Help little Birch get surgery

Hello, folks;

This is Birch the day she was found by a Mexican rescue. She'd been living on a roof top with only the shelter of the pole she was tied to for about five years when her (abusive) owners moved and left her behind, leaving her starving. Good neighbours threw her scraps which kept her alive. It took me 3 mo to slowly rid her of matts, using nail scissors. She was too scared of shavers. Some of her matts were 3" thick. She is now a healthy 25 pounds, but when rescued was 8 pounds.

I'm pretty sure she's part Maltese and part terrier. I was lucky. I fell in love with her from a photograph and somehow it worked out that a kind woman from the rescue organization brought her all the way to me. Luck was smiling on Birch that day!

She had a hard time settling in here, with many moments of fence smashing/darting into traffic, but after a few months those stopped, thank goodness. I learned that after all her (probable) beatings, she was shy with people, terrified of food, and had no clue how to play. She doesn't know what balls are for. She has very little interest in anything but cuddles, walks and treats. (In fact, yesterday when she met the object of her affections, C, who wags his tail at her from his window, she seemed to be trying to play for the first time ever!)

It turns out she needs some extensive vet work. I have an estimate of $3800 to get the dental cleaning and extractions, the hip x-ray she needs for her dysplasia, a lesion near her eye removed before it has an impact on her eye itself, and an u/s on her frequently-bleeding guts. I booked her surgery for Dec 5. I feel lucky it's so soon!

She's such a sweetie pie. I wish you could meet her. Once I realized I could never chastise her for anything (too much of that in her past), but that she would do anything for praise, cuddles and treats, it was smooth sailing. I do have to hand feed her, though, bc of her trauma around food. (If she had her way, she'd eat just bread. Yes, please. One loaf of bread per day would make her so happy. And so sick!)

I kind of promised Birch she'd have smooth sailing from arrival until her death, but I am already really struggling to provide her basics--it's as much to feed a dog now as a human (and I was not expecting that). I did get insurance at the get-go but after 4 mo, I cancelled it bc of its many restrictions. I've been saving $50/mo, but that got wiped out when she had to go to the ER vet for anal bleeding in Sept and that cost $830. Between that and her vaccines (another $260, I think it was), I'm tapped out.

I'm a multiply-disabled senior eeking out a perilous existence on govt pension and what I can earn from writing and painting. Regrettably, I was disabled young, so I never had a chance at employment benefits.

I'm embarrassed having to ask. I find it humiliating. But anything you could offer to help get Birch the care she needs would be greatly appreciated. Please share!