(If you did not get that reference, we cannot be friends. Sorry)
Other than my applying to jobs endeavors, I have been working on figuring out how to pay for Jake's, my dog, up coming knee surgery. He tore what is called a cranial cruciate ligament, which is basically the dog equivalent to an ACL. Which requires him to have a TPLO surgery.
The timing of this is really ridiculous. Earlier this year, Jake tore his toe nail clean off, got what is often called cherry eye, diagnosed with Lyme (he could have had that earlier in life because once a dog gets it, they always test positive for it) and he ended up getting this infection between the pads of his paw that caused cysts to develop. The toe nail grew back, in almost perfect condition. The cherry eye went away with steroid eye cream. The Lyme was treated with 200+ pills of antibiotics. The cysts went away with 2-3 daily paw soaks in very warm water with an antibiotic solution over the course of two weeks. And now this, I feel like I cannot catch a break with this boy.
Now, I can take out a credit card or do care credit or maybe a loan. The thing is, student loans have got me so swamped that my anxiety to have that much debt and the other bills of life plus an other loan/credit card bill is just too much. I am barely even making enough now to actually have anything to save after paying for my monthly expenses.
How, when, and why did it get so expensive just to live?
I do have the option of just letting Jake's knee heal on it's own. But that will take a year, maybe longer, and with his size the chances of the knee healing correctly are slim. This would more than likely lead him to be a couch potato dog with arthritis. I know he would hate that. I know I would hate to see him like that. We love our adventures and I would love to be able to continue them with him. I could opt for the other surgery for this condition, which is to basically use fishing line to hold his knee in place. With this surgery, I have really only heard of it working for smaller dogs or dogs that don't do much activity as the fishing line can snap. The best part of this whole thing is that the other knee has an extreme chance of tearing now that the first one has. So what do you do in this situation?
My friend made me a GoFundMe for my dog's surgery. I have mixed emotions about it cause I don't want to be one of those people who asks others for help but I owe it to Jake to give it a try. So now I sit here, in anticipation of seeing if or when the GoFundMe website approves the fundraiser, and then I will sit in anticipation to see how much it generates.
In the end, I will do what it takes to get him that surgery. He is an amazing dog that deserves so much more than the crap he has been through. I wish I could have been there for him for longer than these last two years and I want to make the remaining years great for him.
What are your thoughts on the whole GoFundMe movement? Would you ever consider making one or having one made on your behalf?
Follow Jake on Instagram: @jakeandthezoe
