Osito

About the Campaign

Osito is a 5-year-old male Yorkie and Chihuahua mix with dental disease. Small dogs like Osito have crowded, tiny teeth that are prone to infection, and his vet says he now needs dental work, including a cleaning and removal of any teeth that cannot be saved.

Elsy takes Osito for a checkup every year. At his most recent visit, the vet found the disease in his teeth and gums and told her it needs to be treated. Dental disease does not get better on its own; the infection keeps spreading and the mouth becomes more painful the longer it waits.

Osito came from a good friend of Elsy’s whose dogs had puppies. Elsy was hesitant to take on a dog because of the cost of food and vet care, but her daughter had always wanted one and kept asking. Her daughter had also been through something no child should see: a violent attack on her mother by her father, which left her with lasting trauma. They brought Osito home when he was a year old, and he has been her emotional support ever since. She is 15 now and in high school, and Osito is a big part of how she copes.

Unfortunately, money is the problem. Elsy is a single mother who lives in low-income housing with her daughter and her 72-year-old aunt, a retired housekeeper. She works, but has only been able to find part-time hours as a caregiver for an elderly person. In 2023 the apartment building her family had lived in for 24 years burned, and they lost everything. She moved in with her aunt and uncle and helped care for her uncle through his cancer until he passed away that fall. There is nothing left over for a dental surgery for a little Yorkie!

The good news is that this is a routine, fixable problem. Donations will help cover Osito’s exam, bloodwork, anesthesia, dental cleaning, extractions, antibiotics, and pain medication so he can eat comfortably and stay by his girl’s side. Elsy has arrange for care with Vets in Vans(opens in new tab), a non-profit clinic that provides excellent care at the lowest prices. All donations are paid only to the veterinarian, and the estimate is below, just click to enlarge: