Here is a picture of our beloved, 8-year-old yellow lab, Shaggy, joyously rolling in the snow a week ago. Then two days ago, after an important afternoon of keeping our backyard safe from squirrels, we found Shaggy on our living room floor, unable to move her legs. She didn't seem to be in too much pain. She just couldn't move anything from her neck, down -- other than her tail, which she kept wagging as we pet her and maybe spoiled her with a bit too much rotisserie chicken.

This Monday, we went to our vet in Boulder, who quickly sent us up to CSU, where Shaggy was diagnosed with a degenerated disc that is pushing against her spinal cord. With imaging (chest x-ray, MRI), blood work (a prerequisite for the MRI), a spinal tap (to double-check for infection), corrective surgery (the big one...), and inpatient care, the estimate is $10-12k.


Shaggy isn't our first dog. Not even our first Labrador. We've had dogs pass before, but not at age 8, and not from a correctable condition. According to the docs at CSU, Shaggy is in otherwise excellent health and with surgery would be expected to recover and live a full life.

Here is Shaggy keeping Kess company while Kess was stayed home sick from school. We are hoping to return the favor of kindness, loyalty, and compassion now when Shaggy needs it most. We just...can't. But maybe with your help, we can.