Alice is a 9-year-old Shih Tzu in Rockford, IL, who needs $2,000 for Multiple Treatments for Bowel Obstruction and Esophageal Etricture.

I met this sweet little pup when I worked for a kennel 9 years ago. She was adorable, and had a great personality, and bonded almost instantly. She is unusually small for a Shih Tzu because she was the only pup in a first litter. Most clients passed her by fearing that her size meant she wasn’t healthy, But even the vets said she was healthy, just small. I couldn’t resist and brought her home.

Alice is a wonderful pet and gets along well with our other dogs well. But she has also never met a person that she doesn’t like. From the first time I met her, I knew that she would make an excellent therapy dog, so I enrolled her in a therapy certification course. She was a natural and began her therapy work when she was 2 years old.

Alice is a very small Shih Tzu, only 3.5#, making her an excellent size to work with a variety of people. We to do Hospice therapy visits because her size is advantageous in working with people in delicate conditions. Alice loves to snuggle, is very affectionate and has a calming affect on the patients she interacts with. She has done therapy work most of her life, up until Covid protocol.

Alice has always been a very healthy pup. This crisis was brought on when she broke a piece off of a dental chew and swallowed it, leading to her chocking and vomiting. She has been treated by 2 vets locally, 1 an Animal Emergency Vet. She seemed to be recovery for a couple of days, but then began vomiting again. She is currently being treated by UW Emergency Vetrinary Care in Wisconsin.

We spent nearly $3,000 between the 2 local Vets. But 3 days into her recovery, the vomiting began again. We were granted a $5,000 Care Credit, but the UW bill is up ti $3,000 to date and further treatment will be necessary including mild pancreatitis they discovered.