Help My Service Dog Walk Again

TL;DR: My service dog, Beethoven (AKA Beef), has bilateral cruciate ligament tears and needs two surgeries to be able to walk comfortably again. The surgeries are estimated at 6-8k per knee, with rehabilitation for six months to a year afterward. This surgery has a 95% success rate and is very common. I need to get my beautiful boy back to his happy, healthy, self. Ideally, I’d like to keep him in service work for his own stimulation and enjoyment, but only if he’s comfortable. We have a long but rewarding journey ahead of us.

Photo Credit: Grace Marie Pet Photography

This morning I sat on the clinic floor of my vet's office with my service dog, Beethoven. He sat in my lap confused as to why I was sobbing. I sat there in bewilderment as I got the news that shattered my heart. My perfect boy, so young, healthy, and happy- had torn both cruciate ligaments in his knees. He would need surgery immediately.

“If surgery is off the table, we can discuss laying him to rest peacefully”, she said to me. My heart dropped. I decided at that moment there was absolutely no way I'd ever allow that to happen without exploring every option first.

My dog is a year and five months old. He is a beautiful, healthy boy. When he started mildly limping at the beginning of July, I kept him quiet and well-rested. I didn’t think anything of it. He had been out of work for three weeks, which I chose to do- to make sure he didn’t injure himself. He was fine, I thought. He was a normal happy, active, goofy puppy.

Yesterday he tried to get off of my bed and couldn’t stand up. He started yelping loudly. We had spent an hour that evening at the river where he had some leisurely time swimming and exploring with his dad, my other dog. I noticed some limping toward the end of our adventure and figured he’d tweaked his leg again. He had been fine. He was fine. And suddenly he couldn’t walk? I knew something was terribly wrong.

Beethoven was not the puppy I was going to keep. He was listed for sale even. But during the worst part of my life, he gave me purpose. I sat in the basement of a condemned house after the worst year of my life, after having less than two weeks to prepare for an accidental litter of puppies (not on my watch).

I remember my friend Shannon telling me there was one last puppy left, and that he must be big. I didn’t believe her because we already had 7 wriggly puppies- but 30 minutes later my Beethoven was born. The moment my daughter was holding him and he opened his eyes for the first time, I knew he was ours.

His affinity for service work showed from the moment he was born. He was calm, collected, and extremely smart. I told myself if one of the puppies seemed fit for service work I would try it, but it was unlikely considering they were pitties. It took me one try to teach him how to sit. He was out and about with perfect manners at 10 weeks old. He was glued to me. Needless to say, I didn’t sell him. He also had an affinity for leaves, which led to my best friend coining the term “beef with a leaf”. It’s quite entertaining explaining to people that “Beef” is short for Beethoven.

Beethoven is the first full-blooded American Pitbull Terrier that has been accepted into the service dog program in STL. Despite being told they were difficult to train, he proved everyone wrong. He’s been in training since he was 12 weeks old. My goal was to break the breed bias, and we have so far. We are in a fantastic family of people called STLHuggs. Beef has gone through extensive public access training and has begun task training. We have been all over STL with our group: the zoo, the science center, tower grove park, the art museum, festivals, picnics, and various stores. He is training to medically alert and administer deep pressure therapy. The thought of him not working, myself removed as a factor, would be so hard for him. This is the only way of life he knows. He loves working, is bonded to me, and always asking where we’re going next. I hope if he gets the surgeries and rehab he needs, that he can resume doing what he loves comfortably.

I was told by people close to me that doing these surgeries on a dog was a waste of time and not fair to him. Besides, how would I ever get the money anyways? It was unrealistic. But I am resilient, and I won’t give up on my best friend. The doubt of others fuels me to prove them wrong. Beethoven never gave up on me. He was the light through the darkest times of my life. He was my purpose, my reason, and my future. He is my partner and my soulmate, in the form of a dog. He knows my every move. The first time I went out of town without him, he had lain at the door the entire 36 hours I was gone. I never left without him again.

I don’t want to make him wait at the door his whole life. I want him to have the opportunity to make that choice.

Without these surgeries, my dog will not be able to live comfortably, and he will need to be euthanized. The longer it takes to get these surgeries, the more damage is done to the joint and surrounding ligaments.

I’ve been quoted 6-8k per knee, plus meds and rehabilitation. He needs a surgery called Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy. The success rate is 95%. It is very common but extensive, utilizing plates and screws. The recovery time for each knee includes 8 weeks of highly restricted activity, resuming full activity within 6 months. It will be long and perilous, but I will not give up on him. He deserves a chance to live. He is so young. I even had all my puppies genetically screened, with no issues. He’s been exquisitely cared for his entire life with a balanced diet, exercise, and stimulation. I never saw this coming. I wouldn't wish this nightmare on anyone. The vet assured me that this was a degenerative condition and that it wasn’t my fault. It just happens. She also said normally when one goes out the other follows, but both at the same time has put me on a run for my money.

I am a single mother, a full-time student, a self-employed business owner, and disabled. I have autonomic dysfunction which affects my body's ability to manage my heart rate and blood pressure, as well as degenerative disease in my spine. Caring alone for a rehabilitating 80lb dog will be a test in itself, but I will do whatever it takes to save my best friend. We will prevail through this together.

Right Knee

X-rays of the right knee showed osteoarthritis, a bone chip, and extensive scar tissue. The right knee has likely partially torn before. This was the first knee I noticed him limping on at the beginning of the month. He had never had a single issue with his legs before this. He had us all fooled. Not a single second did I think he was in pain, or I would’ve done something sooner. The vet appointment I had this morning was made two weeks ago, to have his joints examined. I never expected the worst.

Left Knee

The left knee tear probably occurred yesterday at the river. Nothing traumatic happened, just the stress of him moving. The joint is fluid-filled and hard to manipulate. The femur is misaligned from this and he can barely put any weight on it. He cannot get in and out of the car, or down the stairs to my yard to use the bathroom. He walks a few steps, then collapses. I can’t stand seeing my usually active and happy boy unable to function. I’m at a loss.

The people who know me know I am stubborn and opinionated. I don’t ever ask for help. I overdo myself past my physical limits just to function every day.

Now, I am asking for help.

I cannot get my dog the care he needs without help. Care credit estimated coverage of $1,300, but I don’t have a single penny in my bank account. I make a decent living, but the cost of living is expensive and all my finances go straight to bills. I have nothing to spare, and I don’t want my best friend waiting for treatment. He can’t wait very long. I can’t wait very long. And I surely do not want him waiting at a door he can't go through forever.

Thank you for reading our story. I appreciate any help anyone can offer. Let’s do this together.

Info about TPLO surgery:

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cranial-cruciate-ligament-repair-tibial-plateau-leveling-osteotomy-tplo

Orthopedic Veterinarian:

https://gatewayvetsurgery.com/

My SD group, STLHuggs:

https://stlhuggs.org/

*Any remaining funds after surgery and rehabilitation will be donated to STLHuggs for the future training of service dogs*