Help Tippy Heal!

My name is Kate Clemons. My partner Dan and I adopted Miss Tippy in August 2022! Tippy is a special little pup, who came to us from Cruzan Satos Dog Rescue. Cruzan Satos is a wonderful organization that rescues dogs from the island of St. Croix and fosters/adopts to those in the USVI and beyond!

Now on to Tippy’s story:

Tippy (formerly known as Grace Kelly) was left at a metal shop on the island of St. Croix, largely unable to move. After it became apparent to the workers there that this dog wasn’t moving well, they called in Mama Rosa to the rescue. She got her, skin and bones, back to the rescue where she nursed her back to health for 2 months. Tippy could barely stand, let alone run and play with the other dogs because to the front paw deformities that she developed due to severe malnourishment. Being poorly nourished in early development can cause major issues for dogs that extend later into life, unfortunately. We knew there was something special about this girl and offered to foster her. We instantly fell in love and knew she had to be part of our family. That does come with some obstacles as we are now learning. While we don’t know what happened for sure, we are now seeing the results of that malnourishment and the long term effects. Tippy gets around okay, but there have certainly been days where she is visibly in pain or cannot move from her bed or the couch. We have a careful balance of keeping her active, but not allowing her to overdo it. Which can pose as a challenge when all she wants to do is play and run with her brother Luke. Those days when we try to have her take it easy, by sitting out a walk, or being pulled in a wagon - Tippy shows even more determination and just simply refuses to give up. I cannot convey how happy this girl is and just how much drive and motivation she has. We want to support her and give her ever opportunity to have the very best life possible, pain free.

We waited several months to give her time to adapt and to see if her paws progressed with proper nutrition and love, but it had become apparent that Tippy needed reassessed. A recent vet visit, along with further testing and X-Ray’s, indicate that Tippy has polyarthritis. Essentially her bones look good, with the exception of some bone loss. We recently took her to Steel City Canine Rehabilitation Center and they recommended a quad wheelchair for Tippy in the future! We would love to make this a reality for her, sooner rather than later, so she can live the life she deserves.

Tippy also had been diagnosed with Entropion. This is a condition where the bottom eyelid rolls inward, causing her eyelashes to rub on her eyes 24/7. Thanks to the donations so far, we were able to have the entropion surgery and it was a HUGE success!!

However, we need your help! Any kind of donation you are able to make will go directly toward her care and to saving for a wheelchair for Tip!

Thank you for your consideration!!!