California Man Cashing Out His 401K to Pay $45,000 for Surgery to Save His Dog's Life

"She's family," owner Jason Garrett said of his pup Lola

From People Magazine - By Helen Murphy

Dog owner Jason Garrett is cashing out his 401K and digging into his life savings in order to pay for surgery to save his dog’s life.

Garrett’s 12-year-old miniature Schnauzer, Lola, was diagnosed with mitral valve disease, Garrett explained in a recent YouTube video. The disease — which is common in dogs — affects her lungs and heart, and a doctor gave her about eight to nine months to live. “We had an episode in November where she came back from a walk and she fainted … She has an enlarged heart because she has a damaged mitral valve,” Garrett told KGO-TV.

After Lola’s diagnosis, Garrett said he learned about a canine open-heart surgery procedure pioneered by Japanese doctor Masami Uechi. Because the surgery is so specialized and only Uechi and the few surgeons he’s trained know how do it, it’s expensive — $45,000, Garrett said in the video.