Help Smokey Stay Young: Double Knee Surgery Needed

Smokey needs double knee surgery.

I adopted Smokey on September 19th from the Idaho Humane Society. He was 7 years and 7 months old. He was relinquished by the family that raised him for biting their 3-year-old who fell on him while he was sleeping. When I met him at the shelter, I immediately fell in love. They told me he was good with cats and he was healthy. His paperwork confirmed this, saying he had no hind leg lameness and had all his shots.

Soon after he settled in, we were playing in the yard and he started limping. I figured he was just older and we had played too long, so I ordered him a leg brace and iced his hips overnight. I started giving him glucosamine, which seemed to help. But again, we were playing and he started limping, so I took him in to see the vet.

The first vet said he was overall healthy, but the back half of him looked much older than he was. She thought us playing had aggravated an old leg injury. It was likely the old injury had caused arthritis in both hips and knees from him compensating for pain and adjusting how he walked, leading to quicker deterioration of his joints.

We immediately started him on Adequan and Carprofen to help reduce inflammation and pain and to help lubricate his joints. This visit and medicine cost $450. This seemed to help right away and I was so excited to help him be more comfortable. But again, he was limping, so I brought him back to the vet.

This vet confirmed what the other vet told me and suggested putting him on Librela as well, but he would need to get bloodwork done. Wanting him to be as comfortable as possible, I agreed. This appointment and medication was around $200. We set up an appointment for a teeth cleaning and imaging of his legs for a week later.

He ended up having to have 3 teeth extracted, but other than that, his teeth looked good. The vet showed me his X-rays and he was diagnosed with cruciate ligament disease. His two back knees have partial tears and he was said to have about 6 months left of walking on them until they fully tear (If they fully tear, the cost of the surgery will double). This appointment was $1,185.

The surgery is $3,600 for the first knee and $3,500 for the second knee. He will need $240 of light therapy after surgery and more Adequan for about $200. I’m currently in law school, unable to work in my first year, and living on student loans. I have been selling things around my house to try and make money where I can for him. All funds will be going toward his vet bills.

The pet insurance I got for him has not been covering anything, saying his condition is preexisting and also that his illness coverage hadn’t started yet. I can understand this, but when I adopted him, his exam said he was healthy with no problems! It is frustrating since an accident, which he had insurance for at the time of his first visit, caused all of this to be discovered.

I wanted to adopt an older dog since they tend to stay at shelters the longest. I wanted to give him a new life, full of love and adventure, and I have so far. But I am not ready to give up on him and I need help.

He is the most loyal boy and loves to play ball and explore trails. I love him so much. I know things are tight for everyone right now, but please donate what you can. Anything will help.