Help Roxy With Her Neurological Diagnosis

Hello! My name is Kenzie Adams. I’m fundraising on behalf of our sweet fur baby, Roxy. Roxy is a 9y/o Australian Cattle Dog Mix. I’ve had Roxy since she was ~9months old. She entered my life in Sept. of 2013. She’s a tough lil girl. The first month I had her she got hit by a car and, fortunately, suffered very little injury at the time. Fast forward to Nov. 17th of 2021, I notice her limping on her back right hip. We took her to the vet and chalked it up to overexertion. She took an anti-inflammatory and seemed to bounce back.

On Nov. 27, 2021, we awoke to Roxy in the throes of a grand-mal seizure— the first one she’s ever had in her life. We took her back to our vet. Since it was around thanksgiving and we had had guests, we guessed that she had just gotten stressed out from overstimulation. Our vet prescribed her Xanax to use as needed, but we never even got it filled.

Then Dec. 4th, 2021, Roxy again had a grand-mal seizure in her sleep. It was almost exactly a week to the hour from her first seizure. The following Monday Roxy was started on Levetiracetam 3x daily for her seizures.

Thankfully, she hasn’t had another one since starting her medication. At Roxy’s age, there is only a 25% chance that she has idiopathic epilepsy, or epilepsy without a known cause. That means there’s a 75% chance that she could have some sort of structural, or metabolic, abnormality, like a brain tumor.

Roxy visited a veterinary neurologist here in KC who recommended that she receive diagnostic imaging, like an MRI. Her physical neuro exam she passed with flying colors. The vet even remarked on how great of shape she’s in for being 9y/o. However, the imaging there was extremely expensive. Thankfully, I had already made her an appointment at the MU VHC Neurologist for Jan. 19. in Columbia, MO. Their website lists their imaging as costing from $2000-$2500. We will have to stay overnight in Columbia for Roxy to get the MRI because she’ll have to be put under for it.

We purchased our first home in Sept. 2021 and are a little strapped financially. Roxy is my best friend and I got her when I was just a sophomore in college. Roxy and I have grown up together. Since I got her in college, I was young, dumb, and broke. I couldn’t afford to get her on pet insurance, but, luckily, she’s been relatively healthy up to this point. Roxy’s tough, but even tough girls need help sometimes.

Roxy stuck with me as I learned the ropes of pet-parenthood. She has taught me a lot about responsibility, love, and friendship. She’s been a source of comfort and joy to so many people. Roxy has had such a huge impact on so many people in the few, short years she’s been in our lives.

Someone once told me that they could tell “how much [my] dog loved me”. That struck a chord with me because most people comment about a person’s love for their dog, but not the other way around. I’m lucky enough to have a dog whose eyes are always filled with adoration when she takes me in. I want to ensure that Roxy knows how loved she is, not just by me, but by so many people whose lives she’s impacted. I want to make sure that there never comes a time when the value of her life is just a dollar amount. If you could spare anything to help us help our girl, we’d be so appreciative.

I will continue updating y’all on Roxy’s condition and any other developments. Thank you for taking the time to read this.