Selah Needs You

We adopted Selah a little over a year ago, she was 5 months old and the absolute sweetest thing. she was found in a dumpster with 6 of her sisters, left for dead. Heartbroken, we had to do something,  all the while we thought we were saving her-we now know she was meant to save all of us.  At the time we took her in, we had a 10 year old english bulldog, her brother Olive (but we all called him Foof). They fell madly in love and I like to think that she was a huge blessing for him during that last year of his life. (We sadly lost Foof about 6 months ago) In the midst of all our heartbreak, Selah was a bundle of love and joy that we were lucky enough to still have. She really got us through one of the toughest parts of our life as a family. She is so loved, and in my opinion the sweetest dog to ever be born. We would all do anything for her<3

Selah was a tough puppy, she basically ate our entire couch (which we still have not replaced) countless shoes, so many of our daughters stuffed animals, like I said she was a tough puppy. But since the very beginning, the sweetest. she was smaller once and she used to sleep on our heads, she always wants to be on top of you, getting belly rubs, and kisses. ALL the KISSES! So even though she was a bit of a crazy pup, She was smart and followed in her brothers foot steps and learned fast. she was quickly potty trained and started understanding commands very early. She is super playful; bones, sticks, ropes, balls, stuffies - you name it. When you come home from work she will bring you at least 3 different toys, begging you to play with her. Now that she has gotten older I think its safe to say we can get a new couch, as she is perfectly content with all her chewies, and not our stuff :) All I can say is she is the best. She is our 6 year olds best friend, all of our friends dogs- "girlfriend" and she is special because despite the pain and discomfort she is in, you almost wouldn't even know. Like I said, she's one tough cookie. 
Sooo, this is why we need your help!

About a month ago, after a much needed playdate with one of our friends dogs, we noticed Selah wasn't putting pressure on her hind legs. she wasn't exactly limping, she just wasn't bending them, and kind of letting them drag behind her. We thought perhaps she sprained something while running around having the time of her life earlier that day. But what we noticed didn't go away. It subsided a few days later but now we were paying attention. We noticed she never really sat normally, and always had trouble getting up after laying down. She would crawl with her front legs to get to you more often than stand up and come running. We noticed more and more after long walks, that her legs would stiffen up and even though she didn't cry or really show us she was in pain, we started to realize something wasn't right.

So after several X-rays and a physical exam with an orthopedic specialist, we have a diagnosis, and a solution. A very expensive Solution. Selah has an extreme case of Bilateral Medial Patellar Luxation.  Which in her case means: her knee caps primarily live outside of the grooved joint of her femur. Kind of like a dislocated knee, yet can't be snapped or massaged back into place because its been developing like this since she was a puppy, so the groove which holds the knee cap in place, never even developed. It also looks as if her tibias have grown crooked, to make up for this issue. So. The doctor wants her in surgery as soon as possible. one leg at a time 12-24 weeks apart. each leg is going to cost anywhere from $4-$6,000 EACH. I will do anything for this girl, she truly has become my heart and soul. But of course, that is a lot of money, that we do not have at the moment. We need as much help as possible. The Specialist says there is a 95% chance that the surgeries are successful and with much healing, Selah will be able to live a normal life. plenty of room for running and playing, and hopefully a lot less pain. 

If she does not receive these surgeries, this means the arthritis that is already apparent will worsen, she could suffer from a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament. Which too would require surgery to repair. Not to mention, shell live the rest of her hopefully long life in worsening pain and discomfort. She will never be able to walk, run or play like normal dogs. The most unfortunate thing about this is she was born this way, and has lived almost 2 years, suffering through it. And were only just discovering it. 

So this is our little story, heartbreaking at that. We appreciate any help you can give. We hope for Selah's sake she kicks this disorders butt with her new and improved legs! Whatever funds raised with go strictly to her medical bills. So anything and everything is greatly appreciated<3

Here is a helpful link if you want to know more about her condition.
https://www.goodpetparent.com/2017/04/21/luxating-patella-dogs/

Please keep in mind that her case is the "worst case scenario". Grade 4, and then some… she needs surgery to deepen the groove her knee cap SHOULD sit in (it never even had the chance to develop because of this), and her tibias (lower bones) need to be broken and reset. This is not a simple procedure. The recovery time for her is anywhere from 12-14 weeks. Could you imagine not being able to walk or jump or play for 6 months, and then once you finally get your strength back, to have the surgery done on the other leg? To have to recover for another 6 months?  The next year of her life is going to be tough, but she's tougher <3

Her first Surgery will be scheduled for the first week of October, so whatever you can give again, will be so greatly appreciated. Well never be able to pay back whatever help we get, but we can try our hardest to give this puppy the best possible life imaginable. With the best care she needs and deserves. 

We Thank you so much!
<3 Ryan, Shannon, Gaia
And Especially Selah <3