Hi everyone, my name is Carley, and I’m writing on behalf of my family and our new sweet puppy, Donnie. He has brought so much love and joy into our lives in such a short time, and we never imagined we would be facing something so frightening so soon.

In early December, after the loss of our dog Sophie, my mom, brother, and I returned home from a cruise to an unexpected surprise from my stepdad — a puppy named Donnie. From the moment we met him, we fell completely in love. Donnie brought light and joy back into our home during a time of grief and fit perfectly into our family alongside our four other dogs. If you know our family, you know our animals are everything to us — they are not just pets, they are family, and we would do absolutely anything for them.

Yesterday, without warning, Donnie suffered a seizure. We immediately rushed him to the vet, where he received care and was sent home once he appeared stable. Unfortunately, within an hour he experienced another seizure, and we rushed him to an emergency animal hospital. Over the last 48 hours, Donnie has had nearly 10 seizures. He is just a tiny puppy, weighing under 10 pounds, and this has taken an immense toll on his little body.

So far, we have spent nearly $4,000 on emergency vet care for bloodwork, medications, monitoring, and overnight hospitalization — and the seizures are still not under control. We were hopeful we could bring him home and manage his medication ourselves, but his condition has continued to worsen. Donnie is the sweetest, most loving puppy, and in such a short time he has meant more to us than words can explain. We are absolutely devastated and are doing everything we can to keep him with us.

He is currently still hospitalized as doctors attempt a new medication since the previous one was not effective. If stable, we plan to bring him home and establish a strict medication routine every 8 hours, which will be challenging as we all work full time jobs. The next recommended step is to see an animal neurologist to determine the underlying cause of his seizures. Unfortunately, the MRI/ other testing needed for answers can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000, placing us in an incredibly difficult financial position.

We created this GoFundMe in hopes of raising support to get Donnie the specialized care he desperately needs and the answers that could save his life. Any donation, no matter the amount, means more than we can express. If you’re unable to donate, we ask for your prayers, positive thoughts, and shares. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us fight for our sweet Donnie.