Saving Alaska

UPDATE #11: I apologize for the lack of updates in recent days, I truly don't know where to begin.

As Alaska was in recovery at Appalachian Animal Clinic in Cleveland TN, she apparently suffered another injury. Her leg that was pinned was actually more damaged than any X-ray would have been able to detect. The internal structure of it was compromised, as a result when she attempted to put weight on that leg that was pinned together, it fractured in multiple places under her weight.

This is where my blood starts to boil. No one was able to tell us how exactly she was re-injured. The surgeon is able to see what happened but not HOW and his reason for the cause is worded as "it seems as though..." or "I assume what happened was..." why is no one coming forward? Did no know/see the instance the fractures took place? Surely they did? He believes it happened when she was being taken to the bathroom (she had to be carried) or potentially if she tried to stand on her own in her room.

It gets more infuriating.

This injury occurred on a Wednesday, and the vet claims he tried to call Brittany and Taylor endlessly for days to alert them of this injury. Now, I know personally that Brittany visited Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week, and she kept me informed with pictures of how Alaska was doing, and Alaska looked like she was recovering at a steady pace and there was no outward evidence to be seen of any further fractures. Brittany visited Alaska everyday that week except for the day Alaska was re-injured but we were not made aware of her injury until Friday morning.

Brittany SENT ME A PICTURE of Alaska at the vet ON THURSDAY during her visit and she looked like her usually smiley self, however apparently Alaska's leg was fractured in multiple spots in the picture. When Brittany went, no one told her Alaska was hurt, no one informed her something happened on Wednesday. Even if the vet was trying to call Brittany since Wednesday, why wouldn't anyone tell her in person on Thursday? When I confronted him with this, he said he was never made aware that she had visited Alaska. Apparently Brittany was only dealing with a few vet techs. EVEN STILL, what a horrible, inexcusable breakdown in communication on the vet office's part.

ON FRIDAY, the vet reached out to Alaska's old family, Ms. Stephanie, in a "desperate attempt" (why didn't they do this two days earlier if they couldn't reach Brittany who, by the way, had zero missed calls from the vet?) to inform family of Alaska's new injuries. In the span of just one hour, myself, Brittany, Taylor, and Stephanie all knew that Alaska was hurt and Stephanie and Brittany raced to the vet while I phoned him and questioned what went wrong, how to fix it, how did we not know SOONER?

It rips my heart into pieces to say that, by the time Brittany and Stephanie saw Alaska on Friday morning (who looked fine on Thursday), she was succumbing to the pain of her injury (another question I asked the vet, WHY was she in ANY pain? Did we not keep her there to be in their constant care to monitor her pain?). Brittany and Taylor were willing to give it all for Alaska, and until Brittany SAW her at the vet they were going to do everything in their power to remedy this new injury and bring her home safe. I know it must have been bad because Brittany and Stephanie would have never made the call otherwise, but they said she was just in too much pain to keep going, and the vet even said she was quickly going on her own, and would likely not survive the night.

So, with the heaviest heart I tell you, that on that Friday morning, Alaska went to the rainbow bridge. She was surrounded by both her loving mamas, old and new, and the sweet angel found the rest and healing she needed, though sadly not on our side of heaven. But I believe she's running and jumping and having the time of her life up there. And if you've read all my posts, you know her boy went to heaven less than a year ago, and I believe that the two of them are endlessly happy together again.

Every time I talk about it I start tearing up. When I found out this news at work, I locked myself in the bathroom and cried for an hour. We worked so hard to save this sweet pup, so many of you gave and gave and GAVE to her recovery. I have found peace knowing she was so loved, so very loved despite everything she unfortunately went through in her last days.

Where do we go from here:

FIRST: We did have some left over funds since Alaska never did her second round of surgery and we decided to donate all the rest of what we raised back to Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, a non-profit out of Nashville. It was when they shared this post on their facebook that we received hundreds of more dollars every hour, many of the people who donated are either connected to BFD rescue or from the St. Elmo community (another group of people who contributed in big ways to this cause). BFD saves thousands of dogs a year, they do a marvelous job of rescuing animals no matter what their need. The people who run the group give THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS of their own money to save the animals that cross their path and I can't think of any better rescue to financially get behind. Your money, though it may no longer be used for Alaska, will %100 go towards saving one of their many fur babies. I encourage you to look them up: www.bigfluffydogs.com/ or search Big Fluffy Dog Rescue on Facebook. Each dog has a profile, and background story, and current info. You can very easily get to see and connect with the sweet pups your money will go towards funding.

Thank you all so much for believing in Alaska and giving her a HUGE fighting chance. This is not a defeat because ultimately it has become clear that there are many wonderful people who exist and who want to see dogs THRIVE and LIVE and sweet Alaska is only one of thousands who people like you are fighting for every day, and that brings me HOPE. I believe there are more good people than bad people out there, and together we can save all animals from the bad.

NEXT: We are meeting with the director of the Appalachian Animal Clinic to find the source of the breakdown and how to prevent this lack of communication from EVER happening again at their facility. Suing won't likely work, and we are not interested in getting money from the vet or ruining their practice. We are interested in SEEING CHANGE and SAVING FUTURE PETS from anything like this. I hate to think that if we had known on Wednesday or Thursday that Alaska was re-injured, we might have gotten her the right treatment in time and saved her. That kind of breakdown simply cannot happen ever. I would hate for anyone else to have to live with that for their own pet.

FINALLY: Make sure you hug your fur baby extra tight this today, make sure you take them for regular check-ups, make sure you remember that as much trouble as they may cause, they are capable of giving you tenfolds of love that is SO WORTH IT, make sure you neuter and spay, make sure you give your puppies parvo shots, and make sure you remember that basic care and LOTS of love gives your dog the happiest, healthiest life ever. And what we can learn from Alaska's initial accident, is that if you have no other choice but to re-home your sweet fur baby, do it through a RESCUE or group who will ENSURE they are going to a wonderful family who will love them forever. Thank you all for being on this journey with us.

(I apologize if this post is fragmented or doesn't flow well, I can't really stomach re-reading all of the info and editing it because it stirs up too much emotion, I just felt it best to inform our followers as soon as possible.)

__________________________________________________________
UPDATE #10 Recovery Stage 1 (pictures in updates section)

The weekend gave me time to look through all the places people have sharedand commented and cared  for Alaska and it has truly restored my faith in humanity. 

Alaska is recovering. She went home the day after her surgery (Friday) but she was in a lot of pain even with her meds, so we re-admitted her to the vet so that she can heal over the course of this next week with supervision and additional medication if she needs. The vet has been truly fantastic, the day we dropped Alaska off we were about 30 minutes behind schedule yet Appalachian Animal Clinic still dropped everything they were doing for a good three hours to tend to Alaska as quickly as possible. They are the most incredible vet I've ever been to honestly! We are not sure how many future expenses might arrive with Alaska's potential need for more pain medication but we are trusting God to provide the means. Although our fundraiser has not been completely met, the funds have come in as they have been needed and we have been able to pay each bill as it comes using the funds from this campaign. We pray that will continue. We want the best life for Alaska!!!

Who am I? My name is Abbey, I learned about Alaska through a neighborhood post trying to find her owner the day she was hit. I originally stepped in to join with the St. Elmo clinic to find her a home or foster, wishing I could have taken her in myself. That led me to Stephanie Alaska's original owner who tried to rehome Alaska just days before into the hands of, little did she know, very bad people...so, because of my background in rehoming animals, I offered to help her find an amazing new home for Alaska through an adopting contract and agreement and then a home visit to her potential new family. That's how we came to know Brittany and Taylor, both wonderful people in the business of working with kids and passionate animal lovers. When the four of us began talking it appeared we did not have the funds to pay for the medical bills up front, and I offered to start and manage the GoFundMe on their behalf. 

This GoFundMe will continue until Alaska is fully recovered. Though Brittany and Taylor are fully committed to Alaska no matter what the price, it doesn't mean they have all the money to give. During the first vet visit and before we had raised enough money to pay for the first surgery, they were discussing what bills they could forgo paying to come up with money- what everyday luxuries and expenses they could give up to pay that outrageous bill. We want to help them afford to put food on the table and pay to heal Alaska at the same time. Alaska's new family is truly amazing and she will live out the rest of her life in a home overflowing with love and companionship, both with Brittany and Taylor, the teens they serve who are eager to love on Alaska, and Alaska's new sister, chorkie, Sadie.

Please consider giving until we reach our goal, until Alska is home, and until we get to send Alaska onto her happily ever after. Thank you so much!!
------------------------------------------------
UPDATE #9 Surgery Success!! Preparing for the next...

Alaska's surgery today went well! Alaska went into surgery with a diagnosed right hip broken and out of socket as well as right leg (femur) broken. During surgery, however, the doctor noticed that her left hip was also out of socket too. :( She was probably in so much pain! The doctor replaced her left hip back into socket, pinned her right leg (femur) together, and we will prepare for Alaska's second surgery placing her right hip back into socket and doing a more extensive surgery to fix that hip's break that will ultimately be very beneficial to for her hip dysplasia as well. YAY!

We did discover that Alaska is heart worm postive, and moving forward with that treament will be discussed when she's picked up on Friday/Saturday. So far all we know is that she was tested as positive for that.

Thank you all for your continued support, we are floored and honored to be a part of Alaska's recovery journey. She does not deserve the life she's lived in the past, and here's to a better, more love-filled life for her future!!
____________________________________________________________

UPDATE #8 Alaska has been admitted for surgery!

****....BUT WE CAN'T PICK HER UP YET! We still need to raise the money!!****

This morning a very generous donor met Brittany and Taylor (Alaska’s new furever family) at the vet this morning and paid for the entire FIRST HALF of the 1st surgery. Here's a reminder of the breakdown of expected costs for her recovery:

The high estimate made by the vet for Alaska’s first surgery to add pins to her broken leg is about $1,200 give or take a few dollars. The vet requires them to pay HALF before surgery and HALF after surgery. So this morning, the donor paid $600 (WOW!!!) to the vet to get Alaska into the surgery. On Friday (or possibly Saturday depending on how much time she needs to recover at the vet) when Aslaska’s picked up, Brittany and Taylor have to pay the remainder of the surgery fee, which will be $600 or less, since the vet aimed high in the estimate.

In a few weeks Alaska will undergo her second surgery, this will be to alter the hip joint that was also injured in her accident and has proven to be an excellent surgery for dogs going forward, even into old age, because it is said to help repair and ease the effects of other common hip problems. And this is GREAT news because this second surgery will also help immensely with Alaska’s pre-existing condition of hip-dysplasia. This surgery has been estimated at no more than $800 max, so at that time they will need about $400 before surgery and $400 after.

The GoFundMe Goal reflects the entire costs for rescue from Mckamey and both surgeries, plus the fees that GoFundMe deducts to use their process (very disappointing, but what can you do):

Mckamey: $581.16
Vet: $2,000 max estimate
GoFundMe Processing Fees: about $250 if we actually raise the full $2,830 ( have included a screen shot of the fees' descriptions so you can see what I'm talking about, see the updates section for that picture)

GoFundMe Goal: $2,830.00

Please continue sharing Alaska's story and consider donating! If you have any questions please fee free to contact me directly!
___________________________________________________________

UPDATE #7 *Our Fundraising Needs Have Increased*

Hi everyone! With YOUR help we were able to rescue Alaska and get her OUT of Mckamey this morning at 8 AM and collectively drove her to Cleveland to the Appalachian Animal Clinic to recieve medical attention!!!!! Thank you SO SO MUCH!

Looking at the X-RAYS, Alaska's leg was VERY MUCH savable after all, according to the vet. The biggest concern is that her femur is broken in her back right leg high enough that is also effects her hip joint. The vet sounded very confident that she could repair Alaska to FULL HEALTH in a TWO-STAGE procedure.

GOOD NEWS: Alaska's medical costs will only be $2,000! (I have rounded our goal based on what you can see in my posted photo of the bill to account for any surprise fees, the vet recommended this.) We were quite honestly expecting the fee for Alaskas multiple surgeries to be at least $4,000, and we were anticipating that her future forever family were going to recieve financial aid to make mulitple payments over the span of a few months to go towards that fee. Something that they could comfrotably manage.

BAD NEWS: Once all was said and done, and costs were closely estimated at possible, Alaska's future forever home was not eligible for the payment plan after all. And are expected to pay the $2,000 in full, half when she's dropped off, and half when she's picked up. This again is a cost they simply cannot afford to put down all at one time and at such short notice!

*We are trying not to be devastated over this*

WHERE WE ARE NOW:

STAGE 1: "Pining the leg"- Alaska is being kept at the Appalachian Animal Clinic overnight so she can be cared for by the top doctors, who can also help her navigate to the bathroom and food and water without hurting herself more. Alaska's FIRST stage in the surgery will be $1,184 at MOST and the vet is asking that Brittany and Taylor give them $600 of the cost tomorrow morning, between 9AM-10AM...before Alaska can go in for surgery. The other half will be paid a day or two later when she is released to go home.

STAGE 2: "Readjusting the Hip Bone"- This will be about $700 and happen about 6-8 weeks after Alaska has her STAGE 1 surgery. Again, this will be something where Brittany and Taylor need to pay HALF up front and HALF when they pick her up from surgery.

Today we used up all the funds: 

1. Getting Alaska out of Mckamey where she was placed on death row, paying for the emergency medical fee from when she was found.

2. Paying for Alaska's vet visit and consultation from today

***I completely understand any hesitancy donating to a gofundme for fear that it might be a scam. If you feel strongly about this, please donate on ALASKA'S BEHALF to the:

Appalachian Animal Clinic, 2160 Spring Place Road, Clevelend TN 37323  Phone #: [phone redacted], you may need to ask to speak with the Director, Ms. Kris.

(Please leave a comment if you donate through Appalachian because I still would like to thank you!)

I promise you that I am running this gofundme account and every penny goes to Alaska's recovery.
__________________________________________________________

UPDATE #6

WOW, tears of joy. We are OVERWHELMED by the support that has flown in! We will be picking her up tomorrow, 2/15/17 at 8am sharp and I will continue to keep you in the loop with how she's doing!!! Any extra funds will go directly in full towards her highly expensive leg surgeries and recoveries, so if you still feel led to give a little, Alaska will still be cared for with your donation. Thank you so much again! I am shocked and we are rejoicing!

__________________________________________________________

Alaska is a gentle, kind, beautiful Alaskan Malmute. Right now she is waiting at Mckamey on death row with a broken leg, potentially needing amputation, and is unable to be released to a caretaker/vet until a $580.16 emergecy fee is paid for in full. We are trying to move her TOMORROW at 8 AM so we really need the funds by then!

ALASKA'S FULL STORY <3

Years ago she was abandoned and chained to a vancant house, when Daniel Fisher found and rescused her. She has since been a part of the Fisher family. Last June Daniel Fisher passed away and his mother, Stephanie Fisher, has been caring for Alaska and two other dogs, in addition to some ill family members. In recent months, one of the other dogs started attacking Alaska. Feeling that she could not seperate the two other dogs (both older, they are a mom and daughter dog pair), in addition to being unable to pay for Alaska hip displasia medical care, Stephanie's heart was breaking for Alaska and decided Alaska deserved a better home with more individual attention and a better living situation. 

On February 12, Stephanie posted to her community facebook page that she was looking for a great, loving home for her beloved Alaska. Though she was still very attached to Alaska, she knew she needed to do what was best for Alaska. That day she recieved strong interest from a couple who was "traveling to Chattanooga from Athens for a baby shower" and wanted to see and meet Alaska. Stephanie met with the couple, who also had four kids, and everthing seemed to go very well. Stephanie agreed to let the couple adopt Alaska in hopes that she found her furever home. Later that night Stephanie asked how Alaska was doing, and the couple said that Alaska was "safe and sound happliy sleeping on the floor of their children's room." However, not an hour later, a family friend alerted Stephanie that a dog who looked just like Alaska had been found near St. Elmo area, injured, and currently at the Animal Clinic in St. Elmo. Stephanie immediately contacted the clinic and gave them the number of the couple who had just adopted Alaska, but much to her surprise the couple told the vet that they were no longer interested in having Alaska anymore! The couple has no longer become compliant to conversation and is basically leaving Alaska for dead. So Stephanie, stepped in determined to save her son's rescuse pup, and precious member of her family, and deteremined to find Alaska a TRUE LOVING FOREVER HOME.

Alaska was stabiliazed at the St. Elmo clinic and then moved to Mckamey. We suspect she had been taken to a dog fighting facility and then managed to escape with her life. She was then found wondering the streets in St. Elmo TN with a broken femur. Mckamey has since been able to verify that Stephanie is Alaska's oringial owner and Alaska has been boarded there awaiting vetrainery care. 

When the orignal post circulated through social media, many people came forward with interest in adotping Alaska or donating to her medical costs. I stepped in, as a volunteer for a local dog rescue, to help Stephanie find THE PERFECT forever home for Alaska, through home visits, adoption agreements and an adoption contract. WE DO NOT WANT THIS HAPPENING AGAIN TO SWEET ALASKA. Stephanie has been sick with guilt over the situation, wishing she had known a safer process to adopt Alaska out in the first place.

After working tirelessly the past 24+ hours, we have managed to find the perfect forever home for Alaska. This family is able to afford Alaska's long term care and surgery, as she will very potentially need an amputation, or at the very least, pins inserted into her front leg.

The family who is going to adopt Alaska from Stephanie has agreed to continue giving Stephanie visitation rights, as she loves Alaska dearly. This family is able to afford Alaska's veterinary expenses, as they are able to set up afforable payment plans. 

HOWEVER, Mckamey will not release Alaska to leave Mckamey and be rushed to the vet unless her emergency fee (which Mckamey originally footed before they found Alaska's owner) is paid for in full. This is the $580 fee. 

Alaska has been stabliazed but she is in need of immediate veterinary attention, Mckamey has told us that IF SHE IS SURRENDER TO MCKAMEY SHE WILL BE PUT DOWN. Mckamey does not have the resources to care for Alaska and her needed surgery, but this family does! They just cannot afford to pay the emergency fee in full, at such a last minute notice.

So PLEASE consider donating and sharing! We would like to pick her up from Mckamey TOMORROW MORNING at 8 am and take her to Appalachian Animal Clinic in Cleveland. 

I will continue to post updates daily, and pictures as soon as I am able to see Alaska myself.

"Alaska doesn't deserve this! She's so sweet and wonderful." Stephanie has been saying through tears. Stephanie has spent the past two days sitting at Mckamey just trying to figure out what to do. She hasn't been able to be with Alaska the whole time because Alaska tries to move and get closer to her but with her leg injury she needs to remain still.

We DESPERATELY need your help. $580 is not very much if everyone who sees this campaign could donate st least $1. We are working towards healing this pup and getting her into her wonderful forever home!

*we are also taking steps to report the couple, and the potential location of the dog fight facility*