Help Maggie Get a Wheelchair
Donation protected
Maggie’s story begins like many unwanted puppies’ stories, when in the late summer of 2013 my cousin found her, along with her two brothers, at the bottom of an apartment dumpster. They rescued the three pups and were able to find homes for the two boys. After a couple of weeks, my cousin realized that a puppy is a lot of work when you already have a baby, a ferret, and a cat. She asked me to help her find a home for Bella so I asked around but didn’t have much luck. I decided to go meet her so I could get some video for myself. When I arrived, I found out she had been confined to living in a cat carrier. I opened the door so she could get a chance to stretch her legs. She sat down in front of me, looked at me with her big buggy eyes, and I instantly fell in love. I took her home that night and from then on she was mine. Though I decided she deserved better than a name from Twilight and renamed her Maggie.
Any time someone came to visit, she would immediately run to them, roll on her back and wag her tail waiting for the pets and belly scratches to begin. She would travel every weekend with me to visit and help my grandmother before she passed a couple years ago. She loves to take care of others and I could always rely on her to be a warm loving presence for the kittens I fostered while they were recovering from illness. She exudes such a calming energy that my second dog Milo, who is severely dog aggressive and anxious, found enough peace and comfort with her that we were able to rescue him from euthanasia and give him a home. She has been there for some of the worst moments of my life and always been a consistent comfort.
Maggie is an amazing dog; she is full of love for everyone and everything she meets. She loves to play fetch, cuddle on the couch, go for rides in the car, and eat French fries.
Any time someone came to visit, she would immediately run to them, roll on her back and wag her tail waiting for the pets and belly scratches to begin. She would travel every weekend with me to visit and help my grandmother before she passed a couple years ago. She loves to take care of others and I could always rely on her to be a warm loving presence for the kittens I fostered while they were recovering from illness. She exudes such a calming energy that my second dog Milo, who is severely dog aggressive and anxious, found enough peace and comfort with her that we were able to rescue him from euthanasia and give him a home. She has been there for some of the worst moments of my life and always been a consistent comfort.
Maggie is an amazing dog; she is full of love for everyone and everything she meets. She loves to play fetch, cuddle on the couch, go for rides in the car, and eat French fries.
But Maggie has had her fair share of health issues: she has a sensitive stomach, a heart condition, and can react poorly to anesthesia. I have always been able to adjust as needed to keep her life happy, but on July 5th of this year things took a huge turn. I had come home from my first job to let her and Milo out, nothing seemed amiss, she was happily running around, bringing me her ball and being herself. I left her and Milo at the door as I departed for my 5-hour shift at job 2. I currently work two jobs because of a robbery in 2017 that hurt my financial wellbeing. When I returned, I walked in the door and was greeted by Milo but not by Maggie. I could just make out Maggie coming up behind him and could tell even in the dark that she was not moving normally. I thought at first that maybe she was scooting but it turned out she was dragging her back legs. I laid her on the couch to look for any obvious issues. When I didn’t find anything, I picked her up and we left for the ER vet.
At the ER vet, they examined Maggie and I was given an estimate of $7,000 for surgery to repair her back. I asked what was wrong and was told a long list of different things it could be, a list I had already found on my own using google during the agonizing time I was waiting. When I let them know I didn’t have the money to my name I was given three options: pay for surgery, pay to leave her there so they could watch her, or do what they called “the least ideal option” and take her home. My only choice was to take my baby girl home.
It has been a week and a half since the ER vet, and in that time my regular vet confirmed that Maggie has IVDD. IVDD is a degenerative disc disease that can be treated with surgery. The surgery only has a 50% chance of successfully restoring mobility to Maggie’s back legs. Unfortunately, the poor odds in addition to her heart condition and issues with anesthesia makes surgery too risky of an option. From here, our best bet is to get Maggie a wheelchair at a cost of around $2,000.
I am not the kind of person to ask for help from others but if there is any chance of providing my baby girl with a good life I have to try. Since Maggie’s paralysis I have had to go back to the vet two times, once for a large abscess she had developed after losing her mobility. On top of her normal needs she has also needed extra bedding, an orthopedic bed, towels, paw protectors, puppy pads, and dog wipes all of which I have been able to cover up to this point.
Yet on July 3rd, two days before Maggie lost the use of her back legs, my AC stopped working. Between the expense of repairing the AC and the need to save for a wheelchair I have exhausted all my funds. The cost of Maggie’s basic care alone has left me short on my mortgage, food for my other rescue pets, and the inevitable bills for Maggie’s continued care.
I’m reaching out to ask for help in getting Maggie a wheelchair. We still have to wait three weeks before we can pursue the wheelchair, as she has to heal from the abscess and swelling, but in the meantime every dollar and share will get her closer to moving again.
She is a loving dog with so much more to joy left to give and a wheelchair will grant her the mobility she needs to thrive. Thank you for helping me give Maggie a chance.
At the ER vet, they examined Maggie and I was given an estimate of $7,000 for surgery to repair her back. I asked what was wrong and was told a long list of different things it could be, a list I had already found on my own using google during the agonizing time I was waiting. When I let them know I didn’t have the money to my name I was given three options: pay for surgery, pay to leave her there so they could watch her, or do what they called “the least ideal option” and take her home. My only choice was to take my baby girl home.
It has been a week and a half since the ER vet, and in that time my regular vet confirmed that Maggie has IVDD. IVDD is a degenerative disc disease that can be treated with surgery. The surgery only has a 50% chance of successfully restoring mobility to Maggie’s back legs. Unfortunately, the poor odds in addition to her heart condition and issues with anesthesia makes surgery too risky of an option. From here, our best bet is to get Maggie a wheelchair at a cost of around $2,000.
I am not the kind of person to ask for help from others but if there is any chance of providing my baby girl with a good life I have to try. Since Maggie’s paralysis I have had to go back to the vet two times, once for a large abscess she had developed after losing her mobility. On top of her normal needs she has also needed extra bedding, an orthopedic bed, towels, paw protectors, puppy pads, and dog wipes all of which I have been able to cover up to this point.
Yet on July 3rd, two days before Maggie lost the use of her back legs, my AC stopped working. Between the expense of repairing the AC and the need to save for a wheelchair I have exhausted all my funds. The cost of Maggie’s basic care alone has left me short on my mortgage, food for my other rescue pets, and the inevitable bills for Maggie’s continued care.
I’m reaching out to ask for help in getting Maggie a wheelchair. We still have to wait three weeks before we can pursue the wheelchair, as she has to heal from the abscess and swelling, but in the meantime every dollar and share will get her closer to moving again.
She is a loving dog with so much more to joy left to give and a wheelchair will grant her the mobility she needs to thrive. Thank you for helping me give Maggie a chance.
Organizer
Sam Molina
Organizer
Marana, AZ