On January 26th, my almost 5 month old Chihuahua, Joey, took a tumble off of the bed, and ended up severely fracturing and dislocating his elbow. The emergency animal hospital told me that I had two choices.

The first option was to splint and cast the elbow, but because of the growth plates that were involved, best case scenario, the bones in Joey’s leg would all heal and fuse together - leaving him with a completely immobile leg that would probably need surgery somewhere down the line. The worst case scenario of casting and splinting was complete amputation of his front leg. The 2nd option was to get him to an orthopedic surgeon to get him the necessary surgery to ensure that he has mobility in his leg.

After a couple of minutes thinking about this, because I know how much surgery can be, I decided that orthopedic surgery was the only option for a baby that has barely started his life. I could not begin to fathom robbing him of his quality of life without at least trying to give him the best care possible. He’s all I have - he’s my kid - he’s my responsibility. It’s just Joey and I - conquering the world.

Our lives were flipped upside down in an instant. Mine, because I knew I had to act quickly because he was going to start healing fast, which could cause a whole other array of problems, and Joey’s because he was just playing and being a puppy one minute, and then was in agonizing pain the next. Let me tell you, the scream that came out of him was one that I will NEVER forget.

It is really hard for me to ask for help - as I have always been the person to say, “I’ll figure it out,” but I don’t know what else to do right now. Joey’s surgery and hospital stay cost just over $12,000 - believe me, he is worth it. What he lacks in size and weight he makes up for in big personality. Thank god for CareCredit, because the care Joey needed wouldn’t have been possible for me without it. I am single income and I work 2 jobs just stay above water with bills to survive.

I am certainly not looking for the entire $12,000. I know that the choice to have the surgery was completely mine - like I said, Joey is my responsibility, and no one else’s. I also know that everyone is in the same boat these days and life is expensive, so I understand if you do not have anything to give, and my intention is not to make this your problem too. But if you can, even if it’s a small amount, it will help and I am beyond grateful.

From the bottom of our hearts - mine and Joey’s, we thank you. Even if you just took the time to read this, thank you so much.