Long Beach sisters seek donations for puppy with acute kidney failure • Long Beach Post News

But the now 9-month-old puppy named Niko was diagnosed with stage 4 acute kidney failure on Wednesday and the family is seeking donations to help cover the cost of his medical bills and treatment.

Angelina Dok, 18, was alarmed last week when the energetic and greedy pup didn’t act as usual, stopped eating and showed very low energy. After two rounds of ER visits, vets determined that Niko’s kidneys were failing and his blood levels were extremely high. The main cause of acute kidney failure in pets can be the result of ingesting toxic household cleaning products or another dog’s urine.

“Niko is our happiness and we can only hope that he is fully healed and regains his normal energy,” Dok wrote in the GoFundMe.

Normally that would be a fatal diagnosis, but because Niko is so young, vets say he has a better chance of surviving. Niko spent three days at Long Beach Animal Hospital over the weekend and is now recovering with his owners at home.

Dok has created a GoFundMe in hopes that family, friends and the community will come together to ensure Niko makes a full and speedy recovery and continues to spread love throughout her home.

The children of Cambodian immigrants, Dok said his upbringing and that of his sister had not been easy. Growing up mostly independently, Dok had to care for her two younger sisters while working part-time at a boba shop and finishing her senior year of high school at home. Financially supporting her sisters and now a little puppy has proven difficult, Dok said. “We went through a lot… and when we got Niko, it was like all those problems were gone.”

In total, Niko’s medical bills were just over $3,000. Currently, the GoFundMe page has raised $1,625 of its $5,000 goal, with the rest going to Niko’s pet insurance.