Atreyu Needs Life-Saving Emergency Amputation

“There are many kinds of joy, but they all lead to one: the joy to be loved.”

― Michael Ende, The Neverending Story

Hello friends, family & compassionate humans,

My name is Cat (aka Hylas) and I have started this campaign to help raise funds to save the life of my beloved dog of 12 years, Atreyu.

After complications from a mass removal surgery, my most cherished friend and Atreyu's co-parent, Chris and I have been left with the heartbreaking decision to amputate Atreyu's front leg or to euthanize her.

Last week, Atreyu underwent surgery to remove two malignant tumors on her legs, one of which was very aggressive. After an incredibly difficult surgery, our trusted vet of 9 years warned of the potential complications post-op. We took Atreyu home and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, it was soon clear that there was something wrong and in fact it was the worst case scenario.

A few days after surgery, our vet began a treatment course that we hoped may save her limb. Unfortunately, the treatment is not showing the immediate improvement in healing that he hoped, and we are not optimistic that it alone can save her limb.

We now are faced with the decision to amputate and undergo intensive post-op care, or to euthanize. For Chris and I, there was only one option. Atreyu is so full of happiness and light and, after consulting with our wonderful vet, we all came to a simple conclusion: it is not yet her time to go!

Chris and I need help to pull together the extra funds to pay for the cost of Atreyu's limb amputation as well as the extensive post-operative care that will be required for the best possible outcome. We had budgeted for her mass removal surgery and lost wages from taking time off work during her immediate recovery phase; but we did not plan for an addition surgery, nor a more significant amount of time away from work and more wages lost.

In her remarkable 12 years of life, Atreyu has overcome Lyme Disease, a CCL repair, a mysterious loss of function in one eye, Cushing's Disease, and a seizure disorder. She has always been a fighter, and never lost her spirit or will. I am grateful for every day with her!

In August, just before Atreyu's mass removal surgery was originally scheduled, she had her first grand mal seizure. We had to hold off on surgery, and over the course of the next 3 months, we had many vet appointments and spent thousands to discover the cause and treat her. Unfortunately, in the time it took to deal with this issue, her tumor grew quickly. When she had been stable and seizure free for a month, we were able to have the surgery.

In spite of all of these health scares, Atreyu has always been a wonderfully happy dog. She has always loved being in nature, and she spent many, many days hiking with us through beautiful wilderness, free as can be. She became part of a bonded pair when Chris and I adopted our youngest dog Bastian as a puppy. She doted on and mothered him, and they became totally inseparable.

Bastian, who became blind at the age of 4 due to a hereditary eye disease, needs her. Without Atreyu by his side as his guiding light, he would be heartbroken just like us. While one day she will surely pass, that time isn't now. Atreyu is a light for us all, one that isn't ready to be dimmed.

She may look a little wonky; she may walk a little funny; but she is extraordinary. If you know Chris or I, you know just how important she is to us. I can honestly say that if it weren't for our love for her, neither Chris nor I would be where we are today. She has been our grounding force throughout so many difficult experiences in the past 12 years. Sweet, sensitive, and so so smart - but fiercely independent! I am forever grateful for all of the things that she has taught us as we've grown together.

Now, we are working with limited time as we have to proceed with surgery as soon as possible for the best chance of a good recovery.

We need all the help we can get to bring Atreyu home for the holidays where she belongs; where we can have more sleepy snuggles, more loving licks, more leaf-pile zoomies, and more time with her annoying little brothers. Atreyu is our baby, our sweet TreyTrey - the one dog that will forever hold the most sacred place in our hearts. I am so lucky and so grateful to experience this unconditional love for and from a creature like her.

Please, if you are able to offer a donation towards her surgery and recovery, everything helps! Even if you can't donate, you can share our fundraiser with friends and family! The more people we are able to reach, the more post-op care Atreyu can get, giving her the best start of a new life as a tripawd.

Thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts!

Cat & Chris

Atreyu & Bastian (& Pig, too!)

“Nothing is lost. . .Everything is transformed.”

― Michael Ende, The Neverending Story