This is Kona, our sweet 20 month old Dalmatian-Labrador. In late August, she started limping. A trip to the vet and some x-rays later, she was diagnosed with torn cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL) in both hind legs. These are ligaments that hold the femur and tibia (upper and lower leg bones, respectively) in correct alignment and also stabilize the knee joint. As you can imagine, Kona is in a lot of pain, and is no longer able to walk normally, sit properly or engage in normal activity.

For large dogs (Kona weighs about 68 pounds) veterinarians recommend TPLO or Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, a surgery to stabilize the knee and allow for future normal and pain-free movement. [More info on TPLO-click here ] Due to her size and age, our vet recommended that the surgery be performed by a board-certified veterinary surgeon. TPLO surgery is very costly, between $7,000 - $10,000 per knee with a somewhat long recovery. Not treating the injury is not an option and would lead to more damage to the knee joints because of her size.

It is very difficult to watch her suffer; we love her so much. She is still a young dog and deserves a long, pain-free life. Unfortunately, we do not have the large sum of money to pay for these surgeries. Our goal is to raise at least $15,000 to help pay for surgery on both knees, medication, labwork, and any additional costs required post-surgery.

Please help us give Kona the chance for a more normal active life. We would be grateful for whatever you are willing and able to donate; every bit helps. We appreciate your kindness, generosity and positive thoughts.

Gratefully yours, Loraine and Jim