Get Merle Moving

If you know me, I’m not so good at words….and if you know me, you know my dog Merle is my best friend. I’ll try to keep this short and sweet…

Merle has been right by my side for almost 10 years now, he has seen some of the best skate sessions, fishing/camping trips, and is always ready to tell you you’re not welcome in the bar.

As Heelers are, if he’s awake he’s chasing anything that moves, covering you in hair while semi-politely asking you to scratch his ass, and if you’ve seen him sleep you know he only slows down to twitches every few seconds, probably dreaming of the next truck ride to a river spot.

In the last month and change he hasn’t been able to jump in the truck or barely get up off the floor to eat. This evening, thanks to my amazing Vet Neighbor and friend I’ve found out that Merle has what is equivalent to a human ACL tear and other ligament damage in his left rear back leg. I will leave a detailed description at the bottom. I have been informed by the vet that his boss is one of the best at this surgery that Merle needs in the state but that comes with a price of $5,000 to $9,000

I never thought I would be making one of these, asking for financial help but I’m in tears imagining going or doing anything without him, so all I can say is thank you for every cent/share and kind words. -Ben.

TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgery is a common procedure for dogs with torn cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL, the canine equivalent of the ACL in humans), which can cause instability in the knee joint. The surgery involves cutting the top of the tibia (shin bone), rotating it to level the slope, and then stabilizing it with a bone plate and screws.