Rescued Puppy Requires Major Surgeries
Donation protected
CaliBear was about 4 months old when someone dumped her on the side of a busy road. My friends picked her up and I took her from them because they are not "dog" people and are rarely home. I have fostered dogs before and have had great success in finding good homes for them. At first, I tried to find her a home by contacting rescues, posting about her on Facebook, taking her to Petco and asking everyone we encountered on our daily walks. There were no takers.
About a week after we had her, I noticed that she was limping at the end of the day. I started watching her closely and noticed that she bunny hops a lot when she runs. I had a sinking feeling that there was something wrong with her hind legs. When we had her spayed, the vet did X-rays and the horrible diagnosis of hip displaysia was made. At that point, we knew we could not pass this puppy on to someone else with these medical issues. We were also deeply in love with her already! She is a total love bug! She is sweet to kids, people and other dogs. She is so inquisitive and playful and SMART! She minds so well and is just a complete joy to all who encounter her!
Dogs with hip displaysia have a problem with their hip joints. Sometimes the ball doesn't fit the socket, but in CaliBear's case, she has very malformed, shallow hip sockets. The balls don't really even have placement in the sockets. Her muscles, ligaments and tendons are what holds her legs in place right now. She must have two complete hip replacements.
She is 8 months old now and about 40 lbs. The heavier she gets, the more pain she is in. She limps a lot of the time and is lame more in her left leg than the right. She will also trip herself with her hind legs because they don't stay in socket. It is very sad to watch such a sweet, happy, loving puppy go through this! She is an Australian Cattle Dog mix. She has SO much energy because her instincts are to herd animals. We could burn off the energy with longer walks or trips to the dog park, but we can't do that because it makes her hips more painful. Today, she met a neighbor's dog and they were having a great time playing. I had to cut it short to keep her from being in terrible pain later today.
We agonized over asking people to help us pay for her surgeries. We weren't even going to do a Go Fund Me, but after 13 people suggested to us that we do it, we've decided to give it a shot. After all, we have helped many others with their funds, we donate all the time to animal rescues that are in dire need and we volunteer at an animal rescue. Maybe if others help us, it will allow us to continue to rescue and foster others in the future.
The estimates we received to do the surgeries in Houston was about $17,000. I called Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station. They are about 2 hours away, but their estimate was $11,000 for the surgeries. We are trying to raise $12,000 to cover the surgeries and some of the after care. We expect this to cost at least $13,000 by the time we are all done with therapy, X-rays, follow on appointments, travel costs, etc.
We are taking X-rays every 6- 8 weeks right now. As soon as her growth plates have closed, we can start looking at scheduling the surgeries. We are hoping to do the first hip in September if all goes as planned.
Would you please consider any size donation to help us help this beautiful creature get some relief and live the pain-free life she deserves? We appreciate any and all help and even your consideration. If you can't spare any money, we understand, but please pray for us or share this campaign. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
About a week after we had her, I noticed that she was limping at the end of the day. I started watching her closely and noticed that she bunny hops a lot when she runs. I had a sinking feeling that there was something wrong with her hind legs. When we had her spayed, the vet did X-rays and the horrible diagnosis of hip displaysia was made. At that point, we knew we could not pass this puppy on to someone else with these medical issues. We were also deeply in love with her already! She is a total love bug! She is sweet to kids, people and other dogs. She is so inquisitive and playful and SMART! She minds so well and is just a complete joy to all who encounter her!
Dogs with hip displaysia have a problem with their hip joints. Sometimes the ball doesn't fit the socket, but in CaliBear's case, she has very malformed, shallow hip sockets. The balls don't really even have placement in the sockets. Her muscles, ligaments and tendons are what holds her legs in place right now. She must have two complete hip replacements.
She is 8 months old now and about 40 lbs. The heavier she gets, the more pain she is in. She limps a lot of the time and is lame more in her left leg than the right. She will also trip herself with her hind legs because they don't stay in socket. It is very sad to watch such a sweet, happy, loving puppy go through this! She is an Australian Cattle Dog mix. She has SO much energy because her instincts are to herd animals. We could burn off the energy with longer walks or trips to the dog park, but we can't do that because it makes her hips more painful. Today, she met a neighbor's dog and they were having a great time playing. I had to cut it short to keep her from being in terrible pain later today.
We agonized over asking people to help us pay for her surgeries. We weren't even going to do a Go Fund Me, but after 13 people suggested to us that we do it, we've decided to give it a shot. After all, we have helped many others with their funds, we donate all the time to animal rescues that are in dire need and we volunteer at an animal rescue. Maybe if others help us, it will allow us to continue to rescue and foster others in the future.
The estimates we received to do the surgeries in Houston was about $17,000. I called Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station. They are about 2 hours away, but their estimate was $11,000 for the surgeries. We are trying to raise $12,000 to cover the surgeries and some of the after care. We expect this to cost at least $13,000 by the time we are all done with therapy, X-rays, follow on appointments, travel costs, etc.
We are taking X-rays every 6- 8 weeks right now. As soon as her growth plates have closed, we can start looking at scheduling the surgeries. We are hoping to do the first hip in September if all goes as planned.
Would you please consider any size donation to help us help this beautiful creature get some relief and live the pain-free life she deserves? We appreciate any and all help and even your consideration. If you can't spare any money, we understand, but please pray for us or share this campaign. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Organizer
Heather J Brodersen
Organizer
Atascocita, TX