Animal lovers help pay vet bills for former RI wolf dog suffering from epilepsy
The friendship between former Rhode Islander Ron Monroe and former Rhode Island wolf dog Zeus blossomed quickly.
Monroe adopted Zeus from the Potter League for Animals in January and brought him to his home in Enosburg, Vermont, near the Canadian border.
The pair soon became inseparable. Zeus loves jumping in Monroe's truck and visiting stores like Bates Farm and Yard and Tractor Supply, where employees greet him like a favorite customer.
Monroe calls Zeus his "best friend" and says Zeus, who's 30% gray wolf, "doesn't have a mean bone in his body."
More: Once home in Rhode Island, wolf dogs start new lives in faraway states
"I couldn't imagine my life without him now," Monroe said in an August interview.
Monroe chronicles Zeus's adventures on a Facebook page that has more than 3,000 followers. Photos show the alleged big bad wolf posing patiently in a pair of sunglasses Monroe placed on him. In another photo, Zeus is wearing a red Tractor Supply vest complete with a name tag that store employees gave him.
The Facebook page has also mentioned Zeus's health problems, and Monroe's concern is apparent in those posts. Zeus has epilepsy, which makes him prone to seizures.
After Zeus was surrendered to the Potter League, the agency tried to move him into a home quickly because the kennel environment "stressed" him, and they hoped a regular home would help his condition.
More: RI animal rescue seeks new home for 'Zeus' – who may be part wolf
The adoption was complicated because it's illegal to keep wolf dogs as pets in Rhode Island. Learning about Zeus and his plight from a Rhode Island friend, Monroe brought the 4-year-old Zeus to live with him and his wife in Vermont, where pet wolf dogs are legal.
Though he has settled into his new home, Zeus's seizures have continued. Monroe has tried to keep Zeus's condition under control with medication and regular visits to a veterinarian, but the seizures have increased in frequency. Lately, Zeus has been lethargic, often unable to eat or keep his medicine down, according to Monroe.
In the fall, a veterinarian recommended an MRI, but Monroe, who has been out of work since August after falling at work and injuring his shoulder, couldn't afford it at an estimated cost of $5,000. In a Nov. 12 Facebook post, he said, "I know some of his loving fans have said they would chip in ... I just have a hard time asking for help."
This week Monroe decided to ask. He created a GoFundMe account to help pay Zeus's veterinary bills.
"This is very hard for me to do ... I am not one to ask for help," he wrote on Facebook. "This boy means the world to me ..."
As of Friday morning, the fundraiser had received 113 donations and raised more than $3,800.
Monroe on Friday said x-rays this week had shown "a slight issue" with Zeus's spleen and liver. Veterinarians want to follow-up with an ultrasound. An MRI might follow.
"What was raised so far will help, but I'm afraid it will need to be more," he said. "Any little bit helps."
On the GoFundMe page, Monroe says "I want only to keep him healthy as possible."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Fans help pay vet bills for former RI wolf dog now in Vermont
