PLEASE HELP pay for Makayla's surgery
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Makayla’s Story
My husband met Makayla about a year before we got together. She is what started OUR story, but today you get Makayla’s story. Before Skyler adopted her, we don’t know too much about her history. Her paperwork from the Humane Society said that she was part Maltese, which is very obviously not the case. Skyler found an ad for Makayla on Craigslist and met with the family, as well as two roommates who were looking for a dog, at a local park. It was love at first sight when Skyler saw the crazy red fluff ball running around in the grass. The girls had contacted the owner before Skyler had, so they got first choice of whether or not they wanted her, and my husband was heart-broken as he watched the ladies drive away with HIS dog. A few hours later, he was contacted by the original owner saying the girls had changed their mind, the dog was too crazy, would he possibly still be interested in being her forever home? An all too ecstatic Skyler ran out the door to pick her up and she has been with him ever since. As I said, I met Skyler about a year later as he was walking Makayla through our apartment complex. And so our little family began (that was 7 years ago!). About 5 years ago, we decided to move from our roots in Arizona to begin our journey in Colorado. Since then, we’ve been through a lot, especially poor Makayla. First, she got a new sibling. A cat. She wasn’t too keen on not being an only child anymore, but they took well to each other and are great friends and siblings now. On our first camping trip after moving, Makayla picked up a tick that ended up giving her tick paralysis. About a week after camping, we woke up one morning and Makayla couldn’t use her back legs. The next day, she couldn’t walk at all. As you can imagine, that was incredibly frightening. Luckily the vet took great care of her; they found the tick and within a few days she’d made a full recovery. However, it took us almost a year to pay off the debt from seeing a specialist, sedation, etc. For the next few years, Makayla lead a very easy, rather uneventful life, camping and hiking; she loved being a mountain dog. Until April of 2019. While Makayla was outside, she saw a squirrel and tore the ACL in her back right leg. After seeing a vet and specialist, we were figuring out the finances and the option that would mean the best outcome for her. Less than a week later, while using the bathroom, she tore the ACL in her other back leg. The options became more limited- she would either need double knee replacement (essentially) or would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Because of Makayla’s awkward shape and size (she’s a bit longer than tall), a wheelchair that would have fit her comfortably would have cost us upwards of $11,000; surgery for both legs and follow up visits cost about $9,000. We called and canceled any and every thing that wasn’t 100% necessary, and somehow got our Care Credit limit increased to be able to cover the surgery. Since then we have done everything in our power to pay off the debt incurred in providing the best care and life possible for our furry kids and Makayla’s legs have made a full recovery, but now our cards are maxed out. As a newly wed couple trying to save for our future and a house, it's been incredibly difficult. We understand that we aren’t the only ones who live paycheck to paycheck and most of us are living with debt, but we've realized that we are going to need help in order to make paying this debt off a reality. So that’s what we’re doing, reaching out and asking for help. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our story, to Makayla’s story, and for helping us through this rocky part of our journey together.
My husband met Makayla about a year before we got together. She is what started OUR story, but today you get Makayla’s story. Before Skyler adopted her, we don’t know too much about her history. Her paperwork from the Humane Society said that she was part Maltese, which is very obviously not the case. Skyler found an ad for Makayla on Craigslist and met with the family, as well as two roommates who were looking for a dog, at a local park. It was love at first sight when Skyler saw the crazy red fluff ball running around in the grass. The girls had contacted the owner before Skyler had, so they got first choice of whether or not they wanted her, and my husband was heart-broken as he watched the ladies drive away with HIS dog. A few hours later, he was contacted by the original owner saying the girls had changed their mind, the dog was too crazy, would he possibly still be interested in being her forever home? An all too ecstatic Skyler ran out the door to pick her up and she has been with him ever since. As I said, I met Skyler about a year later as he was walking Makayla through our apartment complex. And so our little family began (that was 7 years ago!). About 5 years ago, we decided to move from our roots in Arizona to begin our journey in Colorado. Since then, we’ve been through a lot, especially poor Makayla. First, she got a new sibling. A cat. She wasn’t too keen on not being an only child anymore, but they took well to each other and are great friends and siblings now. On our first camping trip after moving, Makayla picked up a tick that ended up giving her tick paralysis. About a week after camping, we woke up one morning and Makayla couldn’t use her back legs. The next day, she couldn’t walk at all. As you can imagine, that was incredibly frightening. Luckily the vet took great care of her; they found the tick and within a few days she’d made a full recovery. However, it took us almost a year to pay off the debt from seeing a specialist, sedation, etc. For the next few years, Makayla lead a very easy, rather uneventful life, camping and hiking; she loved being a mountain dog. Until April of 2019. While Makayla was outside, she saw a squirrel and tore the ACL in her back right leg. After seeing a vet and specialist, we were figuring out the finances and the option that would mean the best outcome for her. Less than a week later, while using the bathroom, she tore the ACL in her other back leg. The options became more limited- she would either need double knee replacement (essentially) or would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Because of Makayla’s awkward shape and size (she’s a bit longer than tall), a wheelchair that would have fit her comfortably would have cost us upwards of $11,000; surgery for both legs and follow up visits cost about $9,000. We called and canceled any and every thing that wasn’t 100% necessary, and somehow got our Care Credit limit increased to be able to cover the surgery. Since then we have done everything in our power to pay off the debt incurred in providing the best care and life possible for our furry kids and Makayla’s legs have made a full recovery, but now our cards are maxed out. As a newly wed couple trying to save for our future and a house, it's been incredibly difficult. We understand that we aren’t the only ones who live paycheck to paycheck and most of us are living with debt, but we've realized that we are going to need help in order to make paying this debt off a reality. So that’s what we’re doing, reaching out and asking for help. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our story, to Makayla’s story, and for helping us through this rocky part of our journey together.
Organizer
Sierra Pettycrew
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
