A few weeks back, crisis struck our home when our beloved husky, Zeus, began to have cluster seizures. They escalated very quickly, and within about 24 hours, we were at the ER. He had a severe grand mal seizure lasting several minutes, so we hit the road. We went directly to MedVet in SLC, UT, where he was immediately rushed into the back to administer anti-seizure meds. In order to stop the seizures, he was admitted to the ICU for over 24 hours and loaded up with multiple anti-seizure medications. Additionally, there was a lot of testing and X-rays needed to determine the cause of the seizures.

Zeus is more than just our dog; he is our family. He has helped all of us heal from deeply painful emotional trauma and deserves our family doing everything we can to make his quality of life as good as we can.

Within just over 24 hours, we racked up over $3,000.00 in vet bills just at the hospital. Then, within 2 weeks of that, he needed follow-up care we couldn't afford. We were able to get his medications refilled to keep the seizures under control. However, he needs follow-up specialist neurology care, an MRI on his head for some masses seen on his X-rays in his neck. Additionally, he needs blood work done we weren't able to afford at his last vet visit ASAP to ensure his medications are at the right doses. We do not have any resources to pay for the ongoing care, let alone the vet bills from the care he's already received. He will also need blood work and vet visits every few months for the rest of his life to confirm treatments are working and for the vet to continue prescribing his medications at bare minimum. It's possible he will need on going specialist care/testing as I've been told, epilepsy in huskies can be hard to keep under control. The medication cost alone is just over $100 per month and that's if he doesn't need an increase in dosing as we go along. We did look into pet insurance, but I could not find any that doesn't exclude preexisting conditions or genetic conditions. His epilepsy is considered both.

Like most of the world, this last year has been incredibly difficult for our family. I haven't been able to work full-time since February due to my own medical issues, which have disabled me. I do not have any source of consistent income right now and, quite honestly, would be on the streets homeless if it weren't for my father's help during this awful time. Believe me, I wish I could work consistently more than words can explain. My youngest son is doing his best to help with the vet bills but has already been working two jobs just to help out with our regular monthly bills as my medical issues have disabled me, and the process for getting on disability isn't easy or fast.

While this diagnosis means a lot of ongoing care and cost, if his seizures are kept under control, he can live a full and healthy life. He's only 4 years old and has a lot of life in him.

It took him a couple of weeks to get used to the medications as they're very sedating. He spent the first bit needing to be carried on stairs and falling down a lot. He also needed 24/7 supervision to ensure he didn't have more seizures. It was a lot at first. I'm happy to report he's doing pretty good now. He's still very anxious and doesn't want to be left alone, but he's able to play and run, enjoying himself like a husky should. His quality of life should continue to be good as long as he gets the continued care and his treatment stays on track.

Anyone who knows me knows it is difficult for me to ask for help. I ask with a very humble heart for support in taking care of the immense debt this has created, to get him the ongoing neurologist/vet care and testing he needs for proper continued treatment. I realize some people may not understand our family's desperation to save this dog's life and provide him a life he deserves. However, I know many of you will completely understand. We simply cannot lose this dog to a treatable condition. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this, share the GoFundMe link on your social media, and thank you very much if you're willing and able to donate. Everything helps, no matter how small of a donation, and everything is appreciated. If you're unable to donate (I know this time of year is hard), please share the GoFundMe link. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the support and love. Thanks to all my wonderful friends who have helped me over the last few weeks during this. Your friendship and support mean more than you know.