Meet Oaklee, our resilient 7-year-old Chow, Husky, Malamute, and German Shepherd mix. In November 2021, we discovered him through a story shared on Facebook and it touched our hearts deeply. Despite the challenges we welcomed him into our family.

When he was initially rescued, he was dehydrated, had 2 chipped teeth, and his coat was overgrown and covered with dirt and mange, so they had to shave it off. His ears bore the scars of dried blood hematomas, that shrunk the size of his ear flaps and will never go away. A testament to the hardships he endured.

While we'll never know the exact duration of his time in the wild, our best guess is at least a year or more. After so much time in solitude with no proper food or shelter, he weighed just over 30 pounds, suffered from a severe yeast infection over his entire body, and what we were told were 'standard' ear infections in both ears. I’m happy to say his weight has returned to normal at 45 pounds, his coat is full and he’s a very loving dog.

Oaklee's health struggles have been immense. His ear canals, damaged by a severe infection known as Pseudomonas, require intensive treatment. In addition to the infection, he developed a very resilient ‘Biofilm’ that covers the Pseudomonas designed to block any medicine from reaching the infection allowing it to continue to grow and harder to treat.

Initially, we started with the normal course of antibiotics, ear washing, and steroids but quickly realized it wasn’t having any effect. Our Vet working with a pharmacist developed a specific compound designed to treat his problem. It was costly and being in so much discomfort we were forced to sedate him every week to inject it into his ears. After a grueling 9-week regimen, starting in March 2022 we received the incredible news that the infection was gone. However, fate had other plans, and by September, the infection reappeared. We have since gone through two, 9-week cycles to try and beat the infection. Each week is very traumatic for Oaklee and us as well watching him go through the procedure. We just completed the 2nd cycle and while his right ear has recovered, there is no hope for his left ear.

We are now at a critical point where Oaklee needs surgery to remove his left ear canal, ending his pain and stopping the disease from spreading. It is a very invasive procedure that costs over $6000 and leaves him deaf in that ear. As devoted pet parents, we are willing to make this sacrifice to save his life. Unfortunately, I recently lost my job, adding financial strain to an already challenging situation.

The pain Oaklee endures is heartbreaking, never ending, and he needs some assistance. Any support you can provide will go directly towards the surgery and post-operative care. Over the past two years, we've spent over $3000 on his treatment, only to find ourselves back at square one.

Oaklee is our 5th dog, and we’ve always treated them as our kids. Right now, one of our kids is hurting and needs help we can’t currently afford.

How You Can Help:

1. Donate: Every dollar makes a difference.

2. Share: Spread the word on social media and help us reach a wider audience.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Oaklee so far. Your generosity is a beacon of hope for his continued recovery.