It all began when my baby girl, Lexii, experienced her first seizure. After waking her up as usual, she suddenly collapsed outside, making a distressing noise that still haunts me. Though my husband managed to calm her down, she seemed fine afterward, and we thought it might be a one-time occurrence. However, the next day, she had another seizure. Despite being able to calm her down each time, my worries led me to take her to the vet, where bloodwork revealed severe anemia with a Red Blood Cell count of 19 (dogs should have 40-50).

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This marked the beginning of a lengthy and worrisome process, involving weekly tests to determine why her bone marrow had stopped working. Common causes were ruled out, and the remaining possibilities were serious illnesses. Attempts to help with medication resulted in dehydration, leading to a two-day hospital stay. A specialist eventually identified that Lexii's immune system was attacking her baby red blood cells, preventing them from maturing. To address this, she was put on two steroids to kickstart her bone marrow and three medications to support her gastrointestinal system.

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Over two months, the vet bills piled up just before I was set to go on maternity leave. In an effort to cover Lexii's medical expenses, I offered Mugshot Minis to clients, capturing fun photos of their pets. This experience sparked my love for photographing animals, leading to the creation of OnlyPawzStudio. The business name was inspired by a lighthearted joke with Lexii, imagining her starting an "Only Paws" account to help with the vet bills.

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While Lexii is still on medication, her last two blood tests have shown improvement, indicating that the treatment is working. Although her complete recovery will take months, we are grateful for every moment we have with her and look forward to the end of this challenging journey.