Meet Rocco 💜 We are incredibly proud to be Rocco’s parents. He is the most loving, gentle, sweet soul we’ve ever met. He’s the kind of dog who instantly wins over everyone he encounters. From the nurses who care for him during long hospital stays, to the volunteers who knew him at the rescue, everyone who meets Rocco falls in love with him.

Rocco’s story began before we ever knew him. On 9/10, he was taken to Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) and placed on the euthanasia list due to his seizures. The following day Border Tails Rescue stepped in and saved his life. He stayed at the shelter and later in a foster home. At the time, it appeared his epilepsy was well-managed with medication.

We saw Rocco’s adoption post on 10/31 and felt immediately called to him. He not only looked just like his now older brother Rooney, but I had always said if I gotten a second dog he will be named Rocco. We applied the same day and adopted him shortly after. We were told his seizures were completely controlled and that he was doing well on medication. We were hopeful and ready to give him the loving home he deserved.

Since coming home, however, Rocco’s epilepsy has taken a serious and heartbreaking turn.

In the past 50 days, Rocco has experienced recurrent cluster seizures, requiring three emergency hospitalizations, consultations with two neurologists, and constant medication adjustments. He has spent nights in the ICU fighting to stabilize, while we sat by at home hoping for relief. Despite our best efforts, his seizures have proven difficult to control, and when cluster episodes occur, we’ve found emergency care has been the only way to keep him safe.

We are in our mid-20s, and while we would do absolutely anything for Rocco, the financial toll has been overwhelming. We have spent over $10,000 in less than two months on emergency visits, hospital stays, diagnostics, and medications. We never expected this… but we also never questioned loving him through it.

Rocco is still the same sweet boy, and in between these seizures he fully recovers to back to his playful self. He wants to live his life, as close to seizure free as he can. The doctors are still hopeful that there is the proper medication blend to serve him, and we want to give him the best possible chance at a stable, happy life.

We have pet insurance, but it won’t begin to cover his condition until next November due to it being a pre-existing condition. We are at our financial threshold, and asking for help is not easy… but it’s necessary.

If you’re able to donate, share, or send words of encouragement, you would be helping us give Rocco the true second chance he was saved for. Every contribution goes directly toward his ongoing medical care and seizure management.

Thank you for believing in Rocco. Thank you for helping us fight for him. 💜