A New Start for Daisy: Your Help Needed

HELP ME RIGHT THE WRONGS DONE TO THIS INNOCENT MAMA DOG.

Update: Daisy tested positive for heartworm so funds raised will be used for her full leg amputation and heartworm treatment.

From the moment I saw Daisy (formally known as Dolly), I couldn't stop thinking about her. She has been so wronged by humans in her short lifetime. On April 29, I saw a post online about a 3 year old shelter dog with crystal blue eyes and a partial leg amputation set to be euthanized on May 6. Her emotional and physical health was declining due to her long stay at the shelter. I knew that I had to help give her a second chance at life so I decided to foster her. On May 2, I brought home Daisy, just 4 days before her life was going to be cut short.

Daisy was abandoned in her home after the former owner was evicted. She was left behind, thrown away like trash, left to fend for herself with her partially amputated paw. It was also obvious that she's had several litters of puppies in her 3 short years. This was confirmed at her vet appointment, along with several indicators that she was used as a breeding dog. As if this wasn't tragic enough, it was confirmed that she is deaf. I scheduled her first vet wellness visit to try to gain some professional insight on this sweet girl.

The vet confirmed my biggest fears about her past. She said that no vet would perform a partial amputation like this and her butchered incision scars indicate that this was NOT performed by a credible professional. Vets almost always amputate the entire leg so the dog can establish a new center of gravity. Leaving as much of the leg that Daisy has causes lifelong harm, discomfort, and frequent skin infections. When she gets too tired to hold up the remains of her leg, it hits or drags on the ground causing her skin to reopen.

The vet said that she has only seen one other dog survive an amputation like this due to the amount of blood loss. Daisy is lucky to be alive but I knew she was a fighter from the moment I met her. Despite everything she's been through at the hands of humans, this dog is still one of the most loving, gentle, cuddly, goofy, sweetest dogs I've ever met.

At shelter intake, Daisy tested negative for heartworm and was immediately put on a flea, tick, and heartworm preventative. She has not missed a single dose since. During her pre-op lab work, she tested positive for heartworm. The vet informed me that heartworm takes several months to show up as positive on a blood test. That means she was bit by the infected mosquito before she was found and brought to the shelter. In addition to the amputation recovery, Daisy will be going through heartworm treatment.

The vet says that Daisy needs an operation to completely remove the full leg to have the best quality of life. She also needs the heartworm treatment to live. I am not fostering Daisy through a rescue organization so her care is not paid for. Dallas Animal Services encourages people to foster the dogs, but they don’t have the funds to provide financial assistance or supplies for food, vet care, or equipment. All money spent on her comes directly from my teacher paycheck and my side jobs. I can provide food, shelter, and a comfortable bed in which to heal, but the operation and Heartworm treatment is more than I can afford. And she desperately needs both.