Sebastian needs your help!

Sebastian is a 2-year-old, Husky/Pit bull mix, he is such a gentle soul. He was born and raised in southern California, he loves running on the beach, hiking, swimming in any water he can dip his paws into, and he loves to play with dogs, cats and people of any ages and sizes. I suffer from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) caused from childhood trauma as well as anxiety. Sebastian is my emotional support animal and goes everywhere with me. We work together, play together, eat and sleep together. I work part time from home and am currently going to school full time, we are rarely ever apart. My husband is active duty in the United States Navy and earlier this year we were stationed in Great Lakes, Illinois. My husband is gone for long hours during the day and Sebastian is with me day in and day out. Sebastian’s recent injury has hindered him from being with me throughout our day to day activities, this has taken a toll on his happiness as well as mine.

Recently we had a winter advisory for a snow storm in our area and as you can imagine my little beach baby was beyond excited to wake up to a yard full of white fluffy magic to play in. In his excitement he slipped down some of our deck stairs and a couple hours later I noticed he wasn’t putting his back-right leg on the ground and was having trouble getting on and off the couch. I immediately called his vet and made an appointment for the next morning. Upon our visit we had an Orthopedic-exam, x-rays, sedation, and got started on the medications he was going to need every day for the rest of his life, for the grand total of $651.66, and that was just the beginning. We also found out that Sebastian had torn his ACL with damage to the meniscus and is going to need surgery and that his pet insurance would not cover any of the medical expenses for this procedure. The surgery alone is going to cost $5,048.96 and that does not include the pain medications and/or rehab of any kind. The estimated rehab cost is $2,000.00. In an effort to be completely transparent I have attached pictures of the surgical estimate and initial veterinarian appointment, highlighting the cost of the two supplements he will need to be on for the rest of his life. I have rounded up our goal to include any unforeseen costs that may come up along the way to a full recovery.

We have gotten a second and third opinion and visited a specialty surgery center for a consult; Sebastian is in need of a TPLO, or tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy, is a surgery performed on dogs to stabilize the stifle joint after ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament. In addition to the surgery he will need 12 weeks of rehab, including going to a physical therapy clinic for water therapy among other things. A big part of the rehab includes avoiding stairs at all costs, and our home is a bi-level home and has stairs everywhere, presenting the challenge of having to get temporary ramp equipment and any extra specialty items to ensure that he can make a full recovery.

I am grasping at any strings I can find to help ensure that Sebastian receives the care he deserves. I hate to ask for donations but I cannot seem to come up with a better option. Sebastian is my baby and I don’t know where I would be without his constant love and support. He means the world to me and I am asking for any donations that would be possible, all funds received would go towards Sebastian’s surgery, rehab, extra equipment needed, follow-up appointments, pain medications etc. Any left-over donations will be given to another animal in Sebastian’s situation or an organization that helps other families/dogs in the same situation that we are in. I hope you follow along with us as we navigate this journey to helping Sebastian be the dog he is meant to be, a carefree fun-loving happy baby boy! Follow Sebastian on Instagram: Sebastian.black_
#helpsebastiandogagain

With so much love and appreciation for taking the time to read our story, we hope you have a great day!

Sebastian and Nicole