Jessie Hendrixson

Swayze's recovery is going alright, mostly. I did not anticipate that he'd be so ready to walk so quickly after surgery, so keeping his energy contained has been the hardest part. He's also one of the lucky small percent of dogs that has a paradoxical reaction to trazadone, meaning instead of sedating, it makes him more anxious and restless, so that's fun. We're therefore cutting that out of his medication list and increasing his gabapentin dose starting today. Freyja's recovery has been encouraging. We started her on a steroid late last week and by Sunday morning, she was ready to try walking on her own for the first time since the injury first presented. She's much more motivated to get up and go places on her own, so much like Swayze, I'm focusing on keeping her chilled out so she doesn't move too quickly and reaggravate the injury.

Picked up Mr. Swayze from his surgery! This boy is going to be the death of me. He's supposed to be on strict crate rest for the first two weeks minimum and they even give dogs sedatives to help keep them calm. His metabolism scoffs at these meds. He already tried jumping into the car. Oy vey. Wish me luck keeping him confined to his crate!

First, thank you SO MUCH to all who have donated so far. I truly struggle so badly to ask for help, even when I desperately need it, and it's so humbling to know there are folks out there who do care and want to help. I can't even fully express what it means to me in this dark period of my life when so much has felt hopeless. Second, I want to provide an update on how the pups are doing. Swayze's hanging in there and officially has his first TPLO surgery scheduled for this coming Wednesday. Freyja is harder to nail down, but I'm trying to remain hopeful. I was in the emergency room with her all day on Friday waiting to see a neurologist as any actual appointments were way too far out to wait. They did see her and without an MRI yet, their strong suspicion is IVDD. We cannot confirm this nor move forward with surgery without the MRI, and with average costs ranging from $7K-$10K, not including the surgery itself, it's just not feasible financially for me without a miracle, a lottery win, or some generous benefactor who loves dogs coming across my GoFundMe. The little bit of good news is she has deep pain sensation, is in control of her bladder and bowels, and her general motor function and reflexes are in tact, so it's likely between a Grade 3 and 4 on the IVDD scale. Additionally, she had obvious fear of any movement at all for the first couple of days after onset of ataxia, but she's walking ever so slightly better the last two days with assistance from a sling supporting her back legs. She even braved the single step from the yard into my house today, whereas before she had to be lifted fully to get over that step. I'm also in contact with a few techs I know personally to hear advice, insight, and suggestions, and I'm reading everything I can on conservative IVDD recovery. So the protocol for now is strict rest, gabapentin, amantadine, and at my follow-up with the neuro on Thursday, we should be able to move forward with a steroid treatment as a previous NSAID she was taking will be fully flushed from her system by then. I'm so hopeful we'll start seeing improvements in the near future, but if not, I'm going to do everything in my power to get the MRI and move forward with surgery, if it's in her best interest. She still has her personality and wits about her, so the last thing I want to do is resort to the end of life option if there's still hope for recovery. She's my first baby. I won't give up on her. Thank you again for your support! Please consider sharing the link if you haven't yet. I appreciate every bit of help we can get!

I’m raising funds for my two precious pups, Freyja and Swayze. They both need urgent veterinary care at the same time. Swayze is 11 and needs TPLO surgery on both knees (roughly $5500 per knee). Freyja is almost 15, and on the eve of Swayze's surgery consult, her back legs gave out suddenly. After an emergency vet visit, we learned she likely has a neurological/spinal issue that will require an MRI to diagnose and may lead to surgery depending on the findings (ranging from $5K-$13K). The timing of all of this has been incredibly hard. I recently went through a divorce, I’m a single mom not receiving financial support, and I had to take out a massive home equity loan to keep my house. I work incredibly hard full-time to keep a roof over my daughter’s head and mine, and now multiple specialist appointments and aftercare for both pets are creating a huge financial and emotional strain. Moreover, for those who know me, my pets are my world. I take so much pride in having been able to take care of their medical needs at every stage of their lives and it breaks my heart that their age-related ailments have coincided with the hardest period of my life, both financially and emotionally. The funds from this fundraiser will go directly toward veterinary bills for Freyja and Swayze. Swayze's first surgery is scheduled for October 21st, and Freyja will need care as soon as I can find a specialist with availability, so this support is needed as soon as possible. More than anything, I’m trying to get them the care they need without being forced to take on another massive high-interest loan on top of monthly bills I’m already barely able to afford. If you’re able to help, any donation would mean so much to us. Even sharing this fundraiser would make a difference. Your support would help me care for Freyja and Swayze during this urgent time and ease some of the pressure on my little family. Of note, GoFundMe automates goals based on traction, so if you see a low initial goal, it will increase automatically as we get closer to the ultimate fundraising goal. Thank you so much for your time reading this and any help you can provide!