Manny our Rhodesian Ridgeback needs your help.

We got Manny when we were living abroad. We had been looking for years for the right Rhodesian and when we saw him as a puppy myself, my wife and two children fell in love with him.

Manny is 2 years old and full of energy. He is full of energy and wants to run and jump all day.  About a year ago we heard him yelp and saw he was limping. We were in the process of transferring our pet insurance from Spain when we first went to a local Dublin Vet to check his leg.  They did an x-ray and said it was OCD. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD or OD) is an inflammatory condition that occurs when the diseased cartilage separates from the underlying bone. It most commonly affects the shoulder joint but the elbow, hip, or knee (stifle) may also be involved. We were so upset. It was made worse by the fact that we were put on a database which has made it impossible to get or renew our pet insurance.

We have been looking after him and trying to treat it with good diet and anti inflammation tablets.

But now it seems to be affecting him considerably. We have had a second opinion and the diagnosis has been confirmed. It has also been found in his other leg.  The next step according to the Vets is to have a CT scan which is €1450 in order to work out surgery procedure.  The cost per surgery per leg is approximately €2000-€2500  The total amount is going to be somewhere between €5450 - €6450. The Blue Cross have been fantastic with advice but cannot take on new patients because of waiting lists due to Covid. Manny is now lame in one of his front legs and hobbling on the other front leg.  It is so sad to watch him be in pain locked inside instead of running about in nature. As a family we are so sad and worried.  We really want him to be ok as he has so much life left. We hope we can raise the funds to make him better. Any monies left over from the final bill will be donated to The Blue Cross so they can continue carry out their amazing work in helping animals.