Blessings my sacred friends

Many of you know and love my dog, Chiba.

Chiba has been my constant companion for almost a decade now. He's been with me through some of the toughest times in my life and has always been there to offer comfort and support. I can't imagine my life without him, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to ensure he gets the care he needs. He recently had an old partial tear in his left hind leg ACL fully tear and he has been struggling to get around since.

Please donate what you can or share this campaign with your friends and family, every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference.

When he first had the injury in 2018, we considered surgery but since it was only a partial tear the vet suggested it was better to try to allow it to heal naturally and only go back for surgery if a full tear occurred. We also tried everything else we could, supplements, chiropractic, etc. which all brought temporary relief but nothing to allow him to hike with me again, which the surgery will fix. But because of his previous injury, no pet insurance will help cover the cost.

on 3/6 his leg started cracking with every step so we recently visited the vet the next day and got him some inflammation and pain meds as a short-term fix for the pain and getting around. I also discovered he gained 13 lbs from not hiking with me regularly so he has also already lost 4 lbs from a diet change and daily core exercises prescribed at that vet visit.

He has also been doing better and better with the meds and the weight coming off, so that is great to see.

However, they let me know the only real hope he has at this stage is surgery. If we do the surgery, he should be back to normal and on the road to healthy life for 5+ years, and if we don't he may injure his right leg and without surgery and both legs injured he may need to be put down. We don't want that to happen to Chiba, so we are going to elect to do the surgery.

So we scheduled a surgery consult with AVES which we attended on 3/21 they said we can definitely fix him and this procedure can be done ASAP within the next few weeks, but the total cost is a good bit more than I have available right now: around $5500 including the surgery, x-rays, labwork, prescriptions and follow-up appointments. Unfortunately, AVES doesn't do financing so I have to pay it all upfront. I've also already spent quite a bit on the vet and the consult as well as the alternative treatment options, etc.

This is quite challenging for me as I've never attempted crowdfunding before, but I don't have the funds or the credit available right now. Chiba is one of the most important beings in my life so I am putting this out to ask for help and have faith that if enough people chip in, we can get him taken care of ASAP.

Once we get the surgery scheduled, it should be quite easy. I will drive about 2 hours to drop Chiba off, then hang in town until they release him later that evening. He should be able to use his leg the same day, but we will be on light leash-only walks for the first 2 weeks. Then we will be on longer and longer walks for another 6 weeks. After a total of 8 weeks of recovery, we go back for follow-up x-rays to ensure everything is good before he is allowed off the leash to run around again. Within 6 months his left hind leg should fully recover and this will help balance the load on his right leg and make it easier for him to stay in shape and remain healthy alive and thriving as long as possible.

We have only been apart for 8 weeks spaced out since I adopted him back in late 2013, and he has always been pretty strong and healthy, so it's challenging for me to see him like this and I am willing to do whatever it takes so I can get it taken care of. I would pay for it myself right now if I could, but recent life circumstances aren't aligned with that right now.

Please consider donating what you can or sharing this campaign with your friends and family. Your support means the world to us and will help Chiba get the surgery he needs to live a happy, healthy life. Our goal is as close to $6000 as we can get to help cover everything. Anything and everything helps $1, $5, $20, $50, $100+ or even just sharing if you aren't in a position to lend us your financial support. We need to raise these funds quickly so we can schedule Chiba's surgery and get him on the road to recovery. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference.

6000 people can make it happen with $1 donations

1200 people can make it happen with $5 donations

300 people can make it happen with $20 donations

120 people can make it happen with $50 donations

60 people can make it happen with $100 donations

6 people can make it happen with $1000 donations

If you donate, stay tuned to my social media on IG @zacharyowen.co or Facebook Zachary Owen Heidemann as well as this campaign for updates.

Thanks for your consideration, love, support and presence in our lives.