Support Marley's Surgery for a Pain-Free Life

Goodbye EHarmony… I found my soul mate…. Marley.

Now the sad news…

Marley has been diagnosed with a genetic disorder. It’s Medial Luxating Patella, also called trick knee. It is a common problem in small breeds. The patella has slipped out of the smooth groove in which it normally rides up and down. 50% of affected dogs have it in both knees. Marley falls into this group. Nothing Marley has done in life would have prevented this from happening. His surgeon says he has had this from birth. But now it’s taking its toll on his health.

There are different grades to this disorder. Grade one often doesn’t need surgery; grade four is advanced. The condition will not improve and will usually become worse.

Marley's left patella is a grade two and his right side grade one. If he were elderly, I would probably have him on pain management and anti-inflammatories. But Marley is not yet two, very active, and he’s a border collie with a job!

The difficult decision to have bilateral surgery weighs heavy on me. Many dogs that have unilateral surgery end up having the other knee done. So do I wait to see if/when the other knee fails? Bilateral surgery saves thousands of dollars and recovery is done all at once instead of waiting for a second surgery and rehab. The only downside is the first three days are crucial that he bears no weight on his legs. This will have to be figured out because I am unable to lift 57 pounds of Marley. We’ll have to find a way. After three to four days, he can start doing light weight bearing.

Recovery is 2 weeks in a cone and 8 weeks in crate/pen. He is only out on leash. Pain meds and sedation.

The best news is once this is over, Marley is good as gold! He can resume all his activities and have a long, full, active life.

I, unfortunately, am still in physical therapy and recovery from tendon surgery. I believe Marley knows how hard things have been for me.

I will postpone a trip to be with my dad for a bit. But waiting may only make Marley’s issue worse. And we don’t want to be dealing with this when winter rains hit.

It’s extremely uncomfortable to be setting up a GoFundMe for Marley because I don’t want ANYONE to feel any obligation or need to donate. Any donations exceeding our expenses will be donated to a local rescue organization. I wish I had pet insurance. Hard to justify another expense when Marley is one of fourteen animals here at MoonFire Ranch. BUT… Marley is my dog. My best friend. My responsibility. And he will get what he needs. Whatever that takes.