Give Minnie a Second Chance to Run and Play

Help Minnie dog walk again!

Minnie was not dealt the easiest hand. In August 2023, I rescued her from the Hawaiian Humane Society where she had been for 4 months. She was found as a stray in Waianae and did not enjoy walking due to a front leg injury she had on arrival at the shelter. She was extremely shy, and it was apparent she was previously abused by men.

Once in a safe home, she quickly healed from her leg injury. She began to love frolicking in the backyard, rolling over, jumping, spinning, and even running FAST. She was living her best dog life after a rough start and prior abuse.

Then in an instant, it happened. One October morning, after going to the bathroom, she started playing in the backyard, going about her normal daily routine like she does every morning. Then, she did a jump spin, landed weird on her back left paw, and my boyfriend Jake heard a POP. In less than a second, her life was changed forever. She started screaming; the whole building could hear her. I could hear her from my office. Her cries broke me. Jake and I immediately rushed her to the nearest animal hospital.

The animal hospital was hopeful; she's young and not overweight. It was unlikely she broke her leg. Yet, when the x-rays came back, we were in shock. She not only broke her leg but shattered it. Her tibia was cut in two. On top of that, she had spiral fractures on both pieces up to the femur, down to the ankle, and then there were just fragments of bone. The vets recommended her for emergency orthopedic surgery to fix her leg if she ever wanted to walk again.

Luckily, Minnie was able to get surgery on her comminuted fracture that very night. A steel plate the length of her entire tibia and 11 screws later, she is out of the hospital and on the road to recovery.

Now here is my ask to you. Two months ago, I bought pet insurance for Minnie. Knowing I had pet insurance, agreeing to the surgery that would give Minnie the best possible outcome for her injury seemed like an easy choice. However, today the insurance denied my claims. Injuries are covered after day one on insurance, but for orthopedic injuries, there is a six-month waiting period. Since she is in that waiting period, insurance is helping with nothing. Guess there is always fine print you can miss.

Therefore, I am reaching out to the community on GoFundMe to help Minnie dog walk again! Please help out with the cost of this expensive life-changing surgery for my pup. She is only 4 years old and has many more years to love life as a dog. Minnie had a tough upbringing, and she deserves a healthy adulthood. Any bit counts, and Minnie will keep inspiring us with her rehabilitation.

Cost breakdown:

$1,500 - Initial diagnosis, x-rays, splinting of leg, pain meds

$8,000 - Orthopedic surgery on comminuted leg fracture

$500 - Suture removal, follow up x-rays