Donations for second spinal surgery for Frankie

Hi there,

Please meet Frankie my 3 year old miniature dachshund girl.

Frankie has had an incredibly tough past year. Only 7 months ago she suddenly lost use of her hind legs and had urgent spinal surgery. This is a dreadful disc degeneration disease (IVDD) where the spinal disc ruptures and presses the spinal cord causing paralysis. Unfortunately it occurs in 1 in 4 dachshunds which was a harsh lesson learnt recently by me.

Devastatingly yesterday, just not long after her recovery from surgery of recent, Frankie has suffered another disc rupture. I have had second and third opinions, even consulting animal physiotherapists, all who have advised the best chance of a successful outcome is surgery again! They are not optimistic about non surgical alternative which is just strict bed rest, anti-inflammatories, pain relief and physio, in the hope that the disc stabilizes. However, they say less than 50% chance, one said 10%! The risk of this alternative being unsuccessful is permanent paralysis of the hind legs and possibly bladder.

Of course I want the best quality of life for Frankie, but as you can imagine this is an incredibly stressful time and extremely costly, especially considering I have solely paid for the first surgery (approx $9000), and needing a second surgery within a 7 month space.

There are no payment plan options, and health cover is not applicable for pre-disposed conditions. It is a 50% deposit upon admission upfront with final payment due upon discharge (usually 3 days later).

I have obtained 2 quotes as I have attached. The higher includes some in house rehabilitation costs, and also the surgeon operates differently as he also clears matter from surrounding spinal discs, not just the disc which has ruptured. He says this may decrease the likeliness of it occurring again. I have used the lower end of this quote as my target however the higher end is approx $15,000. I would be grateful for any opportunity for surgery. There would also be rehabilitation and medication costs on top of these quotes.

At the moment I have opted for non-surgical alternative for financial reasons, however feeling extremely anxious. A few friends suggested a GoFundMe. Any donation is greatly appreciated as two surgeries and rehab amounting to $24,000 plus within a one year period is a huge financial setback. Especially considering this can definitely occur again!

This may just give me the chance to consider surgical intervention. However, I have been advised I need to make a time critical decision within the week.

Thank you in advanced for a donation or a even just a share! I will provide updates on the outcome.

Frankie is my best friend and means the world to me.

With great appreciation,

Ellie and Frankie