Greta's amputation surgery

Greta got startled by a firework and jumped a backyard fence in Columbus, GA on New Years Eve afternoon 2023. She was staying at my mother-in-law's while we were visiting from Vermont for the holidays. For 2 months, my husband and I alternated staying in Columbus, GA or back home in Burlington, VT while we searched for her. Greta, originally a South Carolina stray brought up to VT with her 10 puppies, has always been fearful of new objects and people since we first met her in October 2019. Although her puppies were all adopted immediately, she had been in the shelter for 2 years afterwards - mainly due to her fear and anxiety the first few days/weeks of being in a new home (she was returned twice before us!). So, all of that to say, it was a long and difficult process to get her back home after she went into 'survival mode.'

We had 3 likely sightings of her during the first week of the search. Then, nothing - for many weeks. We kept up the search though, and finally after 55 days from her disappearance (02/24), we received a text from a neighbor half a mile away. Greta had been living under his backyard shed since a bad storm 2 weeks prior. She was still in survival mode, but my husband coaxed her with enough chicken to calm her down and slip a leash around her neck to get her out.

She was not putting any weight on her back left leg - we learned from the vet it had been fractured for at least 6 weeks, most likely from getting hit by a car a week into her disappearance. Unfortunately, since it’s now an old injury with scar tissue and bone fusion, keeping her leg would require a complicated surgery that could result in future pain, breaks, or more surgery. Her leg is very swollen, and the vet thinks she's hiding her pain well, so the sooner the better for amputation - it's scheduled for March 14th. Luckily, all of her vitals are in great shape, and she should recover and adapt to tri-pawed life quickly! However, the unexpected cost of the surgery, estimated at $5,000, following our months-long search has been difficult for us to financially manage.

If you are able, we would be so grateful if you could contribute a small amount towards her surgery and recovery costs. If you prefer more classic gift-giving, Greta has a wish list set up on Amazon. Simply sharing and spreading the word is a huge help by itself. Thank you so much - your kindness and support mean the world to us during this challenging time.

To follow Greta and her recovery progress, feel free to check out her Facebook page or Instagram account (@GrretaGirl)!

We recently got the estimate for the amputation surgery: the low end is $4,764 and the high end is $4,977.

The cost breakdown is:

$3,760 for the surgery

$379 for anesthesia

$225-285 for medications

$257 for hospitalization and tech

$105-258 for tests

$38 for disposal fees, etc.