Help Save Ripley's Life

Hello, my name is Sean Laney and this is my sweet dog Ripley, and she really needs help.

Some of you may know Ripley from McElvey Park, where we go from 9:30 AM or so to close down pretty much every day the park is open. Ripley is a very loving dog, who likes both people and other dogs. She makes everyone laugh with the way she zips through the park in wide loops, pausing to greet various dogs and humans along the way. She's friendly to everyone she meets, and she loves kids. Ripley is a great companion.

Recently, Ripley became really sick. It started one day at the park, where she just didn't have the same energy level. She was still friendly and played a bit, but it was more subdued. The next morning, her nose started running, and her appetite went way down. She was prescribed some antibiotics. Things did not improve, and she started showing severe lethargy. I could feel she had lost weight.

On the advice of a friend who is a dog walker, I took her to a different vet. Soon afterwards, Ripley was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. She was in the early stages of a life-threatening crisis known as an Addisonian crisis. I immediately transported her to an emergency vet hospital that is set up to treat Addison's Disease. It was touch-and-go, but eventually she was stabilized and sent home.

A few days later at a follow-up visit, her labs showed that she was moving towards another Addisonian crisis. We worked to reverse that and got her on the beginnings of a permanent medication cycle. Ripley is currently at home, and I am set up to administer subcutaneous fluids and inject needed hormones. We aren't out of the woods yet, but Ripley is fighting.

Financially, things are rough for me right now. I haven't had a long-term contract since March 2023. The tech job market is still in terrible shape. I've thus far managed to meet all my obligations through spending savings and using credit, as well as taking any short-term work I can find. I'm scraping by, but not by much. The vet bills for this are already over $5000 in less than 2 weeks. I managed to get CareCredit to cover it for now, but I'm almost maxed out already and she will still need more follow-up.

I really can't let money determine Ripley's life. If you've met her, you know the unconditional love she gives to everyone she meets. Please help me save her life, she's only 2 years old and still has so much more love to give. I can't lose her, not when she's this young and still has so much life left to live. She means the world to me.

Addison's Disease has no cure, but it can be treated. Ripley will need daily medication and a shot every 25 days, but she will live a completely normal life. Any funds received will go towards her hospitalization and veterinary costs, and her future medications. It is possible for her to get through this, we just need to get over this hurdle of dealing with this disease at its worst.