Rio is a 10-year-old Chihuahua mix in Ankeny, IA, who needs $2,000 for Intensive Supportive Care.

Shortly after losing one of our dogs, I ran across a Craigslist ad if this tiny 4 month old chihuahua that a family didn’t want. I drove an hour and a half to get him and he clicked instantly with our other dog. He brought our dog out of a serious depression and has been such a light in our lives for the 10 years we have had him!

Rio absolutely loves our kids. He watches at the door for them to get off the bus every single day and makes his little gremlin howls when he sees them coming up the driveway. Our entire family loves Rio very very much.

Rio makes funny vocalizations when he’s excited or wants attention. I wanted to name him Gizmo really bad when we got him because the noises remind me of a little gremlin!

Rio was very sick on the morning of 9/21 and couldn’t keep water down. After tests and diagnostics, he was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis; he will need round the clock supportive care for the next couple of days at Lloyd Animal Medical Center to bring his ketones and glucose levels back down.

We are a family of six who live off of one income. We were able to cover a large portion of his treatment already but need to bridge the gap. It would mean everything to us just to bring a happy healthy Rio back home where we all miss him so much!