Facing Amputation

For all financial topics related to handicapped pets, including fundraising, financial aid, affordable equipment, assistance needed, and items to donate. A list of financial aid organizations is provided here. This forum does not give financial assistance.
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ambered
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Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:56 pm

Facing Amputation

Post by ambered »

Forgive me if this is jumbled, this is all happening so fast and I am brand new to this world! My hubby is a US Marine, of 17 years now. When we were first married 9 years ago, we moved from CA to CT and immediately adopted Molly, our AmStaff mix, from the Humane Society. 3 years later she moved with us and our 2 kids to Hawaii. It was a great 4 years there! We had 2 more kids, and Molly had a few mast cell tumors removed at about 4 years old. almost 2 years ago now we were stationed in Utah. We noticed more lumps, and last week Molly had surgery to remove more tumors, including a very large one on her hind leg. The $600 (quoted) surgery turned into $1200 after complications arose. The largest tumor is inoperable, completely intertwined with the main blood vessel there. Amputation has been recomended for her, and soon. We charged the original $1200 on Care Credit and have til October to pay it off interest free, but do not have enough of a limit to charge the amputation. I'm not sure if any of the listed organizations will help us, since my typically makes enough for our needs, but these 2 unexpected bills are extremely high! Any advice? I haven't even been able to move onto the emotional aspects of the amputation yet, still busy in my head with the finincial :(
Christine
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Location: Sautee Nacoochee, GA

Re: Facing Amputation

Post by Christine »

:welcomepink:
You have a lot on your plate right now. For a lot of good information about Molly's upcoming amputation, check the message in that category and Tessa's blog about Xena. Have you thought about starting a Chip In Page for Molly? http://www.chipin.com/

If you are on Facebook, that is another great way to get the information out there. Prayers for your girl and many thanks to your husband for what he is doing for our country.

FUNDRAISING IDEAS from IMOM.org (http://www.imom.org) Visit their website for a list of other organizations who might offer financial assistance for pets.1.

1. If your pet is predominantly a specific breed, do an Internet search for all clubs and rescues for that breed. Contact them all, see if they can help, or at least spread the word among their members.

2. Ask local stores (grocery, pet supply, vet/groomer, etc.) if you can put out a donation can for your pet.

3. Have a garage sale, yard sale, or craft sale. You may want to get your entire neighborhood involved — ask neighbors if they’d like to participate in a neighborhood yard sale, with a percentage of their proceeds to be contributed to your pet.

4. Hold bake sales at local pet shops, in front of grocery stores, perhaps a Wal-Mart, or another place that gets a lot of traffic. Ask friends, family, and neighbors to help bake items to sell. Dog biscuits and cookies are great items to offer.

5. Purchase a large container of suckers (Dum-Dums, Tootsie Pops, etc.) from a discount store such as Sam’s Club or Costco. Sell them for 50 cents each, explaining that the funds will help your pet receive medical care. Talk to business owners (pet store, grocery, groomer, bank, hair salon, and restaurant) about setting up a table in front or in the lobby to sell to their patrons.

6. Host a car-wash or dog-wash. Recruit some friends, teens, and a few kids to hold signs.

7. Do odd jobs in your neighborhood for extra money — mow lawns, shovel driveways, rake leaves, clean houses, walk dogs, or pet-sit.

8. Create a poster with a photo of your pet, describing the medical care that he or she needs. Print out several copies and post at local businesses that you patronize (obtain permission first). You may also be able to hang a poster on a bulletin board or in the lunch room at your work (check with management first).

9. Ask a local business if they would be willing to offer a “Help My Pet” day to benefit your pet. For example, ask a groomer if s/he would be willing to give every client on a specific day a handout (provided by you) asking if that person can donate an extra dollar or two when they come to pick up their pet.

10. Ask two family members to donate $5.00 each. Ask ten friends to donate $5.00each. Ask four businesses that you regularly frequent (dry cleaner, hair stylist, grocer, restaurant, etc.) to contribute $25.00. Ask twenty people from your church to donate $5.00 each. Ask your place of employment to donate $25.00. (You can also ask people you know to do the same thing, thus increasing donations.)

11. Can you cook and do you work? If you are known to be a good cook, plan a menu appropriate to the season (for example, sub sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, brownies). Calculate the cost of the food, add in a reasonable profit, then pick a day and sell your co-workers a “lunch ticket” for a day. Deliver the meal to them at lunchtime.

12. Check the newspaper each week to see if there are any pet expos or other pet related events going on in your area. If so, talk to some of the groups that are attending (they are likely listed on the event’s web site). Ask if you can provide something to sell in one of their booths to help raise funds your pet, and then make a donation to the group of a specific percent of the proceeds from the sale.

13. Many gasoline cards (Exxon, Mobil, Shell, and Amoco) will allow you to take a cash advance. If you have a gas card, check it out.

14. Collect bottles and cans and take them to a recycling center.

15. Take household items or jewelry to a resale or pawn shop.

16. If you own a car, many places will give you a title loan. If you own a home, check with your bank about a home equity loan.

17. Cut your monthly bills — switch to a free email account instead of one with a monthly charge. Drop your “land line” and use a cell phone only (or vice versa). Give up cable. Try to lower any other household bills — use less heat/air/gas/electricity.

18. Watch the small items — they really add up. The cup of coffee on the way to work, or soda at work, or fast-food lunch, can really add up each month.

19. Sell items on eBay (http://www.ebay.com). If you don’t have an eBay account, there are many services that will sell items for you, for a percentage of the sale price.

20. Sell items on craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org). Check your garage, closets, storage shed for items to sell. (Etsy and Bonanza are two more selling sites too. If you have a Facebook account, you can tie eveyrthing in to that.)

21. Add a signature line to every personal email you send out, letting the recipient know you are trying to raise funds for your pet’s medical care. An example signature might be: “I am working to raise funds for non-routine veterinary care for my pet [NAME] who needs medical treatment for [CONDITION]. If you are able to make a donation of any size, I would be grateful.”

22. Create a blog using a free service such as Blogger (http://www.blogger.com). Post photos of your pet, tell stories about your pet, and explain that you are trying to raise funds for your pet’s medical care, and ask for donations. Once the blog is set up, send the blog link to friends and family members, asking them to visit the blog to learn about your pet. Also ask them to forward the blog link to any of their friends who might be willing to donate. Be sure to keep the blog updated on a daily basis to let visitors know how your pet is, and how you are doing with the fundraising.

23. Try raising funds online at Fundable (http://www.fundable.com). Fundable lets groups of people pool funds to raise money. No one takes a risk when making a pledge: if a collection expires before reaching its total in pledges, Fundable deletes all pledges and never charges money. This lets people participate in a fundraiser without worrying about what other people will do. No one pays until and unless everyone else makes a pledge.
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Christine... and Bailey, playing at the Bridge
?/1999 - 10/25/08
ambered
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:56 pm

Re: Facing Amputation

Post by ambered »

Thanks so much for all of the information! Those are some awesome ideas :) I had never heard of chip-in, I think we will start one this afternoon! Also, we have 4 kids... the little ones are just 2 & 4, but the older ones are 14 & 16, I think we are going to have them take Molly around the neighborhood in the wagon & sell candy bars for a buck, after we get a few Costco sized boxes. Every bit helps, right? I am taking her to the vet in an hour (she is still bleeding through daily from the attempt to remove the tumor) and we will have more info on the amputation after the appointment today. Thanks again for all of the info!
Bobbie
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Re: Facing Amputation

Post by Bobbie »

This is going to sound a little callous, and I apologize. But before going into more debt to do an amputation, ask about the prognosis for the kind of cancer she has. In some, you get at best another year of life, and that is with chemo after amputation. In others the prognosis is much better. Weigh the cost against the benefits- and not just $$ cost but ask about recovery time and complications. Amputations are usually a reasonably clean operation, but make sure that's true in this case.
Bobbie Mayer
"Corgis on Wheels: Understanding and Caring for the Special Needs of Corgis with Degenerative Myelopathy or DIsk Disease available now!
http://www.corgiaid.org/cart/corgisonwheels
ambered
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:56 pm

Re: Facing Amputation

Post by ambered »

Ahhh Bobbi, your post makes absolute sense at this moment. Stupidly, I just assumed the amputation of the leg, and therefore the tumor, would be the cure all. She is 9, and I figured if we did the amputation we would still have her for another 3 or 4 years like normal. Boy was I blown away a few hours ago at the vet when she informed me that even if we DID amputate, we are looking at just a few more months. She has a large, agressive mast cell tumor, grade 3. Chest xray today was clear, but a lymph node aspiration did show a couple mast cells and granules. The biggest issue today is that the surgical incision from the attempted tumor removal last Thursday won't clot. I think we're leaning more toward leaving her alone, as long as we can get the wound to heal up, and just let her be until she starts showing some signs of discomfort. The vets & techs are AMAZED that (thanks to her being mostly pitbull & highly pain tollerant) she jumped out of and into my van, and even onto the counter to snag a biscuit, no worries about putting weight on the leg whatsoever! There seems to be only one oncologist in the area, and she may have just gone on maternity leave, but we are going to try to speak with her to get some better statistics before proceeding any further. What a ride! :(
Christine
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Location: Sautee Nacoochee, GA

Re: Facing Amputation

Post by Christine »

Aww..sorry for that diagnosis, but glad to hear that she does not seem to be in pain and has so much spirit and love of life. Animals are so resiliant and focused on what makes them happy and us, aren't they? Molly sounds like she has had and will continue to have a wonderful life until SHE decides. We are all here for you if you need help in making things easier for her and your family. Sending prayers for miracles.....which do occur every single day! We'd love to see a picture of her!
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Christine... and Bailey, playing at the Bridge
?/1999 - 10/25/08
Bobbie
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Re: Facing Amputation

Post by Bobbie »

I'm sorry, too, but I hope you can keep her comfortable for awhile.
Bobbie Mayer
"Corgis on Wheels: Understanding and Caring for the Special Needs of Corgis with Degenerative Myelopathy or DIsk Disease available now!
http://www.corgiaid.org/cart/corgisonwheels
ambered
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:56 pm

Re: Facing Amputation

Post by ambered »

Well, things have changed again! Last week the wound on her leg from the tumor biopsy opened up. The infection isn't bad, but it's there. Now, the vet has said 2-3 months if we continue on antibiotics & wrapping the wound daily (it isn't going to heal), or she has a 50% chance of being alive in a year if we go ahead with the amputation. She miscalculated at first, and the 50% was after speaking with the orthopedic surgeon & oncologist. Soooo we are having the amputation done on Monday morning. We started a Chip-In page, here is the link if anyone is interested or wouldn't mind passing it along. As soon as I get more time, I will head to the amputation forum, I need to read up... I've been forewarned that when we pick her up, there won't be any bandages or anything, which honestly freaks me out a bit :(
http://mollysamputation.chipin.com/mollys-amputation

[chipin]64ff84d6b8254c07[/chipin]
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