Blondie needs help! 5 ruptured discs

[MindyS]

Hello all,

I'm reaching out on behalf of my Blondie-girl. She is a 7 year old white German Shepherd who I aopted last year. She has been worth the 5 hour round trip to go pick her up and bring her home. I was finally able to get her an MRI (with the help of a friend)to find out exactly what is wrong with her. It was originally thought to be DM but she later started showing signs of pain in her back after falling a few times over the winter. I was finally able to get her an MRI last week and it revealed that she has 5 ruptured discs. The surgery is estimated to be between $6,000 to $9,000 and possible more depending on what would happen during her surgery.

I am divorced, singly supporting myself, my house, Blondie and my two cats. I'm also putting myself through college. The student loans are racking up with at least 4 or 5 more years to go until I get my two year degree. It's been slow going and a struggle at times. Half my monthly income goes to just my mortagage. The other half takes care of utilities, gas for my 16 year old Bronco, groceries and any extra gets placed in savings if i have any left over. More often than not I don't have leftovers. I've had to work over-time to pay for my heating oil. Now over the past few months with Blondie's conditioning worsening, I've been shelling out more than I'm bringing home for her pain-killers, vet visits and tests. The OT and bonus that I got a few months back has all gone to her. My tax return will go toward her surgery but it's still not enough to cover even the low end estimate for her surgery. I can't express how much Blondie means to me. She's filled my life with smiles and companionship and has been a great friend to me and my two cats.

I'm pleading on Blondie's behalf that if anyone can pitch in for her surgery, to please consider it. She has a real chance for recovery and to be able to join me on our 3.5 - 4 mile walks and to go kayaking with me again. I was in contact with the shelter that i adopted her from last year to ask if they could perhaps spread the word about her. I told them that I am not interested in benefitting from any money received and that if an excess of what was needed would somehow occur that I would be willing to donate it back to the shelter. i gave them the names and websites of both my local vet and the neurosurgeon who will be performing the surgery so that they know that this is real and that i'm not trawling for money for my own gain. I haven't heard back from them yet so I don't know if they will help or not. I only want Blondie to be able to get around without stumbling and falling. i want her to be pain-free so she can once again climb up the stairs to sleep with me and the cats at night. I miss all the simple things like that. It kills me everytime i see her fall and drag herself before she can get her hind legs gather up under her again. The stress has taken it's toll and I've been ill a few times.

i've set up a chip-in page after a few friends of mine on Facebook said that they wished to donate to Blondie. As of now, I've hit 3% of the total needed which I'm so very thankful for!!! if anyone can find it in their hearts to help out even just a little, It would be appreciated so much and would make the world of difference to Blondie. Every little bit adds up. I figured that if 1,000 people out there would donate just 5 or 6 dollars to her, that it would most likely cover Blondie's surgery. so yes, every little bit does add up.

The link is here in anyone would like to donate to Blondie:

http://lovemygsd.chipin.com/blondies-back-surgery


Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It's appreciated.

[chipin]791654ff99e83ecc[/chipin]

[CarolC]

Hi,

Did the specialist think crate rest and steroids would be of any benefit? Sometimes with conservative treatment (rest and medication) they can improve without surgery. I don't know how "bad" the disks are, 5 is a lot. It may be important to know that with large breed dogs with gradual onset like this, surgery may not be as likely to help as with, for example, a dachshund with a sudden disk injury (and there is no guarantee that surgery will work even in those cases). I don't mean you should not consider surgery, I just think it would be good to clarify with the specialist what will be the likely outcome in a case like this, before you take on a lot of debt. Possibly it would be more economical and about equally effective to rest her, see what improvement you can get with anti-inflammatories, then get her a wheelchair for daily use to make things easier for her and preserve as much function as you can (including bladder control). I think surgery would help her discomfort, but I am not confident it will give her back the mobility she had a year ago (but I am not a vet and do not have a crystal ball).

Also, you can apply for a loan for veterinary care at www.carecredit.com. The terms are very good and most people are accepted. They probably have the application at the service desk of the hospital where she had her MRI.