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Sugarfoot Needs Help


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Sugarfoot is my rescue Border Collie.   She has served me as an Assistance Dog, and been my best friend.  She's a sweet, brilliant dog with boundless heart and energy.  But she needs help now, that I can't give her.
 
Last week Sugarfoot ruptured the cruciate ligament in her left rear leg, while chasing a ball.  She needs surgery to correct this problem.  Unfortunately, it is completely out of reach for me.  I am a disabled retired person living on Social Security. 
 
I am hoping that you can help me to get the surgery for my dog.  She deserves it, and her quality of life will be very much diminished without it. 
 
Please help, as much or as little as you can.  I will be eternally grateful for any and all assistance with this.  You will be helping a wonderful dog to a better life.  Thank you!
 
Another request...
 
If you have a Facebook, Twitter or other social media account, please consider posting a link to Sugar's Go Fund Me Page.  The more eyes that see her page, the better her chances are of getting help.  Thanks again!
 
 

Happy Face.jpg

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@geonni banner , have you tried any of these organizations? https://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/

https://veterinarycarefoundation.org/

http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/

There may be other resources of this type if you do an internet search.

Wishing you and Sugarfoot all the best.

roxanne (heading to GoFundMe now)

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Thanks, alligande.  We've raised $925.00 on the Go Fund Me page, and I've received an additional $100.00 from friends.  Another friend has pledged $500.00, so we're halfway there.

Here's a link to my latest blog post about Sugar.  It tells her life story.

http://atpeacewithpink.blogspot.com/2019/04/sugarfoot-still-needs-help.html

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Well, there's good news and bad news. I found a vet who can do the surgery in a clinic I'm familiar with, but it's not cheap... Estimate came in at $5,810.29. (Possibly slightly less)

Time to pull it together. We have some time. It doesn't have to be done immediately - but it does need to be done. Sugarfoot already has less muscle mass around that joint, which means she's been favoring it.

If we didn't do the surgery, she would live a very restricted life, as to activity - which she would hate - and she would also be at risk for the same injury on the opposite leg, because of it doing more of the workload.
 

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So sorry to hear this! 

Have you considered alternatives, like possibly a brace? I am assuming this is a TPLO which, while pricier than other procedures, is usually very good. Celt has had both hind legs done, one at age 9 and the other at age 11, and has lived a sound and active life since. He's now 16 1/2 (in less than a week) and still walks a couple of miles a day most days. 

I am amazed at the cost - when Celt's were done, it was just about $3000 each at a specialty clinic but I have heard that the price there is now about $5000. That's a big increase. 

You may want to consider rehab if at all possible afterwards. I felt it helped Celt a lot although I have also seen dogs that did not do that and they have done just fine, too. 

Very best wishes to you both! 

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Well, the Go Fund me campaign is going well.  We're over $2,000.00 now, and I have found another surgeon whose estimate was closer to $3,000.00.  So if the goal is met on Go Fund Me, I can probably cobble together the rest.  The light at the end of the tunnel do not appear, at the moment, to be a train.  ;)

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Well, there was a train after all...  My computer died on Monday morning, but since I have lots of room on my Amazon Store card, I was able to order another one.  I felt like I was stealing from Sugarfoot, even though I can't use the Store Card for anything but Amazon Merchandise.  But I do rely heavily on the computer for my Photoshop work, and to keep the Go Fund Me campaign going.  My old computer was over ten years old, so it's no surprise that it died.

Sugar is hangin' in there.  She's really bored,  but she's going to see the surgeon day after tomorrow.  He may keep her and do the surgery the next morning.  Just have to wait and see.

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I can’t offer anything but sympathy and well wishes at this point as my senior girl just had her third ortho surgery in 7 months. But I do send lots of those... 

 

FWIW, bracing can help greatly if by any chance surgery can’t happen. The cost would be closer to $1k

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So the little "conehead" is feeling much better. She doesn't have that troubled look in her eyes anymore, though she's pretty disgusted with the cone. Another week and it comes off...   The hair is starting to grow back on her shaved bits.

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One more progress post...  I had a very successful yard sale yesterday.  Made $524.00.  That will almost cover Sugar's scheduled post-op visits.  Also started her on a glucosamine/chondritin supplement.  It's been a long, strange trip, but it looks like it's turning out well.  Thanks everybody...

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Well, she had her stitches out today.  The vet says she's lookin' good.  She was really apprehensive about going "in the back" at the vet's, but as you can see in the picture, she was feelin' fine when she came back into the exam room.

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