Hello everyone! My name is Yasemilit, but most people know me as Mili. Many people know me as a Lover of all things Harry Potter and Veterinary Technician, or the blessed owner of my Siberian Husky, Luna. Luna is not just my pet; she is my service dog. I have a variety of different chronic illnesses and struggle to navigate everyday activities. A couple of these chronic illnesses are POTS (postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and Crohn’s, but there are more. Luna keeps me safe and alerts me to any flare-ups before they can occur. She helps me navigate different environments when I need help. These alerts provide me with enough time to find a safe place, and she makes sure I don’t hit my head if I pass out. She can even find the closest bathroom if needed or a chair. This is a very important and special task when you are dizzy and disoriented. Since I am in the veterinary field, I do my due diligence to ensure my dog is as healthy as possible. Luna receives physical exams, blood work and x rays twice a year to make sure she’s healthy for work. We have a very strong bond, and I can tell when something is not right with her, even when the rest of her tests and exams say otherwise.
A few years ago, Luna had some episodes of “limp tail”. We visited different specialists, and they only prescribed some pain medication and rest. I wasn’t convinced that those episodes were something random and proceeded with a more holistic approach using laser and acupuncture therapy. Luna was back to her normal happy working self until we recently moved to TX. I started noticing some minor changes in her behavior. Since we recently moved from FL, I thought it was just a change of environment. However, as we got settled in and this behavior continued, I started to worry. I had her checked out by my specialty vets and found out that Luna has a severe health issue. She was diagnosed with DLSS – Degenerative Lumbosacral Stenosis which causes pain, sometimes lameness, and potentially neurological deficits. Sadly, this requires for her to retire from her service work before we had planned. With the help of my vet team and the service dog trainer I work with, we started to prepare her for retirement. Luna had her surgery on April 16, 2025, and thank God she is recovering remarkable well. With that being said I have gone from being able to do everyday activities with confidence, to barely being able to go in the world and do normal things like grocery shopping, due to the fact that Luna can no longer assist me.
It’s just Luna and me in my life. I don’t have any family here in TX and it’s difficult to navigate all by myself. Luna gave me my independence, she helped me live and she is my heart. I now live a life where I feel my independence has been stripped away from me and my health is constantly at risk. I worked with a service dog trainer in Florida that helped me train Luna for Service a few years ago and we had already planned to get a service puppy to raise and train in the next year or two so Luna could retire as my service dog. Since Luna is older this was something I had to start thinking about. I did not expect, however, that it would be this soon and so sudden.
With the vet bills and other costs, the savings I had for my prospect has been put towards Lunas’ health. Those who know me, know that I am not one to ask for help; I like to do things on my own and support my own goals. However, I can’t do this alone anymore. The support everyone has provided Luna and I during this difficult time has been tremendously helpful and my hope is that I am able to fundraise the cost for my next service dog.
This future dog will give me my life back and provide me with the independence I need to feel safe and continue to provide for myself by being employed. If anyone reading this would be so kind to share this post, and if you have the means to donate it would be soooo appreciated. I hope with this community of support we are able to reach our goal and go on this adventure together by helping me obtain a service dog to assist me in life again. Thank you so much for reading. We appreciate the support.
Love
Milit & Luna
