In 2021, my partner and I adopted Nellie from the Hawaiian Humane Society. We saw her asleep in a kennel with her two other littermates, all covered in their own feces. Though I've loved dogs for as long as I can remember, I held off on adopting one until I felt I was ready to take care of a dog. When I saw Nellie, I knew she was my soul dog, and I felt ready.

I quickly learned she had a big personality and many quirks after bringing her home. She was also battling many medical issues: worms, mange, was weaned from her mom too young, and was spayed too young. She was so small and malnourished her paperwork said she was a chihuahua mix (she is now a healthy 50 pounds). In the first year of adoption, we helped her work through all of the medical and behavioral problems we were seeing.

Fast forward to now: she's still incredibly anxious, but she is well-loved and happy. She loves her doggy friends, treats, and most of all, to run. We've never seen her happier than when running and chasing a ball. Sometimes during walks, she gets so excited she bursts into zoomies because it's too much for her to physically handle. Her mobility is so important to ensuring Nellie has a happy life and is able to manage her anxiety.

Unfortunately, in late 2024, we noticed she started to limp. We took her to the vet and got scans and a check-up done. The tentative conclusion at the time was that she might have a partially torn meniscus, but our general vet was unsure, so we were referred to an orthopedic surgeon. Thousands of dollars and months of monitoring later (none covered by our insurance, who insisted this was not an orthopedic issue and also not actual treatment for any medical problem), we were told by our orthopedic surgeon that she likely had a minor, partial tear but everything looked okay. The months of rest, icing, monitoring, and home PT had paid off. She wouldn't need surgery and could start to walk and strengthen the partially torn ligament again. We were advised to start with light exercise (30 min walks per day).

The next day we took her on a light walk with her best doggy friend (Ollie) at the park, and within 3 seconds of seeing him, she had zoomies, yelped in extreme pain, and fell to the ground. She's not a dog who usually vocalizes pain, so to hear her yelp broke our heart and really emphasized the amount of pain she was in. She couldn't walk or bear any weight on her hind leg at all. After the incident she was completely bedridden. We've had to carry her anywhere she needs to go.

We rushed her to the emergency vet the following morning to get some answers. Our orthopedic surgeon concluded she had now fully torn her CCL and needed surgery urgently to be able to walk again. The surgery will cost anywhere between $8,500 and $10,500. Because we are on an island, surgery costs are inflated (though not that much higher when compared to board-certified surgeon rates on the mainland). We examined other options on island but they either require a referral or an in-house examination (which would cost more money). Either way, this would prolong the wait for what is an urgently needed surgery. Our insurance has also maintained that they will not cover the costs because they say though they believed (key operating term) it wasn't an orthopedic issue before, they now believe she has a genetic predisposition to this type of injury; our monitoring and attempts to prevent surgery were used against us to make this claim. We went back and forth with them to no avail. Unfortunately, this is a typical pet insurance story.

We understand this is a financially precarious time for many people and donating to a dog surgery fund may seem trivial. We're not expecting anything, but if you have a few dollars to spare, we'd greatly appreciate it. Any assistance at all would be helpful. In addition to surgery costs, we expect additional costs for pain medication, rehabilitation, and items to ensure Nellie is comfortable and heals well.

For context, my job is funded by federal funding, which has been frozen and inaccessible since January. I work as a researcher examining barriers to equitable access to early childhood services statewide (in Hawaii), ranging from prenatal care for pregnant people to preschool access for young children. I have not had a full paycheck since January.

We thank you so, so much in advance for reading, and for your care and compassion.