☆ ~Mishkas Surgery Fund~ ☆
Mishka is our 5 year old German Shepherd Dog who joined our little family in April 2019 after being rescued from RSPCA Doncaster. Our wonderful pup joined us with a few unfortunate health complaints, including severe allergies and hair loss, ear infections, and topped off with terrible kennel stress. However since coming to live with me and my boyfriend, Mishka has settled so much and has become a playful, gentle, loyal companion that we can't wait to have many more years with. We love our not-so-little girl to the moon and back!
Unfortunately we have seen a rapid decline in her mobility, and last week we were given the horrible diagnosis that our beloved Mishka has osteoarthritis in both hips, as well as a deteriorating knee. Prior to receiving this diagnosis, we had tried a number of self-help options to make Mishka comfortable. Short, gentle walks, a raw diet full of tasty oily fish, Yu-Move supplements, and even Aquatherapy! She is now on prescribed pain relief. Sadly, none of these have made a huge difference and Mishka's mobility continues to deteriorate. After only two years of living with us, our poor girl cannot do half the things she could do previously. She loves nothing more than chasing squirrels up trees, but even this she can no longer do. Our vet has given us the treatment option we hoped we wouldn't need, but that is now a double hip replacement at a cost of around £12,000 (£6000 per hip, done 6 months apart).
My boyfriend Mark and I are full time Prison Officers working for her Majesty's Prison Service. Our roles are stressful and extremely dangerous, and we have worked tirelessly during the pandemic. However, we are still on relatively low wages for the risk we put ourselves in to keep the general public safe. And now, the prospect of being able to save £12,000 within a space of time that would be most beneficial for Mishka is something we are struggling to comprehend with emotionally and financially.
Hence this GoFundMe! We are looking to raise just 10% of the money we require to pay for the treatment Mishka needs, as we know expecting the full amount is unrealistic. Even just a few hundred pounds would help to pay towards her care, including any unpaid leave we might need to take to care for her post-surgery. Any donation would give us the hope we desperately need.
Mishka is a wonderful, beautiful girl who has stuck by our side during the most testing of times. She is our best friend, our comedian, our chunky, furry daughter and we want her to be happy, pain-free and ready to continue living an exciting life full of adventure...
Thank you all~
Mark and Lynsey
