Our smiley girl Winnie needs your help!

 

My name is April and I am fundraising for my dog (and best friend), Winnie. Winnie is an Australian Cattle Dog who just turned 1.5 years old. She needs a $5,000 surgery to remove bone fragments from her elbow joints.

 

We are sad to inform everyone that Winnie was diagnosed with fragmented medial coronoid process (FMCP) disease on the 24th of August. FMCP is a form of elbow dysplasia (a congenital disorder, or something she's born with) where the medial coronoid process (a bone in the elbow) separates from the ulna.

 

Winnie needs an arthroscopic debridement surgery to try to preserve her joints and to reduce her pain and lameness. Unfortunately, we are not insured with Winnie. Because of the nature of this disease, Winnie will not be able to get back to her happy, crazy little self without this surgery, and will also require lifelong management to prevent and slow the formation of osteoarthritis.

 

 

(Winnie on her 1st birthday at Currumbin Beach)

 

Starting around June, 2021 Winnie began to limp. She was only 16 months old at the time. The veterinarian originally suspected a soft tissue injury and recommended she rest for 5 days with only slow walks and prescribed her an anti-inflammatory. Those 5 days went by and nothing improved. The veterinarian then recommended two further weeks of rest, and still no improvement. I was getting concerned, as Winnie was cooped up in the house and in desperate need of socialisation and exercise. Being a working dog breed, Winnie is very active, adventurous and thrives off exercise. While I’ve been doing my best to keep her mentally stimulated, going from two hours of physical exercise per day to none at all has been extremely tough for her. Not to mention, Winnie has been struggling with anxiety and reactivity, for which we have engaged a professional dog trainer (which has also cost us over $500 so far), and her training has not been able to progress given her current condition.

 

 

(Winnie in June 2021 shortly after she started limping)

 

We have spent around $1500 so far just on consultations, medications, and diagnostic scans. The surgery alone will cost approximately $5000, and that doesn't include further physical therapy, supplements, and medications required for the long-term management of her FMCP. 

 

 

(Winnie and I at the vet clinic before her CT scan)

 

Being a young dog mum and recently graduated student, the cost of this surgery is very daunting. As my friends and family know, I do not like to ask for help. However, in looking at my financial resilience, I feel the time has come to phone a friend. Any donation, no matter how small, will go towards making a big improvement in Winnie’s life. All funds will go towards her surgery in October. Our hearts are torn to see Winnie in pain, and we would love to do everything we can to get Winnie back to normal and enjoying life again so she can continue sharing making people smile around the world.

 

Thank you all for taking the time to read and consider donating to Winnie’s surgery. We will continue to post updates on here and on Winnie’s social media (@winniethecattledog).

 

Sincerely,

 

April & Winnie x