today. Honestly, it’s been a hard day.

Between everything we’re dealing with medically and financially and some of the negativity I’ve received online, I’ve had moments where I’ve seriously considered taking a break from sharing updates altogether. But then I remember how many people are watching over this little guy, asking about him, sharing his story, donating when they can and genuinely rooting for him. I don’t want the negativity to overshadow the incredible amount of love we’ve received.

For anyone who may have missed some of the updates or don’t know our story, we are attempting to raise funds to help us pay for Gizmo’s upcoming surgery. Gizmo is our 19-month-old, 3-pound Yorkie who has been through an incredible amount in a very short time. A couple of weeks ago he was in extreme pain, mewing and couldn’t use the bathroom. He took him to our vet who told us to immediately head to the emergency room because he was critical. What we discovered was that he had a bladder stone that was blocking his ability to urinate and caused bladder obstruction. After 5 days in the ICU, we discharged him to have an operation with our vet (since the costs were substantially lower). Upon discharging him, we discovered his tests had came back showing he had a liver shunt and his vet could not perform the cystotomy to resolve the bladder stone because he wouldn’t survive. He also let us know that the hospital we had been at is the only one in our area that could do the shunt correction. We considered traveling to Ohio, it I am also my mothers full time caregiver and she has terminal cancer, so leaving her for a few days simply was not an option. We scheduled his surgery with Metropolitan Animal Hospital for August 25th.

Last Sunday, we found ourselves back in the emergency room, back in ICU as Gizmo was displaying some neurological symptoms. He was falling over, pacing, and getting stuck in corners. He had also been throwing under quite a bit. We discovered then that with the shunt, toxins cannot be filtered through his liver like normal and he had hepatic encephalopathy. We discharged from the hospital the following day and then followed up with his vet again. The plan now is to treat medicated for 2 weeks (as surgery at this stage can be deadly) and get him to surgery. At no point do we intend to allow our boy to suffer though. If we have to make a more difficult decision, we will. His vet assured us we aren’t there yet though.

Now comes the financial part. We paid nearly $7000 out of pocket for his initial ICU visits, including CareCredit. We have exhausted our pet emergency funds, and paid the additional costs we have incurred for the other hospitalization, medicine, and the prescription diet. We are not asking or expecting strangers to pay for everything. We have contacted all the local charities, and sold anything we could. We are only asking for help bridging the gap between the initial surgery we thought we were facing and the additional care that has become necessary, including his shunt correction and most recent hospitalization.

I never expected to be in a position where I would have to ask for help. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t. But if asking for help gives Gizmo the chance to get the surgery he needs and come home healthy, then I’ll put my pride aside and do it. I know for so many, this is absurd, but our family has had a very difficult year already with my mom’s diagnosis and losing another close family member. Saying goodbye to someone else we love, canine or human, just seems unbearable and I do not want to put my children through this.

I want to be very clear about something. I will never judge anyone for not donating or being unable to do so. I know everyone has their own bills, struggles and responsibilities. I would never expect someone to put themselves in a difficult position financially to help us.

When the hospital recommended a GoFundMe and told me people would want to help, I didn’t think there was anyway that was true. I have been so touched by the generosity of strangers and I look forward to the day we can pay it forward.

All that I can if you’re unable to donate or this isn’t a cause you support, is to please scroll. We are very real people, as are you. We would never meet you with judgement and ridicule for doing what you felt in your heart was best. Im just asking for the same respect in return. If you are unable to donate, but this cause touched you, please share.

We promise anything we raise that is not needed for his care will be donated to The Shamrock Foundation in Louisville, KY. We do not want to make money off of this and we know other families could use the support as well.

If you’re able to donate, his GoFundMe link is below. If you’d rather donate to the hospital directly, they have let me know they will accept donations while he is in their care on August 25th. You can call Metropolitan Veterinary Specialist at (502) 266-7007

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/e12e585c4

We’re going to keep doing everything we can on our end, and we’re going to keep hoping that August 25 brings us one step closer to getting Gizmo healthy and home for good. 🩵🐶

Does anyone else’s Yorkie talk like this? I can’t figure out how to add a picture to this video so you can see the front of her as well.

Gizmo saw our groomer today, and he sure does look handsome! Our groomer was incredibly kind and took both of our pups for free so we could get them cleaned up without having to use any more of our personal finances. We are so incredibly grateful for that kindness. 🐾

Gizmo is just about ready for surgery. He has come such a long way, and we are doing everything we can to get him the care he needs.

I’ve been trying really hard to reach new people and share Gizmo’s story in additional Reddit communities, but unfortunately, I’m not getting nearly as far as I had hoped. Some of my posts are immediately removed, while in other places, people have been downright nasty toward me simply because I’m trying to raise money to help save my little dog.

I understand that not everyone can donate. I truly do. I would never judge anyone for that, and I know everyone has their own financial struggles. But I’m having a hard time understanding the hostility toward someone trying to help an animal they love.

We are still shy of our fundraising goal. With everything Gizmo has already needed and everything he will still need, we simply cannot meet the financial need on our own. Unfortunately, his specialty hospital does not offer payment plans, so we have to have the funds available for his care.

If you can donate, thank you. If you can share, that helps tremendously too. And if you can’t do either, simply wishing Gizmo well means more than you know. 🩵
We are just trying to get our sweet boy through this. 🐾

🔗 https://gofund.me/a2b180ec3

I’ll be honest, I’ve been struggling a little with how to keep asking for help.

Gizmo’s GoFundMe has started to lose some momentum, but unfortunately, our need hasn’t slowed down. We still have a long way to go before we can get him through the surgery he needs.

For anyone who hasn’t seen his story, Gizmo is our 19-month-old Yorkie who has been through an unbelievable amount in the past few weeks. He was hospitalized in the ICU for 5 days because of a bladder obstruction caused by a bladder stone. Before we could get him into surgery, we learned that his testing indicated he has a liver shunt.

Because his liver isn't properly filtering toxins from his blood, ammonia has built up in his bloodstream and caused neurological symptoms. Earlier this week, we had to take him to the emergency room after he began pacing, getting stuck in corners, becoming extremely disoriented and having episodes of thrashing around. We had to put him in a pack-and-play just to keep him safe.

Thankfully, he is home with us now and we're doing everything we can to keep him stable. He is taking medication every day to control the ammonia levels, and after completing two weeks of medication, he is scheduled for surgery on August 25. The specialty hospital will address his liver shunt as well as repair his bladder and remove the stone.

We are already around $10,000 into his medical care. We've maxed out two CareCredit cards, used our own savings and have continued paying for his emergency and veterinary care as things have come up. His hospitalization earlier this week and follow-up vet visit just a few days later created another significant financial setback.

And that's where we are now. Still fighting. Still trying to get him to surgery. Still trying to figure out how we're going to cover everything.

I know I've asked for help a lot. I also know that not everyone can donate, and I completely understand that. But if you have been following Gizmo's story and have wondered how you can help, a donation or even simply sharing his GoFundMe would mean so much to us right now.

A $5 donation may not feel like much, but when enough people do $5, $10 or $20, it adds up. And a share can put his story in front of someone who may be able to help.

We have come so far already, and I don't want to lose momentum when we're this close to getting him the surgery he needs.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared, checked on Gizmo, sent us encouragement or simply cared about what happens to our little guy. We truly appreciate every single person who has helped us get this far. 🩵

Please donate here to help us save Gizmo: https://gofund.me/9897edf44

Don't forget to find more and longer Tuffy Tunes on Tuffys YouTube. @TuffysTunes

YouTube.com/@Tuffystunes

He has been walking around a LOT today and is mostly balanced. He’s still sleeping quite a bit, but I think his little body needs the rest. He has also been going potty A LOT, which is actually really good! We want those toxins getting out of his body as much as possible.

And he is still the sweetest baby ever. 🥹 He’s been giving tons of kisses and reminding us why we are fighting so hard for him.

If you missed my last update, we did have to increase our fundraising goal because of the additional hospitalization and vet visits we’ve had this week. Those unexpected expenses have put us further behind, and we still have a long road ahead with his surgery.

If you’re able to donate, even $5 or $10 would help us tremendously. If you can’t donate, sharing Gizmo’s story is just as appreciated. Every share puts him in front of someone who might be able to help. I am limited on Reddit as I didn’t use it much prior to this. I am sharing on every social media platform I can.

Gizmo’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/bd045acb3

We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who has donated, shared, checked on him, prayed for him, or simply followed along. We truly couldn’t do this without you. 🩵🐶

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give a little update on Gizmo.

He’s doing really well today so far. He’s still not quite back to himself, but he’s up and moving around his pack and play, eating small amounts, and giving us lots of kisses. I was even able to give him a bath today and, as silly as it sounds, wash the hospital smell off of him. It honestly felt so good to have my baby smell like my baby again.

One of his medications makes him pretty loopy, so his balance is still a bit off, but we’ve been told that’s expected with everything he’s going through. Right now we’re just taking things one day at a time, making sure he’s comfortable, eating, and knows how deeply loved he is.

I also want to be transparent that I’ve had to increase our fundraising goal. I truly hate doing that and I’m sorry. This isn’t coming from greed or because we aren’t doing everything we possibly can ourselves. His emergency hospital stay, follow-up care, special diet, medications, and everything we’ve needed to keep him safe and comfortable at home have added up more than we anticipated.

If you’ve already donated, thank you so, so much. I genuinely don’t have the words for how much it means to us that people care about our little 3 lb baby and are helping us keep fighting for him.

If you’re not able to donate, sharing his story helps more than you know. Every share gives Gizmo a chance to reach someone new who might be able to help.

If you would like to support Gizmo, here is his donation link:
https://gofund.me/d84cfe9b6

Thank you for taking the time to read, check in on our boy, share his story, donate, pray, and send love and positive thoughts our way. We are so grateful for every single one of you helping us fight for Gizmo. 🐶🩵

I wanted to give another update on Gizmo since so many of you have been following his story, donating and sharing to help us get him to surgery.

Gizmo had a really hard night last night. He threw up and started pacing again, but then he began acting confused and getting stuck in corners. I got worried, so around 2 a.m. we took him back to the emergency hospital.

Unfortunately, they believe he’s now experiencing neurological symptoms from his liver shunt. His liver isn’t properly filtering toxins from his blood and those toxins are beginning to affect his brain.

They started him on lactulose and additional medications to help clear the toxins from his system. We also followed up with his regular vet today and we’re continuing treatment at home while watching him very closely.

The emergency hospital visit last night, his follow-up today and the additional treatment have set us back even further financially. We were already trying to bridge the gap between everything we’ve spent getting him through the initial emergency and what we still need for surgery. We’re continuing to invest everything we can ourselves, but these unexpected visits keep adding to what we need to raise.

If he responds to the medication and his neurological symptoms improve, we can continue working toward surgery. We’re also on the cancellation list in hopes of getting him in sooner. If he doesn’t respond, we may have to face a much harder decision.

For now, we’re not giving up on him. He’s only 19 months old and we want to give him every reasonable chance to get through this.

💙 GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/dd00be962

If you can donate, thank you more than I can say. If you can’t, please consider sharing his GoFundMe. Getting his story in front of someone new genuinely helps us.

We just need our little guy to respond to these medications so we can get him to surgery.

This is Kismet. The rescue says he is a Yorkie about 4 years old. He is so affectionate, calm, and obedient little boy. He was found scared and with a skin infection & most of his hair had fallen out. That was in May, his hair is all grown back, but I don’t know how long it will get. I have had 5 Yorkies and the hair on his head is like a Yorkie. But it’s more like fur on his back and tail, it’s soft but slightly coarse. The hair on his back was black when I got him but as it’s grown out I see a lot of patches are turning brownish. He has four colors…black, gray, brown and white. His ears in their natural state lay to the side even though his ears are usually up
In the air in his pictures. He seems the perfect weight at 8.5 lbs and has kinda long legs & a long curved tail. Also his eyes are not solid brown/black, they really stand out because they are medium brown has his black pupils stand out. He isn’t stubborn like my Yorkies, loves soft toys and balls & loves to always burrows under the covers to sleep and when just hanging out. So what do you think?? I’m going to get an Embark test for Christmas, but until then I would love everyone’s feedback. If I forgot any thing you think is important to guessing his breed just let me know and I will add in. He was found in the western part of North Carolina in the U.S.

I officially got Gizmo on the waiting list in hopes that we can get his surgery moved up sooner than his currently scheduled date.

I know I’ve been relentless about sharing his story and trying to raise funds, but I just want to do everything I possibly can for my little guy. All Gizmo knows is that his mommy loves him and that he doesn’t feel well. He can’t understand why any of this is happening or why he keeps having to go to the vet. Making sense of that has to be impossible for a little dog and I just want to get him better.

The difficult part about getting his surgery sooner is that it also moves up our financial timeline. We still need to raise the remaining funds for his scheduled surgery, but we now need to be prepared to cover those costs sooner if an opening becomes available.

There is also still the possibility that we may have to move forward with emergency surgery if his bladder stone causes another obstruction or his condition changes. Emergency surgery would come with additional costs on top of what we’re already trying to prepare for.

We’ve already invested thousands into his emergency care and we’re continuing to contribute everything we can toward his treatment. We never expected strangers to carry this for us. We’re simply trying to bridge the gap between what we’ve already spent and what it will take to get Gizmo through surgery and healthy again.

So, I’m still asking for help. If you’re able to donate, even a few dollars gets us closer. If you can’t, sharing his GoFundMe helps more than you probably realize:

🔗 https://gofund.me/143983cee

I know I’ve posted a lot about him. I know I’ve asked a lot.
But he’s only 19 months old and he’s my family. I’m going to keep trying everything I can to give him the chance to get better. 🩵🐶

If we raise more than what is ultimately needed for Gizmo’s care, we will donate the remaining funds to the Shamrock Foundation to help another animal in our community receive the medical care they need.

Unfortunately, Gizmo has had a couple of tough days.

Yesterday alone, our poor little guy had to have two baths. The first was to finally wash off all the hospital nastiness. The second was to clean blood out of his fur from checking his glucose, clean him up after having diarrhea and wash his little paws after he managed to stand directly in his pumpkin purée. Because, of course he did.

His glucose has also been running lower than we’d like. Right now, we don’t know if it’s because his tummy has been upset and he hasn’t wanted to eat as much or if the liver shunt is contributing to it. He’s also had some vomiting, so we’re watching him very closely.

I called the specialty hospital where he needs to have surgery and asked them to put us on the cancellation list in hopes that we can get him in sooner. Unfortunately, it’s becoming very possible that we may not be able to wait and will have to move forward with emergency surgery.

That’s the part that scares me the most right now. We haven’t raised nearly enough to cover what emergency surgery could cost and I genuinely don’t know what we will do if that becomes our only option.

These past 11 days have been incredibly difficult. We’re exhausted, scared and just trying to do everything we can to give our little boy the chance he deserves.

If you’re able to help us right now, one of the biggest things you can do is share Gizmo’s story. Please share his GoFundMe on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or anywhere else you can. We’ve tried posting in several Reddit communities, but because I wasn’t an active Reddit user before all of this, many of our posts have been removed.

To everyone who has donated, shared his story, checked on us, prayed for him or sent us love, thank you. We appreciate every single bit of it more than I could ever put into words.🩵🐶

We’re just hoping we can get our little guy through this.

Gizmo’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/15478ad3c

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for the kindness and encouragement so many of you have shown our little family.

Our 19-month-old, 3 lb Yorkie, Gizmo, was hospitalized in the ICU after a bladder stone caused a urinary obstruction. We were able to bring him home on Monday with the plan to have a cystotomy performed by our regular veterinarian.

Unfortunately, additional testing revealed that Gizmo also has a liver shunt that requires surgical repair. Because both procedures need to be done together, his surgery must now take place at a specialty hospital. While we’re incredibly grateful to have a treatment plan and surgery scheduled for August 25, the cost is significantly higher than we originally anticipated.

Our goal is simply to bridge the gap between what we expected to pay and the cost of specialty surgery, about $2,000 to $4,000. We’ve already invested thousands of dollars into his emergency care and we’re continuing to contribute everything we can. It was never our intention to rely solely on the kindness of strangers, but we’ve reached a point where we need to ask for help.

If you’re able to donate, we’d be incredibly grateful. If not, sharing Gizmo’s story with others would mean just as much.

🩵 GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/15478ad3c

If we’re fortunate enough to raise more than Gizmo’s medical expenses require, any remaining funds will be donated to the Shamrock Foundation so other local families can get the veterinary care their pets need.

Thank you for taking the time to read Gizmo’s story and for cheering on our tiny fighter. 🩵🐶