Surgery Costs for Murray

As some of you know, in August we took Murray to the vet with concern over a severe limp he had developed that wasn’t improving- he was not bearing any weight at all on his right hind leg. The vet confirmed it was a torn ACL- a complete separation; there would be no chance of recovery without surgery to reattach it. The prognosis of a full recovery for the type of surgery they’d perform is nearly 100%, however it is invasive, requires calling in a special surgeon, and is therefore quite costly- over $4,000. As Murray is a rescue, we can only guess his age to be about 10 or 11, but beyond this injury he is a strong, healthy boy with several good years ahead of him. If we don’t correct this, however, the minor tear in his other ACL will eventually separate completely (unable to repair itself) as he has to overcompensate with that leg right now, and once they are both gone, Murray’s vitality and health would decline rapidly, and he’d be in a great deal of pain. The idea of allowing this to happen to our good boy is intolerable and heartbreaking.

Most of you know my “first baby” was Elliot, the dog that quite literally kept me going through some of the darkest periods of my life, and you know how important Elliot was to me. You all probably also know that Seth and I are both extremely invested dog parents. Murray is my husband’s Elliot. He is our family’s loyal guard dog, companion, and beloved pet, and he is equally as important to his second home with Maria, Stefan, and his “stepbrother” Indy.

Murray’s surgery is scheduled for November 1. It will take about 10 weeks for a complete recovery and we will have to keep him largely immobilized to heal properly for most of that time. Seth will be building a long ramp with a gentle incline to help us take him out for the bathroom during this time. We have been keeping him comfortable with medications for pain and inflammation for now, and we are prepared to work together to do what it takes to help Murray return to a pain free, active life that he loves.

We hesitated for weeks about setting up a GoFundMe, since we all have financial burdens and we don’t feel great about asking for this kind of help for nothing in return (though we are more than willing to pay it forward or pay it back in some way should you need help in the future, however we are able). Quite a few of you have asked how you can contribute though, so it’s worth a shot, as this would help our family worry less about how we’ll pay for it so we can focus more on just making sure he is well tended to.

My birthday, then Christmas, then Seth’s birthday are all within the next few months and we are asking that anyone who would normally honor us with a thoughtful gift, instead chip in a few bucks toward Murray’s looming medical costs.

Thank you for taking a moment to read our plea, and thank you for thinking of our very good, sweet boy Murray. We are so grateful for your love and support!