Help Us Save Winnie The Pooh!

Winnie The Pooh is our small, 75 pound, 4 year, 9 month old Bernese Mountain Dog - and we desperately need help with her medical care, tests, and treatments to keep her alive and thriving.

She's always been such a loving, active, fun, goofy part of our family. I am a permanently disabled 58 year old, that fell instantly in love with this girl when I met her. She was the runt of the litter and the last puppy to find a home... and that home had to be ours! We just connected! She instantly had claimed me as “hers” and the feeling was mutual. She joined my husband and I, and our all American shelter dog, Guinness, and we've been a family/pack ever since.

In November we noticed her fur was getting dull and shedding a lot, and consulted with the Vet, who gave us some supplements to give her and we thought that was going to be it. Nothing big or scary. Then the week after Christmas 2021 she came in the house from a potty break in the yard, “bunny hopping” on her back legs. We couldn't tell what was wrong or which leg was even bothering her for the first few days, she'd just “hop” like she didn't want to walk on either leg. She finally seemed to “choose” the left leg as the one she really didn't want to walk on. I did a thorough examination of her legs, and found no obvious injuries, and she showed no pain while touching or manipulations. So we just kept an eye on her for a few days. In that few days we noticed she was trembling terribly, even when not excited or anxious and it was happening more and more, and she was drinking much more water than normal. She also was starting to have her legs go out from under her while running or maneuvering quickly. The Monday after New Years, only a week later she threw up, and started “hopping” on her front legs as well. After maxing out our credit cards we have found out that she has Immune mediated Meningitis. Which basically means her immune system is fighting her own spinal fluids as if they were a disease. We have ongoing costs that we just don’t have to treat her and continue the necessary monitoring, testing, and medical treatment that she will need to continue to recover, especially if we can’t pay off the $6,000 we’ve already put on credit for her care. We need help! 

Last year wiped out our finances completely, as my husband and I both had Covid-19, and I was hospitalized with it for a week. I had to have 2 major surgeries due to my ongoing disabilities. Our furnace went out with this last big snow storm and wiped out the rest of our credit line even, and now our roof is leaking and we will have to figure out how to fix it as well. My Husband was laid off for 7 months of the year in 2020 due to Covid-19. And we used up savings, 401K, all of our credit to stay afloat the last 2 years. That's what makes this so heartbreaking to happen at this point... we have utilized everything we have and were hoping for her recovery, but the answers will only come if we can get the right care, tests, and treatment done for her.

I would hate to have to say goodbye simply because we no longer have the money need to get her care. We’ve already invested the last $3,000 to our name this past month for her tests, medications and Vet bill… we’d be forever grateful if you would help us save this beautiful soul with a donation towards her medical care.