Ryan's parents were both graduate students and when they recently moved to this country from India, they brought Ryan with them. Unfortunately he developed a mast cell tumor which required immediate removal. Being students they had no income, only student loans to help them, and there wasn't enough for the surgery. LLL was able to help Ryan get the surgery, and the vet was optimistic for clean margins and a good outcome.

Some dogs that end up in rescues have health issues, and usually the rescue will treat them before they go to their forever homes. That wasn't the case with three year old Lucy. She was heartworm positive and was ready to be euthanized. Her new family chose to adopt her to save her life, knowing they would end up with large medical bills. When Lucy was ready for her final round of treatment, her new mom found Labrador Life Line and with LLL's help, Lucy was able to complete her heartworm treatment.

Remington was 9 years old when he was diagnosed with amelanonic melanoma and he required a partial mandibulectomy. His mom suffered from situational anxiety and depression and Remington made a huge difference in her life. She didn't have the money for the surgery, but wouldn't give up on Remington. She had a gofundme account and help from family and friends, but it still wasn't enough. She applied to Labrador Life Line in the hopes that with an approval, she would have enough money for Remington's life saving surgery. There was no sign of spread, and the surgeon felt Remington had a good chance for a decent prognosis, so LLL granted an approval, and Remington had the surgery. The mass came out easily, and more tests verified there was no spread at all, which was the best possible news! 

Chloe, like many Labs, developed laryngeal paralysis and needed tie back surgery to help her breathe comfortably again. Her mom was out of work due to a knee replacement surgery, and also cared for her adult daughter with disabilities. She didn't have the funds for the surgery. LLL helped and her mom was so grateful, she sent this update. 

"...just had a moment to send a huge hug your way...Chloe was operated on this Monday and is recuperating as we speak...I cannot express how deeply grateful I am for the kindness you have given us as well as a chance for all of us to share more time together with a new lease on life with the love of my life. Life has been reset for all of us ....because of this remarkable organization & its members I'm truly grateful and will be signing on to pay it forward in helping others  to have the same opportunity as I Please share my words to all those who have changed our lives in a truly meaningful way. God Bless all of you!!! "

Bear tore his CCL and his mom tried conservative management to see if it would heal. After four months of rest and medication, he wasn't getting any better, so TPLO surgery was recommended. Mom was working two jobs, but still didn't have enough money for the expensive surgery. She applied to LLL and Bear was approved for help.

Brodie was a typical 11 month old Lab who loved to hike, swim, camp and play fetch. He also liked to eat....anything. He had a history of eating things he shouldn't, but nothing that required serious medical attention. That all changed when he ate a rubber ball and some string. He required emergency surgery to have the ball removed from his stomach and the string from his small intestine. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon and can go back to chasing balls rather than eating them. LLL helped to give him that chance.

Hana was only a year old when she was diagnosed with a rare, fast-growing tumor on her face. Only 6 dogs are known to have been diagnosed with this type of mass. It was inoperable, but she was a good candidate for radiation therapy. Since it was so rare, the vet didn't know if radiation would shrink the mass or possibly even be a cure. The other dogs studied didn't receive radiation. The cost to treat Hana was very expensive and her mom maxed-out all of her credit to treat her. She came to LLL for help in giving Hana radiation and a chance.

Eevee's mom had taken her out for a ride, and when she arrived home a perfect storm hit, causing Eevee to be hit by a car. She had a fenced in yard, but when getting out of the car, Eevee jumped on her mom, who had just had surgery, so she sat down in pain. At that moment, the neighbor came outside to get mail, and Eevee ran to see her. Mom couldn't grab her, and she wasn't in the yard yet. Eevee was only 9 months old, and suffered a fractured right femur at her growth plate. Emergency surgery was performed to insert pins to save her leg. Her mom needed help paying for the pre op care and post op x rays, having already borrowed a large sum to pay the surgeon. LLL was able to help with the emergency care, and Eevee should fully recover.

Jewel, a service dog, was so much more than that to her mom, and when she became sick Mom vowed to do everything possible to help determine what was wrong. Jewel was vomiting, had diarrhea and was losing weight, but all of the tests were inconclusive. Being blind and living on disability only is tough, and when the money ran out, Mom turned to Labrador Life Line to help with the diagnosis. LLL had helped Jewel in 2009 with her diabetes insipidus diagnosis, so she was hopeful LLL could help again. She was approved for help, and finally an ultrasound showed Jewel had pancreatitis, a condition that can kill if not caught early enough. Thanks to the help from LLL, Jewel's life was saved and her mom is grateful.

Oreo was a Seeing Eye dog and gave her life in service to her blind mom. In turn, when she became sick, her mom wanted to do everything possible to save her life. Oreo had a partial pericardiectomy for a heart based tumor, as well as a splenectomy. Although the tumor was thought to be cancerous, she was given a good prognosis with chemotherapy. Labrador Life Line approved to help with her long term care, but also to help with any other emergency needs that could arise. Chemo was started. Unfortunately, the day after approval, Oreo started having difficulty breathing. She made two emergency visits to the vet and fluid was drained from her lungs, but it wasn't helping. Oreo wasn't strong enough and lost her fight.

Like so many Labs, Lolita tore her ACL in 2015 and needed surgery. LLL helped her and her surgery was a success. When she started limping on her other leg, her family feared she had torn her other ACL, but they didn't have the funds for diagnostics, living paycheck to paycheck with an unreliable, commission based job. Knowing LLL helped Lolita two years ago, they applied for help again. LLL funded her case, and it was determined she had severe osteoarthritis and an unstable tear of her cranial cruciate ligament. Medication and rest was prescribed, and she hopefully won't need a second surgery.

Labs are prone to getting lipomas, fatty masses that sometimes grow to a very large size if not removed. Zobe had a basketball sized mass on her inner leg that was hindering her movement. Unfortunately, her family lived paycheck to paycheck and there was never enough left over for Zobe to get her needed surgery. Fortunately, LLL was able to help so that Zobe could have the large mass removed, making her life enjoyable again.

Kona was a fighter. He was diagnosed with sarcoma, fought that battle, and won. His mom helped to keep close tabs on him to be sure there was no spread, and everything was clear. This was difficult for her to do on a limited disability income, so when he had a second battle with another localized sarcoma, it was more than she could handle. She had destroyed her credit keeping up with his care, and was now facing bankruptcy. Kona had a good prognosis, but it was important to remove the sacrcoma, grade it, and develop a course of action. LLL was there to help Kona with his fight.

Charlie Brown was rescued after being a stray. His family loved him very much, but recently lost their house to a foreclosure and their car was repossessed. When he developed a recurring cyst on his cheek, having it removed was more than they could afford. With the help of LLL, Charlie Brown had the cyst removed.

Bosco's mom had been unable to work due to a breast cancer diagnosis. She was also a victim of identity theft, and only had disability income. Bosco had a chronic nail bed infection, and the vet recommended toe amputation. She loved Bosco dearly, but this was more than she could afford. She had already used her car payment to pay for the initial vet visit. LLL was able to approve his case, and Bosco received the necessary surgery.

Riley had a mammary growth that had ruptured, so she needed surgery. Her family was struggling with their finances. so they looked for, and found, a clinic that would do the surgery for considerably less than a regular vet. They also turned to LLL for help. Everything came together for Riley, and she was able to have her surgery.

Onyx was a happy 9 month old puppy, until he ate something he shouldn't have, which caused a life threatening obstruction. Unfortunately, it happened on a Friday and his family didn't have the funds for the surgery. By the time his mom found LLL and applied for assistance, his regular vet was closed for the weekend. No emergency vet would work with the family. Their costs were too high. Onyx hung on until Monday when his situation was extremely urgent. Labrador Life Line approved his case quickly, and he was able to have the emergency surgery necessary to save his life.

Edward had a tough start to life. When rescued at about 4 months old, he was covered in ticks, sores and was unable to use one of his back legs. It had been broken but left untreated and now he had a malunion disorder, meaning that even with surgery, his bones would never line up, being broken on the growth plate. The only option for Edward was amputation. His new family loved him, but wasn't given the truth of his condition and although they could afford a puppy, they didn't have the funds for the surgery. They instantly fell in love with him and found LLL to help with the much needed surgery. He now has a chance for a happy life as a tripawd pup!

Shady (a unique fox red) was a very special Lab, being a service and emotional support dog for her dad who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. He was dependent on her, but when she became very ill, she had to depend on him to save her life. Shady had a septic abdomen that resulted in an emergency gastrectomy and splenectomy. Then she became ill during the recovery and required another emergency exploratory surgery to clean out more infection. All of this was far more then her family could afford, so they applied with LLL for help. After an long stay at the vet, Shady can now be home to recover.

Scout's family loved her very much. She came to them as a foster and never left. When she came down with cherry eye though, they were struggling to make ends meet and couldn't afford her surgery. They feared that if they didn't get the surgery done for Scout that she would have long term complications. Thanks to LLL, Scout had her surgery.

Gracie was part of large family, and even though both parents worked, they had fallen on hard times financially, and had to support four children in addition to Gracie. When Gracie had a molar that became abscessed, the surgery to have it removed was more than her family could afford. They were still trying to pay off the debt for another previously infected tooth. The abscess was also causing ear and eye infections and the tooth needed to be removed soon. They found LLL through a reference and Gracie was able to get her much needed surgery.

Bucks needed surgery for bilateral CCL tears. His family was able to afford one of the surgeries, but TPLO surgery is very expensive and it was too much for them to afford both. They were a military family and didn't have the extra funds for Bucks. Labrador Life Line was able to help with the second surgery, and hopefully Bucks will be able to play again soon.

Labs are the breed most likely to eat something that isn't food, and when this happens, disaster can strike. . Buddha was a young, healthy Lab who ate a bag with a twist tie, and it got stuck in his intestines. He was a therapy dog, and the clinic wanted to do everything they could to save him. His family was a regular at the clinic, and had suffered some recent financial hardships, including filing for bankruptcy. The clinic knew they didn't have the funds to cover the surgery. LLL had funded another Lab with this clinic, so they contacted LLL and advised the owner to apply. Buddha's family did, and Buddha was able to get the lifesaving surgery he needed to survive.

Eliza was described as an "emotional therapy companion" by her mom, so when Eliza was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, her mom was devastated, Her limited disability income, however, made it impossible to keep up with the costs of Eliza's care. She rapidly got worse and required an emergency amputation because the vet feared she would become septic. LLL quickly approved her case and Eliza had the lifesaving surgery. Her prognosis was good, and her quality of life should improve as well.

Rocky was having difficulty breathing and the vet suspected congestive heart failure (CHF). His mom had a good job, but was laid off and although she found another job, it was at a considerably lower wage. She didn't have enough to get Rocky the echocardiogram he needed to confirm and stage the CHF. LLL approved his case, and Rocky had the test. The vet was optimistic after looking at the results, but Rocky passed away a few days later. Unfortunately, not every case has a happy ending.

Kane suffered from bilateral CCL ruptures and required TTA surgery. His family had tried conservative management for Kane, but the time finally arrived that he needed both knees operated on at once. His mom was unable to work, having been diagnosed with cancer three times, and although his dad did work, after the medical bills were paid for his mom, there wasn't enough left to pay for such expensive surgery. They did all they could to raise enough money, but fell a little short. LLL was able to make up that difference and Kane had his surgery. 

Libby was diagnosed with entropian, which is an inverted eyelid, and a corneal ulcr in her left eye. Both were causing her much discomfort, so surgery was recommended immediately. Her mom received SSDI and worked part time, but the cost of the surgery was out of her reach. She applied with LLL and Libby was able to have her surgery and was able to start a pain free life.

Zoe needed an anal sac infusion and it was more than her dad could afford. He had received funding from LLL once before, so he returned to get help for Zoe since all he could manage was to live paycheck to paycheck.

Beckett had a small spot on her side, and it started to look inflamed, so she went to the vet and a needle aspiration showed mast cells. Beckett needed surgery to remove the tumor and have it sent for a biopsy to determine its grade. Her mom struggled to make ends meet, and applied to LLL for assistance for Beckett's surgery. Beckett's prognosis is good, depending on the grade of the tumor. 

Lola had diabetes, a condition that can be well controlled with medication. If the medication isn't properly given, though, it becomes dire for the dog. Unfortunately, Lola was with an owner who was unable to care for her properly. She was neglected, suffered significant weight loss, and was brought to the vet on death's door. Labrador Life Line was not only able to help Lola get the proper treatment, but helped get her home with her other owner who had the capability to properly care for her. She is starting to regain weight and thrive now that she is safe.

Poor Taz. His family surrendered him to a shelter and a message was sent immediately that if a rescue didn't take him, he would be euthanized that night because he needed emergency medical care. Fortunately for Taz, a loving rescue stepped in to save his life and started the process of then saving his life a second time with the appropriate medical care. He was diagnosed with perianal fistulas and had a severe infection.  He had a blood transfusion. His costs were skyrocketing and the rescue came to LLL to try to help. LLL did, and Taz now has a second chance for a happy life.

Xena, only 7 months old, had a tough start to life. She was purchased sick from Craig's List, full of worms and covered in fleas. But worst of all, it was determined that she had a liver shunt and needed surgery or eventually she would die. Her new family lived paycheck to paycheck and although could save some money, it wouldn't be enough for the expensive, life-saving surgery. Labrador Life Line was able to help Xena get the life-saving surgery, her prognosis was now good, and hopefully she'll have a long life with her new, loving family.

Precious was adopted by her family after being a "foster fail".  She had a variety of medical issues that had to be paid for, including diabetes, and her dad had kept up with the bills. But he was retired and on a limited income, so it was too much when Precious tore her ACL, for him to afford. He turned to Labrador Life Line who approved his case, allowing him to continue to care for her medical needs.

Bella spent all of her 13 years with her wonderful mom and provided her comfort during difficult times. Her mom recently lost her full time job and was about to lose her home as well. Her finances were strapped, and then Bella developed a lump, which turned out to be a soft tissue sarcoma. Given her age, her prognosis was good as long as the tumor was removed. With the help of LLL, Bella now has a good chance to live out her life still providing Mom that comfort. no matter what happens