Saving George

If you're seeing this, you most likely know George.

He's a real goofy guy that might bite you if you pet him without his permission. This boy loves his cats. He loves his best friend, Winston, and respects our old lady alpha, Izzie. George loves running in the woods. He loves playing with toys that EJ gets him. He loves it when Lu comes home from school. He loves other dogs and his friends at day camp. He loves pulling into our driveway when he comes home from somewhere.

He also loves me. And I'm doing my best not to let him down.

George has epilepsy. His first cluster seizure was over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021. His episodes continue to break through his medication. In June 2022, George went into status, meaning he had a seizure (his 4th in a row that night) over 22 minutes that wouldn't have stopped on its own. Those kinds of attacks are fatal. The fantastic team at the Animal Emergency Specialty Center pulled him out of that. He's had four trips to the ER this year. The most recent was at 4am on Saturday, November 19, 2022. Each trip has been $1,200 to $2,250. We've switched vets, tried additional medications, upped his medications, changed his diet and gotten him more exercise.

George is now referred to the UT Vet school to see a neurologist. This expense is estimated to start at 2-5k. Specialty care is our next step in how to save George.

George is a two-and-a-half-year-old Great Pyrenees mix that came to our family as a foster, quickly becoming a foster fail. He was the last of his litter in the Campbell County Shelter. A veterinary friend posted his picture on Facebook because he wasn't thriving there. It was the height of the pandemic in 2020, and I had at least one bored daughter with a bit of extra time, so we went and got him. George was clearly a runt. His feet were turned out, and his belly dragged the floor. He could sit on my hand. He went from less than a pound to a 70-pound resource guarder who didn't want anyone near his dishwasher, the couch, my office, or the car. George is the first dog I've ever had to take to a trainer. We got through that, then he had obedience class, canine good citizen training, and now he's the goodest boy. He's my Call of the Wild once-in-a-lifetime soulmate dog.

I've had very well-meaning people, including folks at the Animal ER, that have prepped me to be willing to let George go if we can't get this under control for him. It's more humane than him dying in a non-stop seizure if I'm not home, and let's face it, there's no way to sustain a $2,000 ER trip every other month that might turn into every other week or more as this disease progresses.

Before I can face that decision, I will do everything I can for this guy, which includes asking for help to get his condition under control.

This past year of ER visits, vet visits, blood work, and medications for George have drained all my financial resources and borrowing options. It's a difficult place to be when you have to consider not doing everything you can to save your dog because you don't have the money.

I also have the stubborn optimism that we can find a missing puzzle piece to manage this disease. I'm not ready to give up on George.

As my youngest daughter said when I brought him home from the animal hospital this time, 'He's just got a lot of life left in him.'

I think that is true, so we have to try.

Thank you so much for considering a contribution. And if you can't manage it now, please hold a good thought for George as we navigate the next steps.