Help Save Our Hero Husky Max's Life

Hi, my name is David and my wife Shaune and I are the proud and loving owners of Max.

Update - 15 Nov

Max the Hero Husky

28/01/2018 - 15/11/2023

It's with deep sadness to let everyone know that our beloved boy passed away peacefully on the morning of 15 Nov 2023.

We firstly want to thank all our amazing family, friends and everyone else who has offered to suppprt us by donating to help Max. This support gave Max every possible chance at survival but unfortunately he was too unwell due to liver failure.

I will continue to keep this fundraiser up for a few more days in the hope to raise some further funds for our hero boy who fought till the very end.

We also want to thank all the veterinary staff who supported and cared for him during his stay in hospital. Knowing he was comfortable and not in any pain does make it that little bit easier.

As most people know, Max was more than just a pet to us. He was our protector and a critical part of this family. A family which wouldn't exist if it wasn't for his brave and heroic actions on 11 Oct 2019 which saved Shaune's life.

We picked up Max from Ukeevea Siberians in March 2018 and were in love with him from the first day. Going for walks, the dog park and the beach were his favourite things to do. He loved to play rough with all men and was gentle with all the ladies who were fortunate enough to meet him. He was also so careful and curious when around small children and babies and absolutely adored Isaac from the moment he met him last year.

Whilst he was a great family pet, he will be forever remembered for receiving an Animal Hero award for saving Shaune's life back in 2019. As a result of this accident, Max was suffering quite bad anxiety until we were able to take him into the hospital for a very special reunion with Shaune which is still one of the proudest and special moments of my life to witness. During Shaune's long recovery back home, he was by her side constantly and provided her with the much needed therapy and love to get her through those tough times.

In 2020, Max's breeder Kylie from Ukeevea Siberians gifted us with another Husky so that Max would have a brother to support him. Max fell in love with Harry from the very first day and both have been inseparable ever since.

We said our final goodbye to him this morning and whilst Harry did witness Max in his deceased state, we're hoping it gives him the clarity and understanding that Max is now gone due to his anxiety being quite high since Max left for the hospital.

Even though this is the saddest moment of our lives, we're so proud and happy Max was part of our family. Although he lived for a short five years, we have memories to last a lifetime and a legacy which will be remembered for generations to come.

We'll never forget him or what he's done to ensure our family is where it's at today.

We love him and miss him so much

Update - 14 Nov

Shaune and I would like to thank everyone who has donated, shared and offered support to us and Max during this difficult time. It really does mean the world to us knowing we are surrounded by such caring and loving people.

He's still slowly deteriorating unfortunately. His liver isn't functioning properly and therefore not providing his body with the required nutrients and proteins howecer there is still a chance he can recover.

As a result of that, it's causing a number of auto-immune issues which is why he's bruising extremely easily with his blood being very thin. Apparently a blood platelet count below 50 deemed as very critical. As of last night, Max was at 16 meaning any further damage leading to internal or external blood loss is likely fatal. The vets want to try and take a sample of his liver to run some tests but given his blood and immune issues caused by liver not functioning correctly, it's highly risky. If they do go down that path, they'll give him a blood donation so that he hopefully has enough blood for a few hours so they can perform the biopsy.

Outside of all that, appears none of the antibiotics have been working yet and is still not eating or drinking. He's remained stable over the past few days and is always happy to see us when we visit.

As a result of a number of people sharing the news, we've been lucky to have some people reach out saying their dogs were previously in a similar position. We're engaging these other vet clinics to have them forward on the medical history to our vet to try and compare notes and current treatment plans.

Thanks again for everyones help and support so far and please continue to share in the hope that someone may have an understanding as to what is going on and how he can be treated. For what he's done for our family, he deserves every possible chance at survival.

About Max

Max is a 5 year old Siberian Husky who is currently fighting for his life in an Intensive Care Unit in Brisbane, Australia.

Back in 2019, Max was awarded an RSPCA Animal Hero Award for saving my wife Shaune's life after she was hit by a car and left to die on the side of the road whilst taking him for a walk. Luckily, Max was not injured in this accident but unfortunately Shaune was unconscious in a spot where she was not visible from other cars passing by. Upon realising Shaune needed urgent help, Max ran 200m home covered in her blood to get me and pull me back to where she was laying where I managed to wave down a passing police car. Upon paramedics arriving at the scene, they advised that had Shaune been there unattended for a further 10 minutes, she would have lost her life. Shaune spent 3 months in hospital suffering horrific head and a number of other internal injuries which have caused her lifelong disabilities along with a traumatic brain injury to which she will live with for the remainder of her life.

For his heroic actions which no doubt saved Shaune's life, Max was awarded an RSPCA Animal Hero award. Please see link to video and articles below:

Max Receives Animal Hero Award

Hero Husky Max Saves the Life of his Owner

Why We Need Your Help

On 8 Nov 2023, we noticed Max was quite unwell and barely responsive at our home. Upon immediately taking him to the vet, it was noticed that his Liver and Gall Bladder were in an extremely severe state which required him to be immediately moved to the Animal Emergency Service Intensive Care Unit at Underwood in QLD. It's currently unknown as to what has made Max this sick but doctors are continuing to run a number of tests whilst closely monitoring him at all times.

Max has currently been in Intensive Care for 3 days at the time of writing this post and unfortunately has had no significant improvement. Seeing our boy in this state is extremely difficult but we know he's currently receiving the best possible care available. Doctors believe that Max can make a recovery as long as he has the ongoing care and required medication.

How Will These Funds be Used?

All money raised will go directly to pay for Max's hospital bills to ensure our Hero boy has the best possible care available. Any additional funds raised will be donated to the Animal Emergency Service.

To our family and many others who know us and Max, he is more than just a pet. Our lives would not be where they are today and nor would the birth of our son, Isaac if it wasn't for Max.

With vet bills already in excess of $12,000, we are willing to do anything and everything to ensure our amazing boy stays with us and any support to Max and us in this time of need is extremely appreciated.