Help Fund Banjo’s Surgery From UCSB Car Accident

Venmo: dvgiorgi

This morning, October 21 at 10:30AM, Banjo was hit by an unknown white van driving down Camino Corto in Isla Vista near UCSB. He has an open fracture on his back leg, and he is currently at the animal hospital undergoing surgery for the next 4 days. He will stay there while they monitor his fluids and decide the best course of action for his leg.

Estimates for his surgery are $20-25,000, and as a college student, this is a lot for me to handle. I’ve never been someone to do this but anything helps, literally pennies, and if you can't donate, please share this and prayers are greatly appreciated as well.

Donations received from this GoFundMe will go directly towards Banjo's recovery. Any extra funds will go toward initiatives like creating 'Slow Down' signs around the area or donating to local vet clinics to help other pets in need.

Updates will also be provided below and on his Instagram @ucsbanjo as I continue to learn more about his treatment.

Thank you in advance to all that are able to contribute.

❤️

We are also currently searching for the owner of the van. It was a white Ford Sprinter with Red Blue and Green writing on the side and they did not stop. Any information helps.

UPDATE October 22:

Last Night, Banjo underwent his first surgery of two; these are for closing the open wound on his leg. It was successful; he slept well last night and did very well on anesthesia. The doctor has two Wound VACs on his leg to help seal the wound with his skin. Next surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. He will remain in at the vet until Friday, when they will send him home with me before they bring him back for surgery #3 to fix the fracture in his leg.

I will continue to post updates here until he is fully recovered for those who are interested.

Thank you all for the overwhelming support within the past 12 hours. It’s more than I could have imagined. I’m working on responding to everyone who has reached out to say thank you, but bear with me as I balance this with school. Your kindness does not go unnoticed, and it means the world to me and Banjo.

UPDATE - October 23:

has spent the past day resting at the hospital. The doctor says he’s stable and eating. They are closely monitoring his leg to see how it responds to the Wound VACs, hoping it can be saved. Bruising has appeared as expected.

Today will be another rest day with regular bloodwork as they slowly ease Banjo off medication and IVs. Surgery #2 is planned for tomorrow or Friday to remove the Wound VACs and close the upper and lower wounds on his leg. This may change depending on how the wound progresses.

We’ve reached $5,000, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity. It means the world to me, and we’ll keep pushing forward. Thank you all so much! More updates soon.

UPDATE - October 24 (1/2):

Banjo is scheduled for Surgery #2 today around 1 PM. The surgery should take about an hour and will involve removing the two Wound VACs and attempting to close both the upper and lower wounds on his leg. The doctor expects they’ll be able to close the top wound, but the lower one may need more time to heal. If the bottom wound can’t be closed today, it will be bandaged, and Banjo will come home. We’ll then have to wait 1-2 weeks for the skin to heal on its own before surgery #3, where they’ll reopen the wound and address the broken bone.

During today’s surgery, they will also assess the bones in his leg. If the bones show signs of life, we can save the leg. If not, we may have to amputate. I’ll update everyone again later today once I have more news.

This morning, I checked the GoFundMe, and we’ve reached $10,500. I’m truly speechless. If we’re able to reach or exceed our goal, I will use any extra funds to raise awareness about speeding in Isla Vista and donate toward other dogs who are victims of similar accidents. The love and support from everyone has been incredible, and I can’t thank you enough. I’ll continue to update you all on Banjo’s recovery, and I’m incredibly grateful for all of your support and kindness. Wishing you all the best in return.

UPDATE - October 24 (2/2):

Today, Banjo had his second surgery, where the doctors tried to close the wounds on his leg. Throughout the surgery, I received phone calls with updates, and I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life—to amputate Banjo’s leg. The attempt to save it wasn’t guaranteed and would have required fusing his ankle joint, months of recovery, and an additional $15,000 on top of the $17,000 I’ve already spent. Even after all of that, a full recovery still wasn’t certain.

As difficult as this decision was, it’s the best path forward to spare him more pain and give him a quicker, more certain recovery. Banjo will come home tomorrow, and sometime next week, he’ll undergo the amputation.

Thank you all so much for your donations and support—we’ve now raised $12,300. Though the road ahead has changed, I’m still hopeful for Banjo’s recovery and deeply grateful for all of you. More updates to come tomorrow.

UPDATE - October 25 (1/2):

Banjo is coming home today. His leg hasn’t been amputated yet; it’s bandaged for now, with the surgery planned for next week. I’ll be picking him up from LA in about 4 hours to bring him back to Isla Vista. Once he’s settled and comfortable, I’d love to arrange for visitors to give back to everyone who’s shown so much care and support for him. I’ll keep you posted on when that might be possible.

We’ve now reached $13.5k in donations, which has truly exceeded my expectations. Current expenses are around $17k, with additional costs expected for the amputation. As always, any funds left after Banjo’s care will go toward raising awareness about speeding in Isla Vista and supporting local veterinarians.

Thank you again for all your kindness and support. More updates to come. ❤️

UPDATE - November 4:

It’s been a week and a half since the last update. We’re still waiting on Banjo’s upper stitches to heal up before they can amputate. For now, I have been hanging out with him at home 24/7, he has gotten really good at walking/hopping around. He’s also getting two bandage changes a week since his leg is still an open wound and needs to stay clean until amputation; his next one is tomorrow.. These bandage changes are $120 each, and so far I’m at $17,500 in expenses. The amputation’s another $3,000, so we’re still in the red. Every donation to the GoFundMe is still going straight to Banjo’s recovery, so thank you all, it really means a lot.

Also, I finally saw the wound myself, and it’s pretty gnarly. The bone is fully exposed with no skin which makes sense why he still needs meds. He’s got his cone of shame on most of the day, but I take it off when I’m around so I can scratch his face and for pictures of course. This week I’m also heading to Arroyo Grande to get another opinion on his leg, just to confirm that amputation’s the best call.

I am in the middle of midterms season so school is taking up most of my time, but I’m doing my best. Seriously, thank you for the continued support. I’m a broken record by now but I really couldn’t do this without you guys. I will likely update you guys later this week, also after I receive detailed info from the extra opinion since I know there are a lot of you guys out there that really wanted me to try to save the leg.

Thanks love y’all.❤️

UPDATE - November 8:

After consulting another specialist in Arroyo Grande, I’ve decided to officially move forward with amputation for Banjo. The doctor showed me what the recovery would look like if we tried to save the leg, and it’s just not feasible. Banjo’s fibula (the bone that provides support to the lower leg) was completely ground away from the accident, leaving his right hind ankle joint with no stability.

If I were to try and save the leg, it would mean at least 3 months of intensive rehab, weekly trips (1.5 hrs each way), and a lot of pain for Banjo. Even with all that, the long-term outcome would still be uncertain. Amputation is a faster, more effective way to give him a pain-free life and a full recovery. The good news is that dogs are incredibly resilient, and Banjo should adapt very easily to life on three legs, which also means a much less pain-intensive recovery.

I also want to express that this decision hasn’t come lightly. I’ve done everything I can to explore other options and make sure amputation is truly the best choice. The support from all of you, especially those who have donated, has meant so much to me, and I wanted to make sure I was making the right call for Banjo, for myself, and for everyone involved.

Thank you all once again for being here with us. I’ll post more updates as we get closer to the amputation date. ❤️

UPDATE - November 8 pt.2:

I have scheduled appointments with my local vet. Amputation will be on Wednesday, November 13th. Bloodwork will be done on Monday the 11th, he will receive a fentanyl patch on November 12th, then surgery the 13th.

All updates to come will continue on Banjo's Instagram and My Instagram, as well as My TikTok ❤️❤️