Help us with Chloe's vet bills

In early September, a childhood neighbor posted on facebook that he was seeking a new home for his dog.  We asked him to bring her for a visit. That short visit turned into an overnight, which turned into a week stay, which turned into us deciding that she was just the right fit for our family.  She got along so well with Gracie and Toby, and we had JUST gotten her a new tag with OUR phone number on it on Sunday, September 23.

On Wednesday, October 3, around 5:15am, Nick took her and the other two dogs out to go potty.  He let Toby and Gracie back in, and when doing so, lost sight of Chloe.  We immediately started looking for her, by foot, and by car.  We posted to every social media platform we belong to.  Nextdoor, Facebook.  We called every vet clinic within a 3 mile radius and we called three different shelters.  We posted on "For the Love of Louie".  As the day progressed and we didn't find her, we took to the streets with fliers.  On Friday 10/5, I delivered over 100 fliers to our neighbors.

When the kids got home from school, they said that someone on the bus had seen her by the entrance to our sub.  We weren't sure where she was, or in what condition she would be in.

She was lying in the ditch, right across from one of our subdivision entrances.  Someone was with her - a sweet young man and his mom.  When he had gotten off the bus he had told her that he thought he saw a dog in the ditch, and they immediately went to go investigate what he had seen.

We immediately gave her water, and took her to the vet.  She looked to be in bad shape.  She wasn't walking, but she was completely matted up with burs and I didn't want to hurt her in case something was wrong.

We waited impatiently for the vet to examine her.  Upon reading the x-rays, they found that she had a subluxation of her spine (broken back) and two broken ribs.  They didn't see any internal injuries, but are going to be doing an ultrasound for further determination.

They recommended that we get a consult with an animal neurologist.  If the exam goes well, then surgery may help her.  The costs for just the overnight to keep her stable, and the initial consult are very high.  Yes, we understand that when you open your home and hearts to a dog, that emergencies can happen, but I want to give her a fighting chance, and for me, that means a 2nd opinion with a specialist.  If she can have a good quality of life, even with this injury, then we'll do it.

We are asking that you find it in your hearts to help us with this tremendous financial expense.  We are not asking you to give a lot - but if everyone could give just a little, then that would add up to a lot.  We know that it seems crazy to ask this of our friends and community, but I am really hoping that I don't have to take some of the kids' college funds to pay for this.

If you've gotten this far, thank you.  We are extremely grateful for the support of our community in helping to find her.