Support Owen's Journey to Health and Happiness

Meet Owen. He is a 3-year-old golden retriever who is lovely, sweet, handsome, incredibly innocent, and currently battling a seizure disorder.

Jamey and I adopted Owen on March 2, 2025, feeling ready and fully equipped to be dog parents. He had been surrendered by his family of three years and was depressed and sad. We had a wonderful few days with Owen and watched him become more comfortable in our home as his smile got brighter every day. What followed was completely unexpected.

On March 12, 2025, around 12:00 PM, Owen had a violent grand mal seizure that lasted approximately 2.5 minutes. Jamey did everything he possibly could to stabilize Owen, and he seemed to be okay for the afternoon and most of the evening until he had another violent grand mal seizure. He could not get up to walk, so Jamey carried him down the stairs of our Brooklyn apartment, and we took him to an animal emergency room. Owen spent the night at the hospital and the next day underwent an MRI, a spinal tap, and IV anticonvulsants and antibiotics. Because of the impact of the seizure on his brain and the anesthesia, Owen was very sedated and required a second night in the ICU at the hospital. Things were quite bleak at this time as Owen was taking so long to regain consciousness, motor skills, and an ability to walk that we were not sure what was in store. The following morning, Owen became a bit more chipper and came home with us by afternoon. Owen’s brain looks fine, but the MRI detected a severe bacterial and/or fungal infection in his sinuses. This will take a long time to clear up. His spinal fluid is also clear, which indicates that Owen has idiopathic epilepsy, a condition that will need to be closely monitored and treated for the rest of his life. This is a scary condition for both Owen and his parents, but we are committed to giving him the best life possible, even with this condition. Worse yet, it is quite obvious to us that Owen’s previous owners must have known he had this condition and withheld this information from the rescue.

Owen’s medical bill came to over $7,000. When you open your heart to a rescue dog, you don’t imagine that your first couple of weeks with them will entail such emotional and financial hardship. We also recognize that we will have expenses to take on in the years to come to manage Owen’s condition. It is not easy for us to ask for help and create this fund, but as we work hard to further our careers and marry this summer, we really do need the help from anyone who is willing and able to lend a hand.

We love Owen with everything we have and are eternally grateful to all who are able to help us care for our beautiful boy. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.