Hello everyone! My name is Jen Solano, and I am fundraising for my rescue pup, Caden. Caden is a purebred fawn Doberman and is about 4-5 years old. Over two years ago, my husband and I adopted him from Dobie Ranch Rescue in Crystal River, Florida. His tragic story quickly captivated our hearts. Before coming to Florida, he was found in a rural area of Alabama, severely beaten, mistreated, and malnourished. His facial appearance is unique because of his prior abuse. His skull is malformed from unknown blunt force trauma to the top of his head. Yet, despite his horrific past, he is one of the sweetest, most gentle souls you will ever meet. We knew right away that we wanted to give him a forever home and provide him with the love and affection he most definitely deserved. He fit right in with the rest of our crew (two and four-legged).

Everything had been going very well until this past summer, 2021 when he started having frequent grand-mal seizures. Our veterinarian diagnosed him with idiopathic epilepsy and started him on Phenobarbital. Unfortunately, the Phenobarbital alone wasn't enough, and Keppra was added to his medication regimen. He hadn't had a seizure for a couple of months and then, out of nowhere, started having them more frequently. Our veterinarian warned us that the next step would be to seek the care of a neurologist, which is what we did.

Earlier this week, we had an appointment with the neurologist in Bradenton, Florida. We spent hours discussing Caden's past to present. The neurologist seemed confident that his prior trauma was likely the cause of his present seizures. However, he recommended that Caden get an MRI and spinal tap to rule out other potential causes (i.e., brain bleed, tumor, infection, autoimmune disease). As expensive as veterinary specialty care is, we decided to follow the recommendations. We wanted to know what we were up against in helping Caden. He deserves a fighting chance more than anyone with everything he has been through. The MRI showed what the neurologist suspected. He has an area of scar tissue on the top of his brain directly under his head injury, causing his seizures. He diagnosed him with a post-traumatic seizure disorder. The good news is that nothing else is going on. The bad news is the damage is already done, and he will always have seizures. The goal is to adjust his medications as necessary to reduce the frequency and severity of his episodes. So far, Caden has been seizure-free for one week and is doing well!

I am asking for your help in Caden's recovery. The neurology visit was an unforeseen expense, but he will need to take lifelong medications to manage his seizures.

Donations, shares, and prayers are beyond appreciated. Thank you all for taking the time to read Caden's story. We love you!