- J
- N
It has always been my (Joslyn's) dream to have a golden retriever named Minnie... and as soon as a friend told me about this golden retriever pup that was born missing her front right leg, I knew she was the one! We brought Minnie home in the Spring of 2017 and she has been our best friend (and big baby) ever since.
As a puppy, we tried going the prosthetic route with Minnie, however her residual limb was not long enough and did not have enough strength to properly operate and control her prosthesis. We recently invested in a front wheel cart for Minnie, as we were trying to preserve her body from all of the extra wear and tear that comes with being a tripod.
A couple weeks ago, we noticed Minnie's signature hop was a bit more 'off' than usual, and that she was limping on her left hind leg. We have now received the opinion of two vets, that have both diagnosed Minnie with a tear in her cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). This is a very common orthopaedic injury in dogs, and in most cases the injury will improve significantly after a couple weeks of treatment and rest.
However, since Minnie is already a tripod, resting this leg is not an option for her. And without proper rest, letting this injury improve on its own is not a viable option. Minnie is still as smiley and happy as ever, but she is in a lot of pain every time she tries to walk. Since Minnie needs all three of the legs God gave her in good working order, both vets have said that Minnie requires a tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery. We anticipate that this surgery will cost us over $5,000 CAD - and we are looking for help covering about half of the cost.
Without this surgery, Minnie will remain in a lot of pain, and at high risk for developing arthritis and other issues in this leg that would simply be unmanageable for a tripod. Both vets have indicated that without surgery, we may be forced to put her down in a very short amount of time due to quality of life concerns with the amount of pain she is in. There is also a 50% chance once one cruciate ligament ruptures, that the other one will as well, and so she needs this surgery as soon as possible, before it becomes completely out of reach for us financially.
We are painfully aware that there are so many other pressing issues and causes in this world - undoubtedly more important than our dog's surgery - however, Minnie means the world to us. We simply can't imagine losing our girl so young and (otherwise) healthy, to an injury so common, and so fix-able!
If you have any questions, we would love to try and answer them. If you have any advice, we gladly welcome it. And of course, if you are able to contribute anything financially, it is so appreciated. Minnie would love to give "hugs" or one of her signature "fist bumps" in thanks!
Trey & Joslyn Manning
As a puppy, we tried going the prosthetic route with Minnie, however her residual limb was not long enough and did not have enough strength to properly operate and control her prosthesis. We recently invested in a front wheel cart for Minnie, as we were trying to preserve her body from all of the extra wear and tear that comes with being a tripod.
A couple weeks ago, we noticed Minnie's signature hop was a bit more 'off' than usual, and that she was limping on her left hind leg. We have now received the opinion of two vets, that have both diagnosed Minnie with a tear in her cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). This is a very common orthopaedic injury in dogs, and in most cases the injury will improve significantly after a couple weeks of treatment and rest.
However, since Minnie is already a tripod, resting this leg is not an option for her. And without proper rest, letting this injury improve on its own is not a viable option. Minnie is still as smiley and happy as ever, but she is in a lot of pain every time she tries to walk. Since Minnie needs all three of the legs God gave her in good working order, both vets have said that Minnie requires a tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy (TPLO) surgery. We anticipate that this surgery will cost us over $5,000 CAD - and we are looking for help covering about half of the cost.
Without this surgery, Minnie will remain in a lot of pain, and at high risk for developing arthritis and other issues in this leg that would simply be unmanageable for a tripod. Both vets have indicated that without surgery, we may be forced to put her down in a very short amount of time due to quality of life concerns with the amount of pain she is in. There is also a 50% chance once one cruciate ligament ruptures, that the other one will as well, and so she needs this surgery as soon as possible, before it becomes completely out of reach for us financially.
We are painfully aware that there are so many other pressing issues and causes in this world - undoubtedly more important than our dog's surgery - however, Minnie means the world to us. We simply can't imagine losing our girl so young and (otherwise) healthy, to an injury so common, and so fix-able!
If you have any questions, we would love to try and answer them. If you have any advice, we gladly welcome it. And of course, if you are able to contribute anything financially, it is so appreciated. Minnie would love to give "hugs" or one of her signature "fist bumps" in thanks!
Trey & Joslyn Manning