Help Nipsey Get Back on Her Paws

I have a confession to make- 

I stole something and I’m proud of it.

Her name is Nipsey, and she came into my life in 2021 when she was filthy and starving, bruised and terrified. Her previous owner was a repeat domestic abuser, and he was taken to jail after breaking into his partner’s apartment in the building in which I used to work, and live, leaving Nipsey behind. You could see every bone in her body because of how skinny she was. Her nails were like talons because they had never been trimmed. Despite never being shown love or gratitude, she was incredibly loving and grateful from the moment she came into my life, showering everyone with kisses and tail-wags, like she knew she was finally safe. Nip was my dog from the moment I took her out of that crate. I couldn’t have cared less about who was going to say otherwise, but I don’t think anyone was going to say otherwise.

From that day on, I’ve done everything I can to give her the life she deserves and I wouldn’t change a thing. In 2022, I noticed her limping when we finished a nice long round of fetch, by far her favorite game. After several vet appointments, it was discovered that she completely ruptured her CCL (roughly equivalent to our human ACL) in her right leg and it would require surgery to fix. After vetting as many veterinarians as I could find through recommendations and positive reviews for quotes, I decided to drive her down to a recommended vet in Columbus and get a hotel for the weekend. Surgery and the physical therapy after recovery set me back several thousand dollars, but I figured I’d get most of that money back through her pet insurance after I paid the deductible. I was mistaken. Her insurance policy had been active for about 4 months before the injury occurred, and I just didn’t read the fine print closely enough, because they had a 6 month waiting period specifically for CCL injuries before they’d pay out, so I was stuck with the bill. Everything else in her policy only had a waiting period of 14-31 days before coverage kicked in, and it’s my fault for not asking the right questions about insurance policies or shopping around for more options before I signed her up. 

Last year, I learned about a neat concept that was new to me- Bilateral Conditions. 

In the world of pet insurance, Bilateral Conditions are health challenges affecting both sides of your pet's body where recurrence on the opposite side is more likely, and they likely won’t be covered. Depending on who you ask, a dog that has previously torn a CCL has a 50-70% chance of tearing the other one within a year or two, making it…a Bilateral Condition. 

My biggest fear over the past year and a half has finally come true. I woke up in the middle of the night to Nipsey yelping in pain next to me in bed. The literal only other time I’ve heard her cry out like that was when she tore her CCL, so I knew immediately how serious it was. An expensive vet trip and several tests & X-rays later, I got the confirmation I was hoping I was wrong about. She needs surgery on the other knee.

My vet (who I respect and trust entirely, not where she had surgery) also informed me that the procedure she had done on the first leg is typically only done on dogs that are half her size or smaller, and she already has arthritis in that knee that’s likely to cause her problems down the line. 

I’ve never been good at asking for help, but I truly don’t know what else to do here to get my 3 year old baby the care she needs that will allow her to live a healthy, happy life. I’m still paying off the first surgery, and Insurance won’t pay for anything (thank you Bilateral Conditions clause). 

So I am humbly asking for help. I set the goal based on the “high cost” estimate I was given by my vet (for the correct surgery this time), medications, and aftercare like any physical therapy she’s going to need. 

Any and every donation amount will help tremendously, but I understand if you’re not able to donate. If you aren’t able to donate, I would truly appreciate if you can just share this campaign with the people you know. 

Thank you so much for reading.

-Ryan and Nipsey