Help Luna Jump Again: Support for Double Knee Surgery

Hi friends,

I’m a current student and I need help with unexpected vet bills for surgery for my dog. This is Luna, a 5 year old tiny Shih Tzu, and she needs two surgeries on her hind legs.

Around three weeks ago, we noticed that Luna was dragging her hind legs behind her, and was having trouble walking. Her legs would give out after a few steps and she would slip and fall. After bringing her to the vet, we were told that she has Patellar Luxation in both hind legs (her kneecaps slide and pop out of place from the femoral groove when her knees flex, causing constant dislocation).

Luna will need two separate surgeries on both her hind legs. Her left leg (the worse one) has Grade 4 Patellar Luxation (the knee cap is permanently luxated and cannot be manually replaced in the groove). As of right now, her knee cap is partially fused to a place where it shouldn’t be, and if it gets worse the leg could be frozen in either a straight or bent place. This will cause her to lose the ability to walk in that leg. She could also tear her achilles tendon.

Her right leg had Grade 3 Patellar Luxation (the knee cap is permanently luxated but can be manually replaced in the groove). This means her knee cap can be pushed back into place, but immediately pops back out. She will need surgery to correct this as well, but the dog-tor will only operate on one leg at a time (if both are operated on simultaneously, she will not be able to walk for the 8-10 week recovery time).

Each surgery will cost $6500. The first is scheduled for October 3, and the second is TBD.

Luna loves to jump. She’s very small, but jumps constantly on the couch, on our beds, and on our heads. She really had springs for legs. She loves to run around with her mini dinosaurs and lamb chop. She is so full of life everywhere else, but she can no longer move the way she used to. I really hate asking for help, but if you could in any way, it would mean the world.

Elissa