Help Brutus Walk Again

Hi, my name is Molly and I am starting this GoFundMe, in hopes to raise money for our family dog, Brutus’ medical expenses.

Brutus is an energetic, loving, never meets a stranger, sweet, bundle of energy pitbull mix. My mom got him for free from and accident litter, and he is the most well behaved dog we’ve ever owned! Brutus is very high strung, but is very well trained and listens so well.

On Thursday, July 25th, 2022, the dogs were let outside before bed. My parents have an acre of fenced in yard, with trees along the back of the property. When opening the back door, Brutus took off to the back of the property, chasing an animal out of the yard. During his pursuit, Brutus collided headfirst with one of the trees. Living in a rural area, it is pitch black at night, with absolutely zero light in the yard.

Brutus was called to come inside, before knowing what had occurred. Brutus did not return to the door, which was VERY unlike him. We had assumed he got out of the fence, chasing whatever animal he was after. We searched for Brutus throughout the neighborhood with flashlights, with no trace of him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only 5 minutes, my dad wandered up to the top of the property along the tree line. He finds Brutus, laying in front of a tree, not moving at all, with fresh feces behind him. My dad picked him up, and rushed him inside. At this point, Brutus couldn’t move a single inch, we were unsure if he was even alive. We got Brutus in the truck as fast as possible, and hurried him to the emergency vet.

Upon exam, the assumption was that Brutus hit the tree running around 30mph. Without an MRI, the emergency vet was unsure if it was a spinal cord injury, or a herniated disc. He stayed the night for observation, but we wanted him treated at our regular veterinary hospital ASAP for better treatment and diagnosis.

Several X-Ray’s, SEVERAL medication prescriptions, laser treatments, fluid administration and 24hrs at the vet in total, we have Brutus’ official diagnosis. Brutus has 3 compressed disc spaces in his cervical spine. This injury is not allowing him to have control of his limbs. Brutus has been unable to move from laying down for a week, and is absolutely heartbroken. He can’t play ball, can’t run the yard, can’t sit up to eat or drink, can’t jump on the couch to cuddle with his mom. Brutus holds his head in the same position, and won’t move it due to the pain. He stays up at night and throughout the day just crying from sadness and pure boredom. Brutus is such a good dog, he won’t even pee or poop inside. This leaves my parents carrying his 60lb body outside several times a day.

The good news is, this partial paralysis isn’t permanent. The bad news is, there’s only one fix.. surgery. As we all know, vet bills alone are insanely expensive. Animal SURGERY on the other hand, is an entirely different beast. The surgery is to move the cervical discs in his neck, back into place. This is the only chance Brutus has of regaining mobility at all. Vet bills are already exceeding two thousand dollars, and we haven’t even started the big stuff yet.

Any donation whatsoever, would be so immensely appreciated. My parents have no knowledge I was planning on doing this, and would never ask for help from anyone. They have been taking shifts to make sure he’s not in pain, getting fluids in him, repositioning him, taking him outside, and administering medications. They are sleep deprived and trying their very hardest to stay positive. This GoFundMe could potentially be one less thing for them to stress out about. If you took the time to read this, thank you. Any little bit helps. ❤️