Draco's TPLO surgery

Hi y'all,

To know me is to know Draco - & to know Draco is to know that he has never, ever met a stranger. He is the sweetest and most loving dog I have ever met. I seriously cant take him ANYWHERE without him making new friends.

2024 was a particularly hard year for us. Draco tore his right CCL (similar to a human ACL) and had a TPLO surgery to repair his knee in August. His recovery was not an easy one, but well worth it because he was able to walk, run & play pain-free for a little while.

A little bit before Thanksgiving, Draco was getting off the couch at roughly 4 am. He must have slipped when coming down and let out a sharp yelp and fully collapsed. I am not sure how I was able to get all 110 pounds of him into the car while he was completely unable to use any of his legs; all I can chalk it up to is adrenaline being one hell of a rush. The helplessness of taking him to the emergency vet and waiting for answers, all while white-knuckling his collar and leash - it's a feeling like no other. It was the first time I had to rationalize losing him. Draco is my heart dog, every sense of the word. We have been together for almost every major life event of my early adulthood. I rescued Draco right after moving out of my mom's house at 19 to attend college at UTSA. He COVERED my first apartment in so much black dog hair it was unreal. He was there for me every day after college classes, through the pandemic, grooming school, and so forth till now. But, like I was holding on maybe too tightly to his gear - Draco was holding onto hope.

After visiting our regular vet, he had multiple x-rays and was diagnosed with FCE. Fibrocartilaginous Embolism is a condition in dogs where a small piece of cartilage from the intervertebral discs breaks off and travels into the bloodstream. He was unable to use either of his rear legs, but thankfully still had pain sensation, so we were optimistic. I had to fully teach him how to walk again. Every day he got a little bit stronger, & every day he took a few more steps than the day before. I remember the day he got up on his own vividly. I had just put a fresh load of laundry on my bed & went to get my dinner out of the oven. When I came back, he was sprawled out on my bed across all the warm clothes. Initially, I was like, "Really, Draco..." and then immediately was like, "WHAT THE F*CK, HOW DID YOU GET UP THERE?!" He had been immobile, I think, for about two weeks at this point, so it was truly shocking. I immediately laid down with him, sobbing.

Today, Draco is walking but still has quite a bit of trouble getting up and staying on his feet long-term. Our vet has advised us that he most likely has torn his left CCL & will need the same surgery he had for his right leg. My family and I have already put down about a good chunk of money, but the pricing for this surgery is about a $2000 difference from what we had been saving up for. While we will continue to save up, it would be really nice to have his surgery sooner rather than later as he is in a good bit of pain. He currently takes medication for pain management, but I can see from his attempts to get up that it is not having the same effects as it did a few weeks ago. If you have a large breed dog, you know mobility is one of the first things that ends their lives early. I truly believe this surgery will add on years to Draco's life long-term. I want to see him play, run, and swim like he has his entire life - but the pain from his ruptured CCL really does limit him. Since he has already had this surgery before for the other leg, I am 100% confident in his recovery and improvement to his quality of life. I am asking for these funds to help the big man feel like himself again.

If you would like to donate to our vet, Dr. Ogan, directly - the clinic name is Wildflower Animal Hospital. Located in Hays County, Texas.

Alternatively, my venmo is @raeganda

Thank you for reading.

All my love,

Raegan