ALAMEDA, Calif. (WLUK) — According to our affiliate FOX 46, a man cashed his 401K out and went into his life savings to pay for a $45,000 surgery to save his dogs life.
Dog owner Jason Garrett said in a recent YouTube video, “Lola isn’t just a miniature Schnauzer, she’s my world.”
The 12-year-old dog recently was diagnosed with mitral valve disease. This impacts her heart and lungs and most common heart issue for dogs.
One vet gave her eight to nine months to live.
After doing doing research, Garrett said he learned about a specialized surgery that has 85-90% success rate. It will reportedly add years to her life. The canine open-heart surgery costs $45,000 Garrett said in the video.
The price is so high because of the surgery’s specialization. The surgery was created by Japanese doctor Masami Uechi. Only Uechi and the few surgeons he’s trained know how to do the surgery.
I’ve already cashed out my 401K and using every penny of my savings,” Garrett told KGO-TV. “And I’m also looking into selling my car if need be.”
Garrett explained in the video he had suffered from bipolar disorder and severre depression his entire adult life. He says Lola is the reason he’s been able to “survive and thrive with this disease.”
“Lola has undoubtedly saved my life countless times and as you can imagine, I would do absolutely anything to save her,” Garrett said.
He made a GoFundMe page to raise money for the surgery. So far he’s raised more than his goal.
He also released his email address in case anyone has questions about their pet.
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