My sweet girl, Winnie, was diagnosed with a luxating patella a few years ago. At the time, it was mild, and she showed little to no signs of discomfort. Despite her diagnosis, she never slowed down. She continued playing every chance she got, even finding ways to play fetch all by herself.

Anyone who knows Winnie knows that fetch is her absolute favorite thing in the world. Over the years, we’ve made adjustments to keep her safe and prevent overexertion, while still letting her enjoy what she loves most.

Unfortunately, over the past month, Justin and I began noticing that Winnie was limping more and showing clear signs of pain.

Last week, we decided to look into surgical options, hoping it would help her get back to the happy, playful life she’s always known.

But the results were devastating. Winnie has a torn ACL, advanced hip dysplasia, arthritis in both her hips and knees, and IVDD. She’s only 7 years old, and we had no idea she was living with this much pain. Even our vet was surprised by how severe her condition is.

The surgery for her knee alone is estimated to cost at least $9,500. Right now, Justin and I would be incredibly grateful for any support toward Winnie’s knee surgery.

Winnie means everything to us, and it’s heartbreaking to know she’ll need lifelong care to manage her pain. At the moment, she can’t play or go on walks until she has surgery. Even after surgery, we don’t know if she’ll ever be able to play the way she once did.

Our goal now is simply to make her as comfortable as possible and give her the chance to enjoy life in whatever ways she still can. We know her condition will progress with time, and we may have less time with her than we ever expected. For now, we are focused on making her more comfortable and giving her more time to play as much as reasonably possible.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration ❤️