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The short story:
Dexter is the most important thing in the world to me. He's my everything and has often been the only thing that kept me going through the worst times of my life, including an incident that caused very severe PTSD and divorce.
Dexter has had severe Grand Mal seizures for 3.5 years that have been increasing in severity and duration. He takes 2 medications twice daily but they seem to be less and less effective.
On October 4th he seized for over 25 minutes and Diamond Vet had a very difficult time getting his seizures to stop. They informed me that they may need to put him into a medically induced coma. This visit was $1,357.33.
I've always wanted to get him an MRI but it was $5,000 at his normal Neurologist. I was recently informed about WSU Veterinary hospital in Pullman. They will do a full Neurological exam including MRI for $3,000. They originally were not going to be able to see him until next year but they called me because they needed to find a dog with Dexter's type of seizures. We now have an appointment for November 9th and 10th and will have to stay in a hotel over night.
Unfortunately, I'm currently laid off and in school through my union and am not receiving unemployment benefits due to a "clerical error" that they're still working on but with no timeline.
I would greatly appreciate any and all help. I hope to also get Dexter an EEG but at this time I do not have a cost estimate on that.
The long story:
Dexter was born May 28, 2017. He was sold on Craigslist at 5 weeks old. He is a mix of pitbull and rat terrier and that shines with all his personality. At 3 months old, Dexter (then named Diesel) was surrendered to Washington Bully Alliance. The woman who had purchased him off Craigslist could not handle his rambunctious personality, nor could her older dog, who attacked Dexter several times, at one point injuring him.
My ex-husband and I adopted Dexter when he was 6 months old. He was a joyful addition to our family. He was good with out cats, our older dog, Indy, and all the dogs at daycare. Since we adopted him, he has been the sweetest, cuddliest, most wonderful dog I have ever known. I am so thankful for him.
On December 4th, 2018, Dexter had his first grand mal seizure. I thought he was dying. I was terrified. Dexter lived and we got him in to see his primary care veterinarian as soon as we could. Dexter would continue to have seizures, increasing in severity, duration, and frequency. We had a range of blood work done to try and find the cause of Dexter’s seizure. Unfortunately, no reason was forthcoming. We soon started Dexter on Phenobarbital, along with a range of supplements that included Melatonin, CBD, a Chinese herbal supplement, and Denamarin to protect his liver from the Phenobarbital.
As his seizures continued, we began seeing a Veterinary Neurologist. She recommended an MRI, but unfortunately there was no way that we could pay for it at the time. His medication was exorbitantly expensive and would continue to be until my sister helped me find a discount that took hundreds of dollars off.
In 2020 my then-husband I separated. I kept our two dogs and he took our cat. In March of that year, I was walking Dexter and Indy when Indy got into a fight with another dog. The owner of the other dog killed Indie in such a way that the officer who came to the scene has told me multiple times that in his 35 years on the job, mostly specializing in animal cruelty, this was the first case that ever actually got to him. It was the first case that ever stuck with him. He told me that while he was photographing the scene, he had to point the camera and shoot, doing his best not to fully see what he was photographing. Indy’s wounds were bad enough that her vet refused to do the necropsy I asked for to count the wounds that Indy received.
I suffered severely from PTSD after this incident. Between the PTSD and my divorce, 2020 was almost unbearable for me. Dexter was the only thing that kept me going. I would often remind myself that he loved me and would miss me if I were gone. I would remind myself that he needed me to take care of him. I took him everywhere with me because I couldn’t stand to be alone. He got me through the worst time of my life. He means everything to me and I will do whatever I have to in order to keep him safe and healthy.
Dexter began having larger clusters of seizures. His emergency medication, a solution of diazepam that is administered rectally, seems to be having less and less effect on his seizures. When a human or animal has this type of seizure for more than 25 minutes, brain damage and death is a major risk.
On August 17, 2021, I was sleeping and Dexter began seizing next to me. I always have him sleep in my bed or in my room for this very reason. I administered 3 syringes of his Diazepam but it seemed that his seizures were going to continue. I put clothes on, gathered his medication and carried him to my car. He continued seizing until just before we reached the emergency veterinary hospital. I waited in the parking lot for 15 minutes to make sure he was ok. We returned home.
On the morning of October 3rd, 2021, Dexter had 3 seizures in my back yard. I administered his last 2 syringes of valium. He came out of it and seemed to be ok. I called the pharmacy to refill his medication. This medication must be specially made (compounded) for him and takes longer to fill. That evening, as I was in my living room, I heard Dexter make a strange noise from the kitchen. I ran in just as he began seizing. I had no emergency medication for him. I carried him to my car as he continued to seize and rushed him to vet. The drive seemed to take forever. I was crying hysterically. I turned my emergency blinkers on in the hope that people would move out of my way and that a cop wouldn’t pull me over as I raced at more than 100 mph to the hospital. A total of 25 minutes passed between the time that his seizures began and when Diamond veterinary hospital admitted him. They asked if they had my permission to perform CPR. At these words, I started hyperventilating. It felt as though my throat and lungs had collapsed.
The veterinarian called me and let me know that they were having a difficult time getting the seizure activity to stop and they may have to put him into a medically induced coma to protect him. I told him that they my permission to do whatever they needed to do to help him. I used my credit card and put the requested deposit of $3,800 down. They used a variety of medications and were finally able to stop the seizures. I brought him home the next day. He was immensely sick and I ended up having to take him to his primary vet for an injection of anti-nausea medication. The tech that assisted us informed me that I may want to look into WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital as their diagnostics are often less expensive than what we have on this side of the mountains.
I began calling and emailing the Neurology Department at WSU. It took a few weeks but they called me back. They let me know that they were booked into next year and their neurological evaluations start at around $3,000 and this includes MRI. I was currently laid off from work and receiving no unemployment benefits, but I knew I had to find a way, even if that meant credit cards. I told her I would call her back. A few days later, I received a call from her. She had heard that the Neurology team was looking to open up a spot for a dog with Dexter’s form of seizures. She called me and we scheduled for November. Now I just had to figure out how to cover it while still being able to pay for our food and Dexter’s medications.
This is why I created this Go Fund Me Campaign. I need help and answers for my little boy and I am hoping that WSU can provide them. This will likely only be the beginning of his testing.
The long story:
Dexter was born May 28, 2017. He was sold on Craigslist at 5 weeks old. He is a mix of pitbull and rat terrier and that shines with all his personality. At 3 months old, Dexter (then named Diesel) was surrendered to Washington Bully Alliance. The woman who had purchased him off Craigslist could not handle his rambunctious personality, nor could her older dog, who attacked Dexter several times, at one point injuring him.
My ex-husband and I adopted Dexter when he was 6 months old. He was a joyful addition to our family. He was good with out cats, our older dog, Indy, and all the dogs at daycare. Since we adopted him, he has been the sweetest, cuddliest, most wonderful dog I have ever known. I am so thankful for him.
On December 4th, 2018, Dexter had his first grand mal seizure. I thought he was dying. I was terrified. Dexter lived and we got him in to see his primary care veterinarian as soon as we could. Dexter would continue to have seizures, increasing in severity, duration, and frequency. We had a range of blood work done to try and find the cause of Dexter’s seizure. Unfortunately, no reason was forthcoming. We soon started Dexter on Phenobarbital, along with a range of supplements that included Melatonin, CBD, a Chinese herbal supplement, and Denamarin to protect his liver from the Phenobarbital.
As his seizures continued, we began seeing a Veterinary Neurologist. She recommended an MRI, but unfortunately there was no way that we could pay for it at the time. His medication was exorbitantly expensive and would continue to be until my sister helped me find a discount that took hundreds of dollars off.
In 2020 my then-husband I separated. I kept our two dogs and he took our cat. In March of that year, I was walking Dexter and Indy when Indy got into a fight with another dog. The owner of the other dog killed Indie in such a way that the officer who came to the scene has told me multiple times that in his 35 years on the job, mostly specializing in animal cruelty, this was the first case that ever actually got to him. It was the first case that ever stuck with him. He told me that while he was photographing the scene, he had to point the camera and shoot, doing his best not to fully see what he was photographing. Indy’s wounds were bad enough that her vet refused to do the necropsy I asked for to count the wounds that Indy received.
I suffered severely from PTSD after this incident. Between the PTSD and my divorce, 2020 was almost unbearable for me. Dexter was the only thing that kept me going. I would often remind myself that he loved me and would miss me if I were gone. I would remind myself that he needed me to take care of him. I took him everywhere with me because I couldn’t stand to be alone. He got me through the worst time of my life. He means everything to me and I will do whatever I have to in order to keep him safe and healthy.
Dexter began having larger clusters of seizures. His emergency medication, a solution of diazepam that is administered rectally, seems to be having less and less effect on his seizures. When a human or animal has this type of seizure for more than 25 minutes, brain damage and death is a major risk.
On August 17, 2021, I was sleeping and Dexter began seizing next to me. I always have him sleep in my bed or in my room for this very reason. I administered 3 syringes of his Diazepam but it seemed that his seizures were going to continue. I put clothes on, gathered his medication and carried him to my car. He continued seizing until just before we reached the emergency veterinary hospital. I waited in the parking lot for 15 minutes to make sure he was ok. We returned home.
On the morning of October 3rd, 2021, Dexter had 3 seizures in my back yard. I administered his last 2 syringes of valium. He came out of it and seemed to be ok. I called the pharmacy to refill his medication. This medication must be specially made (compounded) for him and takes longer to fill. That evening, as I was in my living room, I heard Dexter make a strange noise from the kitchen. I ran in just as he began seizing. I had no emergency medication for him. I carried him to my car as he continued to seize and rushed him to vet. The drive seemed to take forever. I was crying hysterically. I turned my emergency blinkers on in the hope that people would move out of my way and that a cop wouldn’t pull me over as I raced at more than 100 mph to the hospital. A total of 25 minutes passed between the time that his seizures began and when Diamond veterinary hospital admitted him. They asked if they had my permission to perform CPR. At these words, I started hyperventilating. It felt as though my throat and lungs had collapsed.
The veterinarian called me and let me know that they were having a difficult time getting the seizure activity to stop and they may have to put him into a medically induced coma to protect him. I told him that they my permission to do whatever they needed to do to help him. I used my credit card and put the requested deposit of $3,800 down. They used a variety of medications and were finally able to stop the seizures. I brought him home the next day. He was immensely sick and I ended up having to take him to his primary vet for an injection of anti-nausea medication. The tech that assisted us informed me that I may want to look into WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital as their diagnostics are often less expensive than what we have on this side of the mountains.
I began calling and emailing the Neurology Department at WSU. It took a few weeks but they called me back. They let me know that they were booked into next year and their neurological evaluations start at around $3,000 and this includes MRI. I was currently laid off from work and receiving no unemployment benefits, but I knew I had to find a way, even if that meant credit cards. I told her I would call her back. A few days later, I received a call from her. She had heard that the Neurology team was looking to open up a spot for a dog with Dexter’s form of seizures. She called me and we scheduled for November. Now I just had to figure out how to cover it while still being able to pay for our food and Dexter’s medications.
This is why I created this Go Fund Me Campaign. I need help and answers for my little boy and I am hoping that WSU can provide them. This will likely only be the beginning of his testing.