Sadie Mae (my life line) needs TTA surgery
Donation protected
Well, anyone who knows me personally knows that a public plea for help (let alone asking for help in the first place) is far beyond my comfort zone. That being said, this isn't about me anymore.
Sadie Mae (who if you don't know her, is my best friend, support animal, one and only, absolutely perfect dog) has recently sustained what was first believed to be a minor injury to her knee (a torn cranial cruciate ligament). As her recovery seemed to stop and she digressed we are faced with the need for TPLO (tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) surgery.
Sadie came into my life simply as a companion. I had taken her from a couple friends who were splitting up and neither were able to take the nearly 2 year old Sadie with them. To be honest I wasn't keen on taking a dog at that time but they were sure we were best for eachother. It was a tough beginning but they weren't wrong... Sort of. Sadie has been the best thing to happen to me, she has given me a reason to get through the tough times and we have had some really tough times. As her training advanced she began to "earn her keep". When I was working with dogs full time (boarding, sitting, walking, training, ect) Sadie became my right hand man. Her ability to support other animals in times of stress as well as educate them in a language they understood was amazing. She is easily one of the best dog sitters I know and she specializes in leash manners.
As time went on and we began to explore more and more social settings I realized I wasn't bringing her everywhere I could "just so she wasn't stuck home alone" but because I was struggling to leave the house on my own. Mental health challenges and often crippling social anxiety kept me house and often bed bound but Sadie refused to allow that to become our norm. Before we knew it Sadie was officially my Support Animal, wearing her vest with pride. Sadie has always worked to support others in need the way she does me whenever given a chance to. Be it sitting next to the woman about to burst into tears at a coping skills workshop, crawling into bed with a friend's Oma shortly before she passed (this friend seemed unable to make the visit alone so he asked to take Sadie with him), keeping restless children occupied at church or calming the nerves of a stressed out board of directors as meeting tensions grew.
Sadie gladly soaks up tears with her fluffy coat, lays quietly as your feet or plays and adventures whenever needed.
Sadie Mae not only deserves all the support she can get (like all our creature friends) but she's worked for it.
I hate to publically admit it but I am what some might call "broke as fuck". Student debt from what feels like a million years ago, some minor credit card debt and an old consolidation loan eat up what is left of my "modest wage" after all other monthly expenses are paid.
I work in the social work field, specifically working with the homeless population of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge area. Anyone familiar with this line of work can attest to the fact that the work is of vital importance but working on the frontline in an entry-level role barely earns you a living wage. Thank you for not judging my broke ass after having shared the above information.
Now the nitty gritty:
Average cost of tplo surgery on a dog her size - $3000-3500 plus taxes.
Additional costs not included in estimated cost of surgery:
- initial assessments plus x-rays
- follow up appointments
- follow up x-ray
- pain medication
- specialist physiotherapy (probably going to skip this as it is extremely expensive and will do my best to perform the work myself at home)
- additional support from Sadie's dog walker (obviously not with walks but with washroom breaks and physio) as I work very long hours in a very draining job.
Unfortunately, there is more as my whole rental home has laminate flooring. This flooring is believed to be a possible cause of the initial injury and it's exacerbation. As mentioned, I live in a rental so carpeting the house is a no but I will need to put down nonslip runners and one or two area rugs. Specifically: One long nonslip runner (main hallway), runners for two sets of stairs and one or two large area rugs.
All this being said I will be working on getting more exact quotes and costs of all things involved both for medical care, after care and other resources over the next couple of weeks.
I'm aiming for $6000 but I'm not expecting it. Really I'm just hoping for a little extra and will gladly beg, borrow and steal everywhere else possible be it my loving family (that's right guys, I'm calling you out on your love), remaining space on my credit cards, extra work hours, etc.
Sadie's health otherwise is fantastic, she is playful, annoyingly energetic and I'm pretty sure she is willing to suffer through at least a few more years with me (not sure she likes me but we're all we've got).
Sadie Mae (who if you don't know her, is my best friend, support animal, one and only, absolutely perfect dog) has recently sustained what was first believed to be a minor injury to her knee (a torn cranial cruciate ligament). As her recovery seemed to stop and she digressed we are faced with the need for TPLO (tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) surgery.
Sadie came into my life simply as a companion. I had taken her from a couple friends who were splitting up and neither were able to take the nearly 2 year old Sadie with them. To be honest I wasn't keen on taking a dog at that time but they were sure we were best for eachother. It was a tough beginning but they weren't wrong... Sort of. Sadie has been the best thing to happen to me, she has given me a reason to get through the tough times and we have had some really tough times. As her training advanced she began to "earn her keep". When I was working with dogs full time (boarding, sitting, walking, training, ect) Sadie became my right hand man. Her ability to support other animals in times of stress as well as educate them in a language they understood was amazing. She is easily one of the best dog sitters I know and she specializes in leash manners.
As time went on and we began to explore more and more social settings I realized I wasn't bringing her everywhere I could "just so she wasn't stuck home alone" but because I was struggling to leave the house on my own. Mental health challenges and often crippling social anxiety kept me house and often bed bound but Sadie refused to allow that to become our norm. Before we knew it Sadie was officially my Support Animal, wearing her vest with pride. Sadie has always worked to support others in need the way she does me whenever given a chance to. Be it sitting next to the woman about to burst into tears at a coping skills workshop, crawling into bed with a friend's Oma shortly before she passed (this friend seemed unable to make the visit alone so he asked to take Sadie with him), keeping restless children occupied at church or calming the nerves of a stressed out board of directors as meeting tensions grew.
Sadie gladly soaks up tears with her fluffy coat, lays quietly as your feet or plays and adventures whenever needed.
Sadie Mae not only deserves all the support she can get (like all our creature friends) but she's worked for it.
I hate to publically admit it but I am what some might call "broke as fuck". Student debt from what feels like a million years ago, some minor credit card debt and an old consolidation loan eat up what is left of my "modest wage" after all other monthly expenses are paid.
I work in the social work field, specifically working with the homeless population of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge area. Anyone familiar with this line of work can attest to the fact that the work is of vital importance but working on the frontline in an entry-level role barely earns you a living wage. Thank you for not judging my broke ass after having shared the above information.
Now the nitty gritty:
Average cost of tplo surgery on a dog her size - $3000-3500 plus taxes.
Additional costs not included in estimated cost of surgery:
- initial assessments plus x-rays
- follow up appointments
- follow up x-ray
- pain medication
- specialist physiotherapy (probably going to skip this as it is extremely expensive and will do my best to perform the work myself at home)
- additional support from Sadie's dog walker (obviously not with walks but with washroom breaks and physio) as I work very long hours in a very draining job.
Unfortunately, there is more as my whole rental home has laminate flooring. This flooring is believed to be a possible cause of the initial injury and it's exacerbation. As mentioned, I live in a rental so carpeting the house is a no but I will need to put down nonslip runners and one or two area rugs. Specifically: One long nonslip runner (main hallway), runners for two sets of stairs and one or two large area rugs.
All this being said I will be working on getting more exact quotes and costs of all things involved both for medical care, after care and other resources over the next couple of weeks.
I'm aiming for $6000 but I'm not expecting it. Really I'm just hoping for a little extra and will gladly beg, borrow and steal everywhere else possible be it my loving family (that's right guys, I'm calling you out on your love), remaining space on my credit cards, extra work hours, etc.
Sadie's health otherwise is fantastic, she is playful, annoyingly energetic and I'm pretty sure she is willing to suffer through at least a few more years with me (not sure she likes me but we're all we've got).
Organiser
Jessie Tanguay
Organiser
Kitchener, ON
