Help Zeus beat disseminated Cryptococcosis

Zeus is a 2 year old German Shepherd, and the sweetest, most amazing being I have ever met. He’s a gentle giant, a bit goofy, and howls like a wolf. 22 days ago, he woke up disoriented and was running into walls. I took him the next day to the ER, and then an eye doctor after that in Medford, OR. After a series of blood tests for fungus and diseases at the ER and ophthalmologist, all of the results came back negative and the doctor told me to start giving him an oral steroid to save his retinas. A week later, he was blind in both eyes with full retina detachment and inflammation. I called everyday for 4 days to get him an appointment the following Monday at UC Davis Animal Hospital. They drew blood to test for a rare fungal infection, and instructed to keep giving him the steroid. Meanwhile, Zeus’ health had been steadily declining. He started pooping blood, hemorrhaging in both eyes, and getting lethargic. He tested positive for Aspergillus. The next day, the doctors wanted him back to run more tests, but I had to take him to the emergency room. He needed medical help to save his life. The first doctor told me he had disseminated fungal infection and most dogs don’t survive this. She told me the treatment would cost thousands of dollars, possibly kill him, and asked if I wanted to put him down. I had to give Zeus a chance and see if he wanted to recover. We decided to go ahead with treatment with the internal medicine team, which have been absolutely amazing. Zeus has fungus in his GI tract, kidneys, prostate, lungs, nervous system, and muscle tissue. We have been at the hospital for 5 days now, and he’s still alive. I visit him everyday as long as the doctors let me, and I see more life come back to him every day. We are expecting another 5 days of treatment before Zeus can come home. In total his hospitalization estimate is between $15,000-$17,500, with follow up visits twice a week, until we can ween him down to once a month. The follow up visits are estimated at $400-$500 each. I believe Zeus will recover from this and live a few more years. He’s incredibly resilient, and everyone back home is rooting for him. I’m spending every penny I have to help this little boy out, and we need help from our community. Please donate to help Zeus beat disseminated Cryptococcosis. All donations will directly go towards Zeus’ medical costs. If we exceed our goal for Zeus’ treatment, I will donate proceeds to UC Davis Animal Hospital for research on fungal infections to save more dogs’ lives.

6/21 Update: Zeus is getting a little better every day. He wagged his tail for the first time in hospital. He is currently going through another round of medication. Doctors have now identified his fungal infection as Cryptococcus after further testing.