Little Bear’s Fight for a Healthy Future
After a life-threatening medical emergency interrupted his heartworm treatment, Little Bear is finally cleared to restart his injections. Please help this sweet senior receive the care he deserves.
Little Bear restarts heartworm treatment Monday, November 2
Medical Expenses Following the Boarding Facility Incident
Includes emergency hospitalization, surgery, infection treatment, medications, and follow-up veterinary care after the September boarding stay, plus Little Bear’s projected heartworm treatment, delayed by his critical illness.
Total Estimated Medical Costs: Paid invoices plus projected treatment.
Vet Invoices Paid To Date: Paid personally by Nicole Levine, founder of Nicole’s Fosters & Rescues. Emergency hospitals and veterinary clinics require payment for care; these bills had to be paid upfront so the dogs could receive treatment. Donations help reimburse those payments and keep the rescue operating.
Heartworm Treatment: Estimated maximum from the treating veterinarian. Actual costs could be higher if complications require additional care.
Donations Received: Toward Little Bear’s medical fund and treatment.
Remaining Funds Needed: For Little Bear’s treatment and related veterinary expenses. Based on reported donations.
Original veterinary invoices and supporting documentation appear below. Heartworm treatment costs may increase if complications arise.
Why We Desperately Need Your Help
Little Bear desperately needs his heartworm treatment, and our rescue needs help making sure every dog in our care continues receiving what they need.
After nearly losing Little Bear, we paid the emergency veterinary bills so that he and the other affected dogs could receive care immediately. We are now operating with a negative balance, while food, medications, preventatives, supplies, and regular veterinary bills continue.
We have already paid to save their lives. Now we need help keeping our rescue going and helping Little Bear finally live in health and comfort.
Any donation — large or small — helps us recover the costs already paid, meet daily needs, and fund his upcoming treatment.
Help Little Bear & Our RescueUpdate: Regarding the Boarding Facility
As of October 29, 2026, the boarding facility has refused to provide any financial assistance or reimbursement for the emergency veterinary care and treatment our dogs required following their stay, including treatment for Giardia and coccidia. Despite receiving veterinary documentation and repeated requests for assistance, the facility has stopped responding to us entirely.
What we find especially disturbing is that the facility continues accepting dogs, while the “animal advocates” and shelter organizations supporting and promoting it are aware of the serious infectious diseases diagnosed in our dogs, the conditions in which our dogs were returned, and Little Bear’s life-threatening medical emergency. It has also been brought to our attention that the facility does not hold a kennel license, raising further concerns about its operations. We understand that those supporting the facility have also been made aware of this licensing issue.
What happened to Little Bear?
Little Bear went to a boarding facility in early September 2026 with Maverick, another dog in our care. After completing his heartworm treatment preparation, Little Bear was scheduled for his heartworm injections on September 10 and 11.
Instead, Little Bear returned from boarding severely ill. He had lost approximately 10 pounds and experienced serious medical complications. Veterinary treatment identified pneumonia, Giardia, coccidia, and several bacterial infections affecting his feet. He needed emergency abdominal surgery, a multi-day hospital stay, medications, diagnostic tests, and weeks of follow-up care.
On September 9, Little Bear was rushed to the veterinarian and then admitted for emergency hospital care. We were told he was far too critically ill to receive his injections scheduled for September 10 and 11. Instead of treating his heartworm disease, we were fighting to save his life. He remained too ill for weeks afterward, until his veterinary team finally cleared him early last week to resume treatment on Monday, November 2.
Other dogs, including Maverick, Tuffy, and Squish, also required veterinary attention after the boarding stay.
His journey back to treatment
- Before September 2026: Little Bear completed the preparatory steps for his planned heartworm injections.
- September 3–7: He stayed at a boarding facility and returned seriously ill.
- September 9: Rushed to the veterinarian and emergency hospital; his team advised that the scheduled injections could not go ahead.
- September 10–11: Original heartworm injection dates, postponed due to critical illness.
- September: He required emergency hospitalization, surgery, treatment for infection and parasites, and extended recovery.
- Early last week (October): Finally medically cleared to resume heartworm injections after weeks of recovery.
- Monday, November 2: His heartworm treatment is scheduled to restart.
A senior who deserves comfort and care
We estimate Little Bear is approximately nine to ten years old, although his earlier shelter paperwork recorded a younger age. His exact age has not been independently established. Despite everything he has survived, he still has a sweet personality and a pep in his step.
Regardless of his exact age, his heartworm disease needs veterinarian-directed treatment. We are determined to help him complete that treatment so he can enjoy a healthier, more comfortable life.
Veterinary Expenses & Transparency
View the veterinary records for Little Bear’s emergency surgery, hospitalization, treatment and follow-up appointments, along with his upcoming heartworm treatment estimate.
Heartworm treatment costs are estimates and may be higher if complications arise or additional care is needed.
View All Veterinary Invoices & Heartworm Estimate (PDFs)Help Little Bear finally receive the care he needs
Little Bear has already fought so hard. We will do everything we can to ensure he receives the heartworm treatment he needs. Please consider donating to his medical care or sharing his story with someone who can help.
Donate to Little Bear’s medical careMeet our other rescue dogs