Hi everyone,

I’m Elise, the owner of Maggie, or more affectionately known as Buppy Girl or Bup. Maggie is a beautiful and gentle straight-haired Cavoodle, and if you’ve ever met her, I bet she stole a little piece of your heart.

On Thursday 9 October I called the vet because I knew something wasn’t right with Bup. The night before she had been panting heavily and I noticed her tiny little mouth looked different. At first, I thought it was the humid weather, her thick coat, or maybe something like kennel cough. Her bark had also changed — which I didn’t realise at the time was the first red flag for a paralysis tick.

As soon as Maggie reached the vet, she was put on oxygen and given emergency care. They found a paralysis tick under her arm and started the tick antiserum straight away. By then, the toxins had already started to paralyse her back legs and affect her lungs.

Maggie is now in intensive care at the emergency vet. She has been intubated (placed on a breathing tube) and may need to be placed on a ventilator depending on how she recovers over the next 12 hours.

Bup’s lifesaving care has already cost more than $9,000 in just the first 12 hours. Each additional 12-hour period of oxygen is a further $2,500, and she may need up to 72 hours of this intensive support to survive.

Buppy girl is a fighter — she has already had two major surgeries in her five years of life and is on vet-prescribed food long-term. Sadly, she is no longer covered by pet insurance due to a pre-existing condition, which means all of these costs fall to us.

Maggie is my first baby. She is the sweetest, most gentle soul who loves pats, the beach, her ball, and people — especially children. My son Sebastian absolutely adores her; she is his best friend.

We want to do everything possible to give Bup the chance she deserves. Any contribution, no matter how small, will go directly to Maggie’s care and help give her the best chance of coming home to us. If you can’t donate, please share her story — it truly helps.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Elise xxx