Help Us Get Karma Back on Her Feet

Karma is more than our dog — she’s family. And seeing her in pain has been devastating. She’s been with us through so much, and now she needs us more than ever.

Hi, my name is Laci and my partner's name is Chase. We’ve been together for almost 6 years; we were only 16 when we got Karma. Karma is an Italian/Brazilian mastiff mix (Cane Corso and Fila Brasileiro). She is our rock. In late 2023, we began to notice signs of lameness, limping, and pain in her back legs. Then, in early 2024, I took her on a typical walk down a local marina trail. We had a blast; she was running all over, having the time of her life. However, the next day she wouldn’t get out of bed for food; she didn’t want to do anything but cry in pain. It was when she tried dragging her back legs to move around that I realized something was really wrong. I got her a vet appointment ASAP and hoped for the best. It was so hard for my partner to see her like that but be incapable of helping her. A few days later, she was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis, which had eaten at the joints in her knee, perfectly explaining all the signs of pain we had noticed. Our vet at the local Fairfield Animal Hospital told us to correct this, it would require a TPLO surgery in both knees. Without it, her pain will keep getting worse, and she’ll continue to lose her ability to walk normally. Karma is 5 years old and around 150 lbs, and due to her size, the price of anesthetic and pain medication skyrockets. Each leg was quoted to cost between $7,000 and $10,000 to repair, plus recovery care, therapy, and medications — we’re looking at $14,000–$20,000 total.

We didn’t have pet insurance before her diagnosis, and now that it’s considered a pre-existing condition, we can’t get coverage for the surgery.

Right now, Karma has two medications that she is prescribed two daily doses of for pain: Gabapentin and Carprofen, but it only eases things temporarily. It’s been over a year of us trying our hardest to save. Her vet warned that the longer we wait, the harder the surgery and recovery will be for her.

Chase and I are both 20. I’m currently unemployed due to mental health struggles, and while Chase works full-time, after constant unexpected life expenses and bills, there’s no way we can save up this kind of money on our own. We have a couple hundred dollars saved, and our plan is to take Karma to UC Davis Pet Hospital as soon as we can raise more, since they might offer a payment plan (our current vet doesn’t).

If you can help — by donating or even just sharing this page — you’d be giving Karma the chance to live her life without constant pain.

Thank you for taking the time to read her story.

Laci, Chase, & Karma