Help Ralph get Back Surgery
Donation protected
UPDATE (8/23 9:20AM CST): Here are a few pictures of Ralph post-surgery.
UPDATE (8/22 8:20AM CST): Ralph got out of surgery last night around 6:30. The vet said he did very well. He had cord compression at 1 level, and has about a 90% chance of walking again. Depending on how he does in the next few days, he should be home by the end of the weekend. We're going to have to watch him very closely and not ever let him go up/down stairs again, but we're so happy his pain is near ending :) We can't thank you enough for all of your help thus far. Without your contributions, we would not have been able to give Ralphy the surgery he needed.
UPDATE (8/21 3:40PM CST): Ralph goes in for surgery at 4PM. The surgery is going to last a few hours; after which he will stay at the doggy hospital for around 5 days. We will post as soon as he gets out of surgery to update on his progress.
UPDATE (8/21 9:50AM CST): Ralphy woke up this morning with no function in his hind legs. My mom and sister brought him in at 5AM and decided to go forward with the surgery today. We could use your help now more than ever!
Please consider helping us return Ralph's love by donating. Here's our story:
Our 5-year-old dachshund and beloved member of our family, Ralph, requires back surgery that we cannot afford in full. About 3 weeks ago, Ralphy slipped a disc in his back jumping off of a bed -- likely in chase of his partner-in-crime and brother Toby. Prior to this injury, Ralph was active, athletic, healthy and most importantly, happy. Following the injury, we noticed that Ralph was hobbling around and visibly miserable. When we took him to the veterinarian, Ralph was prescribed some pain killers and steroids in hopes that he would improve. A couple days into treatment Ralph seemed to be on his way to recovery. We suspected that the healing process was well underway and began to wean him off his medication after a couple of weeks.
However, Ralph's symptoms worsened, and now he's struggling to walk at all, let alone jump on the couch to our laps, or as he knows them, "bed." When he does attempt to walk, his hind legs drag behind him. When he tries to sit or squat, he collapses. He's in constant pain. He spent a weekend in the animal hospital under observation and the veterinarian recommended that he gets surgery right away. If he doesn't get the surgery, he could become paralyzed from his slipped disc down. The surgery will cost at least $5,000 and could potentially exceed $8,000. We're struggling to come up with this kind of money, but we know Ralph deserves it. We've increased his medication again and he'll be on strict cage rest for the next three weeks, during which we hope to raise the money to get him the surgery he needs.
Toby, Ralph's aforementioned brother and lifelong companion, has been sad and bewildered without Ralph's energy. If we end up completely losing Ralph, we can only imagine how devastating this would be for Toby. We want to do everything in our power to keep both of our dogs happy and healthy.
Please help us give the gift of a happy and long life to Ralph. Every little bit helps put us closer to that surgery. In the event that we don't come close enough to the required cost, we'll put the money towards Ralph's already mountainous vet bills. And if we crush the goal? We'll donate any unused cash to the Midwest Dachshund Rescue (http://www.mwdr.org), where we rescued Ralph and Toby. They nurse little guys with back problems like Ralph back to health and find them good homes.
Thanks for reading. Ralph has brought us so much joy in his 5 short years. Even if you can't or don't want to donate, please consider sharing this with your friends, family and coworkers.
UPDATE (8/22 8:20AM CST): Ralph got out of surgery last night around 6:30. The vet said he did very well. He had cord compression at 1 level, and has about a 90% chance of walking again. Depending on how he does in the next few days, he should be home by the end of the weekend. We're going to have to watch him very closely and not ever let him go up/down stairs again, but we're so happy his pain is near ending :) We can't thank you enough for all of your help thus far. Without your contributions, we would not have been able to give Ralphy the surgery he needed.
UPDATE (8/21 3:40PM CST): Ralph goes in for surgery at 4PM. The surgery is going to last a few hours; after which he will stay at the doggy hospital for around 5 days. We will post as soon as he gets out of surgery to update on his progress.
UPDATE (8/21 9:50AM CST): Ralphy woke up this morning with no function in his hind legs. My mom and sister brought him in at 5AM and decided to go forward with the surgery today. We could use your help now more than ever!
Please consider helping us return Ralph's love by donating. Here's our story:
Our 5-year-old dachshund and beloved member of our family, Ralph, requires back surgery that we cannot afford in full. About 3 weeks ago, Ralphy slipped a disc in his back jumping off of a bed -- likely in chase of his partner-in-crime and brother Toby. Prior to this injury, Ralph was active, athletic, healthy and most importantly, happy. Following the injury, we noticed that Ralph was hobbling around and visibly miserable. When we took him to the veterinarian, Ralph was prescribed some pain killers and steroids in hopes that he would improve. A couple days into treatment Ralph seemed to be on his way to recovery. We suspected that the healing process was well underway and began to wean him off his medication after a couple of weeks.
However, Ralph's symptoms worsened, and now he's struggling to walk at all, let alone jump on the couch to our laps, or as he knows them, "bed." When he does attempt to walk, his hind legs drag behind him. When he tries to sit or squat, he collapses. He's in constant pain. He spent a weekend in the animal hospital under observation and the veterinarian recommended that he gets surgery right away. If he doesn't get the surgery, he could become paralyzed from his slipped disc down. The surgery will cost at least $5,000 and could potentially exceed $8,000. We're struggling to come up with this kind of money, but we know Ralph deserves it. We've increased his medication again and he'll be on strict cage rest for the next three weeks, during which we hope to raise the money to get him the surgery he needs.
Toby, Ralph's aforementioned brother and lifelong companion, has been sad and bewildered without Ralph's energy. If we end up completely losing Ralph, we can only imagine how devastating this would be for Toby. We want to do everything in our power to keep both of our dogs happy and healthy.
Please help us give the gift of a happy and long life to Ralph. Every little bit helps put us closer to that surgery. In the event that we don't come close enough to the required cost, we'll put the money towards Ralph's already mountainous vet bills. And if we crush the goal? We'll donate any unused cash to the Midwest Dachshund Rescue (http://www.mwdr.org), where we rescued Ralph and Toby. They nurse little guys with back problems like Ralph back to health and find them good homes.
Thanks for reading. Ralph has brought us so much joy in his 5 short years. Even if you can't or don't want to donate, please consider sharing this with your friends, family and coworkers.
Organiser
Erin Christian
Organiser
