Help our dog to get healthy hips

Hi, we are Alisa and Fritjiof, a young couple living in Finland. We recently got a golden retriever. We call him Talvi, and he is a happy boy, very energetic and social - he loves virtually everyone he meets, both other dogs and humans.

He is now nine months old, and we have discovered that he, unfortunately, has hip dysplasia. It means that his hips don't fit very well into his pelvis, and therefore he cannot walk without feeling pain, and he has trouble using his hind legs properly. By now, he has gotten several injections, and he gets three painkillers every day! He is already walking by swaying from side to side to take the pressure off the hips, which will eventually cause other problems such as stiffness and different muscles not developing correctly.

We got the diagnosis when he was seven months, and the vet told us that we need to limit his playing with other dogs since they can potentially harm him if they jump on him. This has been a big tragedy for our very social boy, who is getting more and more depressed and unhappy, having only very few controlled encounters with other dogs.

We have investigated the possibilities for a hip replacement, which would make him completely functional again, but it costs 11.000 euros! We are on a very small budget - me, Fritjiof, being a student, and Alisa struggling to find work in a country where we haven't been long enough to have a good network.

There is no way we could afford this operation right now, but it is killing us to see how our boy is unhappy, often in pain, only able to take short walks, and suffering from lack of social contact. So, we are appealing to you, hoping that you can make a donation to help us change this very unfortunate and frustrating situation. Anything you would be able to donate would be of great help, no matter how small the donation is. All we want is to be able to give our dog a good life, and any amount from you will help us get there. All the money we collect here will go solely to the operation costs.

This fundraising is approved by the Finnish Police and has the registration number RA/2022/1049. That guarantees that the fundraising is legitimate since we have to prove to the police that we are spending the money on this purpose that we are stating here.

Thank you for reading along!

Alisa and Fritjiof