Donate to Help My Great Dane Puppy

Gyan Samara is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, my name is Gyan, and I am fundraising for my 7th-month-old Great Dane puppy, Jasper. This past weekend Jasper came down with Pneumonia with temperatures over 106 and was admitted to the ICU at the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital. Financially, this comes at a difficult time as the nonprofit organization I had worked for almost 5-years laid me off 3-weeks ago. So I am in a bind and am asking for donations to help me pay for my dog's medical expenses.

I need approximately $4,000 for his medical bills:

$4,000 for his visit to the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital care

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated, $20, $30, $40, $50, and up.

I am an artist on the side, and if you can donate $100 or more towards helping save Jasper, I will create a flower painting for you as a thank you for your generous assistance and mail it to your address. If you are a dog lover like me, I can also paint your pup in exchange for your donation.

To give you some background on why I am asking for help, on August 26, 2022, I was just laid off from the social services nonprofit organization where I have worked for almost 5-years. As a result, I no longer have a steady income as I am job hunting and interviewing virtually and in person.

"Dog people, as you know, puppies follow their besties everywhere, and they love this new post-pandemic world as many people are working from home. Jasper loves that I am home as he can be by my side all day."

Unfortunately, this past weekend my bundle of joy Jasper caught Septic Pneumonia with a possible Gastroenteritis. On September 18, in the early morning hours, Jasper was not feeling well. He. started coughing and wheezing in his sleep. Jasper felt hot in the middle of the night. I stayed up all night with him holding him, hoping he would get better. Sunday morning, Jasper was lethargic, threw up the food I gave him, and would not eat. He had some diarrhea too. I took him to the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital in Chicago.

At the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital, they took us immediately to isolate us from the other animals in the room as he is a 7-month-old Great Dane large puppy. During the initial exam, the vet technician found out that he had a raging fever of 106 and ran to consult with the doctor. As a result, Jasper was admitted to the ER to get chest and abdominal X-rays, lower his temperature and get some fluids into him. The hospital fee was, so far, approximately $1500 for this initial care.

Two hours later, the doctor told me that Jasper had "Septic Pneumonia with possible Gastroenteritis/ stomach flu," and his temperature had increased to 107 degrees too. The doctor pointed out the Septic Pneumonia in the left lung. They explained that there might be a blockage in the stomach, but they couldn't see the problem, so they would do another X-ray later in the morning. The doctor wanted to admit him to stay overnight in the ER, which would cost $4,000 to $6,000. $6,000 is a lot of money, but Jasper is my sidekick who goes everywhere with me. (As dog owners, I am sure you know what I am talking about.) I paid the deposit with the $4,000 out of my savings. Thankfully this also covered the earlier $1500 for the initial exam. I said goodbye to him in the ER before going home. He lay comfortably against a medical station on a towel and had an IV for fluid drip and a fan blowing on him to lower his raging temperature. He was delirious, and I could see this in his droopy eyes. I gave him a big hug and went home.

As I drove home, I felt hollow without Jasper at my side in the SUV [his mobile doghouse] and later at home. I had this same heart-wrenching feeling when Da Vinci, my Great Dane, who was my companion for almost 6 years, suddenly was very ill and passed away this past March 2022.

Da Vinci 2016-2022

So instead of waiting around in misery, I brought Jasper into my home at 12 weeks old.

Jasper in the photo is 8 weeks old.

Monday, September 19.

The next day, Monday morning, I was back at the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital, and the doctor took me back to the Intensive Care Unit/ ICU to see him. Jasper was in an enormous medical crate on a soft pad with an oxygen tube and fluids IV running into him. The doctor told me that his temperature had come down to 103, but they were unsure if there was a blockage. They told me he needed a $1500 ultrasound to see if there was a blockage. Unfortunately, I do not have any more money. So here is my dilemma, if I can get $1500 for the Ultrasound and they find an obstruction, I do not have enough funds to pay for surgery. It is a crazy endless expense wheel.

I took him from the ER with a total bill of $4,000, including 2 weeks of medication. Jasper was so excited to see me when I picked him up to go home.

Jasper is now recovering at home recovering with me. His energy is returning. I am feeding him chicken broth with bits of chicken and white rice. He is urinating after every meal but not defecating, which is very concerning. I will give it two days before I go back to the vet. I want to see if the food can pass through his body and what it looks like coming out the other side. If Jasper has a bowel movement, then no worries. If solid foods are not passing through, then there is a blockage of some sort. This will require immediate surgery to save his life. Let's hope we do not need to go down that path.

Update: Tuesday, September 20.

Jasper slept all day next to me. For his meal, he had chicken broth with rice. Jasper was able to urinate a lot! While out on a walk, my neighbor recommended flaxseed with greek yogurt. I tried that but he did not like the Greek Yogurt.

Update: Wednesday, September 21.

Jasper is on the recovery path. He slept all day in his crate while I searched for jobs online. My big puppy Jasper still has a raspy cough/ hacking sound, so we are not out of the woods yet. For his meals, he had chicken broth with rice and ground-up Flaxseed. The good news is that the Flaxseed did its magic and he pooped this afternoon and a little bit this evening. His play energy has returned which is good. I am hoping that this is a good sign that he is on the path to recovery and that we can avoid surgery. Tomorrow I will see if he can do watered-down dog food with rice and the magical Flaxseed!

Update: Thursday, September 22.

Jasper was very playful today. He is eating more each day of kibble, and basically chicken broth and rice with flaxseed. His highlight is when he gets almond-butter-coated medication. Today he went on an outing with me to the art store to buy small canvases to paint on. So far 8 people are getting 10"x8" flower paintings. I did my first one today.

Friday 9/23 at 1am.

Any help you can provide financially would be greatly appreciated, $20, $30, $40, $50, and up.

Painting of Flowers or Dogs

As mentioned, I am a professional artist on the side. If you donate $100 or more towards helping save Jasper's life, money to help me pay for Jasper's medical, I will send you a painting in the mail. I will create flower paintings based on the amounts and sizes you selected from my home studio in various mediums and surfaces.

If you want a painting of your dog, I can do that for sizes 20 in x 16 in on paper and up. You will need to provide me with a high-resolution digital image of your dog, and I will create a vivid portrait in my style of your pup.

Flower Paintings

$100 for 10 in x 8" flower painting on paper/ foam-core/ illustration board

$200 for 12 in x 9 in flower painting on paper

$300 for 16 in.² flower painting on paper

$400 for 20 in x 16 in flower painting on paper

$500 for 19 3/4 in.² (50 I'm) flower painting on paper

$600 for 19 in x 25 in flower painting on paper

Dog Portraits Paintings

$775 for 20 in x 16 in dog portrait painted in oil paint

Jasper and I thank you for any help you can provide us financially with these needed medical expenses would be greatly appreciated. I will keep you updated on his progress.

Thank you,

Gyan and Jasper