Help Save Willie
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Willie’s Story
We adopted Willie from a shelter several months ago. My first dog Jenny has always been fairly particular about other dogs (let’s just say she’s much more of a people person and not one to share attention) so I was always a bit nervous to bring home a little sibling. But when we saw Willie that day, something just felt right. It was love at first sight, not just for us but for Jenny too. He quickly took to following her around everywhere, a tiny shadow nipping at her ankles, mimicking her every move.


She taught him how to use the doggy door, and the back yard became their domain, it was perfect. But soon Willie’s health began to rapidly deteriorate and he was diagnosed with Parvo and given a slim chance of survival. After nearly 5 days in ICU at the hospital, he was cleared to go home. Additional in-home care and medication was required but we gladly accepted the responsibility. Willie eventually beat the illness and was on the road to recovery, when he came down with severe pneumonia in both lungs. They said that secondary infections were common when dealing with such a compromised immune system but this particular bout was extreme. After more time in the hospital and two weeks of intensive in-home treatment, he finally seemed to be back to the sweet little ball of energy we had fallen in love with. Needless to say, Jenny was thrilled to have her brother back.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. Willie’s left leg developed a limp, mild at first, then progressively worse, until his hind legs quit working nearly entirely. Following several more trips to the vet, it was determined that Willie is likely suffering from a neurological infection resulting from the numerous illnesses that wrecked havoc on his young immune system. At the current rate of progression, he could be gone within 2 weeks. While Distemper has been ruled out, in order to properly diagnose Willie and save his life, an MRI and spinal tap are needed followed by extensive treatment. Although, just four months old, Willie is a fighter and has beat the odds twice before despite them being stacked against him. We have fought to give our little boy a chance at the life he deserves, and hope to continue to do so, but the costs have added up, draining our funds and leaving us already in debt. Without your help, our only option is to let him go peacefully before it progresses further than it already has. We’ve tried to fight this on our own, shouldering the responsibility entirely but it’s become clear that we can’t win it alone. Anything you can spare will mean the world.
We adopted Willie from a shelter several months ago. My first dog Jenny has always been fairly particular about other dogs (let’s just say she’s much more of a people person and not one to share attention) so I was always a bit nervous to bring home a little sibling. But when we saw Willie that day, something just felt right. It was love at first sight, not just for us but for Jenny too. He quickly took to following her around everywhere, a tiny shadow nipping at her ankles, mimicking her every move.
She taught him how to use the doggy door, and the back yard became their domain, it was perfect. But soon Willie’s health began to rapidly deteriorate and he was diagnosed with Parvo and given a slim chance of survival. After nearly 5 days in ICU at the hospital, he was cleared to go home. Additional in-home care and medication was required but we gladly accepted the responsibility. Willie eventually beat the illness and was on the road to recovery, when he came down with severe pneumonia in both lungs. They said that secondary infections were common when dealing with such a compromised immune system but this particular bout was extreme. After more time in the hospital and two weeks of intensive in-home treatment, he finally seemed to be back to the sweet little ball of energy we had fallen in love with. Needless to say, Jenny was thrilled to have her brother back.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. Willie’s left leg developed a limp, mild at first, then progressively worse, until his hind legs quit working nearly entirely. Following several more trips to the vet, it was determined that Willie is likely suffering from a neurological infection resulting from the numerous illnesses that wrecked havoc on his young immune system. At the current rate of progression, he could be gone within 2 weeks. While Distemper has been ruled out, in order to properly diagnose Willie and save his life, an MRI and spinal tap are needed followed by extensive treatment. Although, just four months old, Willie is a fighter and has beat the odds twice before despite them being stacked against him. We have fought to give our little boy a chance at the life he deserves, and hope to continue to do so, but the costs have added up, draining our funds and leaving us already in debt. Without your help, our only option is to let him go peacefully before it progresses further than it already has. We’ve tried to fight this on our own, shouldering the responsibility entirely but it’s become clear that we can’t win it alone. Anything you can spare will mean the world.Organizer
Jeff Oncken
Organizer
Austin, TX
