Medical Fund for Howard
Donation protected
Last month, our 5-year old Basset Hound, Howard Monster was hurt from a tumble while playing with his sister in the backyard. We took him to the Vet and found he had slipped a disc in his back, which was pushing into his spinal cord and causing the loss of use in his hind legs, bladder and bowels. The cost of neurosurgery was estimated over $10,000 dollars. When the Vet told us this, my wife Robin and I broke down into tears, because we knew this debt would not fit into our modest budget. The Veterinarian then suggested a Chiropractic treatment called Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM) along with cold laser therapy. The cost was less than 1/4 of the surgery, and had a 95% success rate of some recovery. I looked into Robin’s eyes, and knew we had to do this, so I signed the line. Howard has had 7 treatments so far, and is showing great improvement. We’re expecting a near 100% recovery when this is over.
As the Veterinarian has been treating Howard and the medical costs adding up, Robin and I have known that this debt compiled on top our existing debt had already crossed a point where our total monthly payments were going to exceed our monthly income. We both agreed that no matter what, we were going through with his treatment …at any cost. Our lives and sanity revolve around our furry-faced kids. I’m sure that most of you feel the same way.
We also both feel that we took on all the responsibility of having these furry kids and that if we couldn’t afford them, we really have no business having 3 of 'em. I must admit, Howard’s medical costs have been an eye opener when it comes to the cost of having pets. These recent veterinary costs are shocking! We are still glad we did what we did and are grateful that we’ll soon have our healthy young Basset boy back, along with his mini-pin brother and sister, Rocky and Lola. We also both agree that if all we could afford is campground, a tent, our 3 pups and 1 turtle, we’d still be happier there than anywhere else without them…. And we’d make that move if we had to.
This is difficult for me because I’ve never asked for financial help in my adult years. I’ve taken pride in providing a reasonable, modest lifestyle for my family for the last 30. But I also know there is no way on earth I can make the monthly payments on these recent bills on top of everything else and keep above the water. We have already made cuts on our monthly non-necessities. Unfortunately we do live modestly so there was not a lot to trim.
We expect the total cost of this treatment will be a bit over $2,500 when it is complete. We feel we can cover part of that without suffering too much hardship. We chose to set the limit for outside help at $1,800, but even if we get $200 in donations, it would be some help. We don’t want to tear at your heartstrings or take away from the mouths you feed, but we would be grateful for any amount you could spare for our Howard fund.
Thank you for your positive thoughts and prayers,
Tom & Robin Gwinn
As the Veterinarian has been treating Howard and the medical costs adding up, Robin and I have known that this debt compiled on top our existing debt had already crossed a point where our total monthly payments were going to exceed our monthly income. We both agreed that no matter what, we were going through with his treatment …at any cost. Our lives and sanity revolve around our furry-faced kids. I’m sure that most of you feel the same way.
We also both feel that we took on all the responsibility of having these furry kids and that if we couldn’t afford them, we really have no business having 3 of 'em. I must admit, Howard’s medical costs have been an eye opener when it comes to the cost of having pets. These recent veterinary costs are shocking! We are still glad we did what we did and are grateful that we’ll soon have our healthy young Basset boy back, along with his mini-pin brother and sister, Rocky and Lola. We also both agree that if all we could afford is campground, a tent, our 3 pups and 1 turtle, we’d still be happier there than anywhere else without them…. And we’d make that move if we had to.
This is difficult for me because I’ve never asked for financial help in my adult years. I’ve taken pride in providing a reasonable, modest lifestyle for my family for the last 30. But I also know there is no way on earth I can make the monthly payments on these recent bills on top of everything else and keep above the water. We have already made cuts on our monthly non-necessities. Unfortunately we do live modestly so there was not a lot to trim.
We expect the total cost of this treatment will be a bit over $2,500 when it is complete. We feel we can cover part of that without suffering too much hardship. We chose to set the limit for outside help at $1,800, but even if we get $200 in donations, it would be some help. We don’t want to tear at your heartstrings or take away from the mouths you feed, but we would be grateful for any amount you could spare for our Howard fund.
Thank you for your positive thoughts and prayers,
Tom & Robin Gwinn
Organizer
Thomas Gwinn
Organizer
Tempe, AZ
