K9 Zeph has lost his battle :(

My name is Kim LaFrance and I have been a veterinary technician for 20 years now.  In 20 years, I have seen and experienced a lot of things in veterinary medicine.  However, I have never created a “go fund me” page for anyone else.

That being said,  today I have started this “go fund me” page for a friend of mine, Alisha Vaughn and her K-9 Zeph.  I have known Alisha for around 11 years.  Alisha was one of the first people I met when I started volunteering in Search and Rescue. 

Alisha is a kind and soft spoken person, who is always willing to help others.  She has been in Search and Rescue, as a volunteer K-9 Handler for 12 years.  Alisha works multiple jobs, and takes wonderful care of her dogs. 

Over the years I have known Alisha, sadly she has lost a more than one dog. When I first met Alisha, she suffered the sudden traumatic loss of one of dogs due the results of an attack. A few years later, another one of her other dogs was diagnosed with cancer.  Recently, Alisha’s two older K-9 search dogs passed away due to old age.  And unbelievably not long after that, her other K-9 crossed over the rainbow bridge after a tragic accident.   

Even after all this, Alisha still chose to continue giving to others in her community by donating her time and experience as a K-9 handler.  She adopted a young dog, named Radar, to become her next partner.  And this is where the K-9 Zeph’s story begins ……

K-9 Zephaniah "Zeph", then known as Radar, was adopted from Brevard County's Paws and Stripes program in August 2015. He began training for his career as a recovery K9 in November 2015, and earned certification in March 2016 in obedience and Human Remains Detection (HRD) through the North American Police Work Dog Association.

K-9 Zeph adjusted well into his new home and new job. He has been used on multiple searches since earning his certification.  He loves being a working dog and enjoys a happy life with his housemate, a retired law enforcement K-9, named Zender.   K-9 Zeph also loves to climb trees and play in the water. 

A few weeks ago, after a long, hot day of searching in the Jacksonville area Alisha noticed that K-9 Zeph wasn’t himself.  Although his vital signs were normal, he was lethargic and did not want to eat.  He quickly bounced back, however, and Alisha’s worry dissipated. . 

A week ago yesterday, Alisha called me. She told me she was concerned as Zeph wasn’t feeling well again.  He was lethargic, anorexic and was drinking a lot of water.  After a few minutes of conversation, she also indicated that he was urinating large amounts as well. 

In veterinary medicine, we call this polyuria / polydipsia and at this point I was concerned.  These are clinical signs that can be linked to several serious conditions. 

K-9 Zeph needed to go see his veterinarian and have some blood and urine tests done. 

At the beginning of this week K-9 Zeph’s blood work indicated he was in acute kidney failure.  And a day or two later, he was diagnosed with Leptospirosis, which can be fatal, especially if left untreated. Leptospirosis is an infection of spirochete bacteria, which can often be found in standing water. It can cause organ failure and is also transmissible to humans.

K-9 Zeph spent a week of hospitalization at his regular vet in the Orlando area.  He was placed on IV fluids, antibiotics and other medications.  Unfortunately, his kidney values continued to rise. 

This morning, September 24th, K-9 Zeph was transferred to the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.  Because the Leptospirosis caused his kidneys to fail, he is a candidate for dialysis. As one can image, this is quite expensive.  K-9 Zeph’s medical bills are already a few thousand dollars for the past week.  Treatment of this level at a University starts around twenty-thousand dollars.

So it is at this point, I am asking for help for my longtime friend, Alisha, and k-9 Zeph.  If you can find it in your heart to make a donation.  Nothing is too small, because every little bit helps put K-9 Zeph one step closer to recovery.  K-9 Zeph and Alisha want nothing more than to get back to what they do best, searching for the lost. 

 
Thank you in advance for your donations, prayers and support.