A couple of weeks ago I posted a plea for donations on behalf of my cousin Teresa, for her dog Ginger (aka Shugie).Ginger ruptured the cranial cruciate ligament in one of her hind legs and requires surgery. The family’s financial resources have been stretched thin and they are unable to come up with the money for the surgery.
Due to Ginger’s height and weight (95lbs), two separate veterinarians recommended Ginger have a surgical procedure called Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO) to fix her leg. This surgery carries a cost of near $5000 CDN, and I’m told there is only one surgeon on Vancouver Island that is “board certified” to do this surgery.
There is a second option – the much less expensive (approx $1800) “traditional” surgery, which these same two vets recommend against, for the same reasons they recommend the TPLO surgery, Ginger’s height and weight.
Most of the comments and emails that have been received have been supportive but of course there were some that weren’t. There are always a few people that think they know what’s better for you and your situation, that’s just the way it goes.
I’ve got two BIG thank yous to make. The first, to Carol of Victoria Adoptables for making a HUGE donation towards Ginger’s surgery, and for posting Ginger’s story on the Animals in Need page on her website. The other BIG Thank you goes to Karen of Doggie Stylish for having generously donated all of her online store’s sales (between 12pm and 6pm on February 26th) towards Ginger’s surgery, which she also blogged about here.
Donations Update
It looks like we’ll be hard pressed to raise the $5000 for the TPLO surgery, so Teresa has booked Ginger in for the traditional surgery which will take place on April 6th, but if by some miracle, donations get close enough to the $5000 mark, Ginger will have the TPLO surgery as recommended by her vet.
As of earlier this afternoon there were 32 gracious donations made via PayPal, and I believe two donations called directly into the vet – putting the total amount raised at about $1300CDN.
Thank you to all of you who have offered your support and/or have made donations. I appreciate you and Teresa and Ginger appreciate you!
For those who would still like to make a donation, please click here and you will be directed to PayPal where you can make your donation with, or without a PayPal account.
Go Pet Friendly is “On the Go With Winnebago”, Cuz That’s the Way They Roll
There was some exciting news this week in the Go Pet Friendly camp, err, RV. Rod and Amy Burkert of GoPetFriendly.com took possession of their brand new Winnebago and had it wrapped (check out the video showing the RV being wrapped) with their company logo. The logo and wrap are beautiful works of art, in part because Amy has a great eye for what looks good, and because the guys at Apple Graphics Inc. are obviously really good at what they do.
If you’re just hearing about Go Pet Friendly for the first time, here’s what they do. They set out in their Winnebago travelling the USA and Canada cataloguing and reporting on pet friendly everything; from pet friendly hotels and campgrounds to pet friendly restaurants and dog parks. Instead of scouring the internet trying to find pet friendly accomodations, you can research and book your pet friendly stay right from the Go Pet Friendly website.
Also
If you have a small dog and are looking for products and tips to make it easier to travel with your small dog, another good travel resource you should check out is Dog Jaunt.com where there are frequent small dog realted product reviews and airline travel tips.
Win a FURminator
The FURminator seems to be all the rage these days. What is a FURminator? No it’s not a futuristic hairy cyborg sent back in time to save the world, it’s a deShedding tool for cats and dogs that seems to be all the talk with pet owners lately.
Edie Jarolim – author, tv personality and blogger at Will My Dog Hate Me, caught the attention of the FURminator execs after mentioning their product in several of her posts, so they sent her one. Since her pooch Frankie in Edie’s words “would be completely bald if I used a FURminator on him”, she’s decided to give it away in a contest. Go here for contest information.
Coincidentally, one of the other pet related blogs I read, Pet News and Views is also running a FURminator contest. Canadian contestants aren’t eligible for Edie’s contest, but Michele’s doesn’t specify. So, if you’re Canadian, click here to enter the contest.
Kissing Carnivores
I’m always on the look out for good healthy dog treats, but I’m very selective in what I give my dogs. The treats they get are “one ingredient” treats – usually dehydrated, liver, tripe or lamb lung, and contain NO preservatives. So when I was reading a blog post written by Mary Haight of Dancing Dog Blog reviewing Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Kisses freeze dried meats, I thought to myself these sound like treats I’d feel comfortable giving my dogs. I don’t think they’re available in Canada though. 
Springer Spaniel Rescued After Plunging 300 Feet
This post has some footage of a Springer Spaniel being rescued by an organization in the UK called RNLI, after it had plunged off a 300 foot cliff while chasing a seagull. Could this near tragedy been avoided? Eric Goebelbecker, dog trainer and blogger at Dog Spelled Forward thinks so. How? –> “Keep your dog on a leash!”
See ya next week!!
I'm a dog guardian to Sweety, my 15 year old Border Collie & Zeus a stray American Pit Bull Terrier that I rescued in October of 2009. I write about canine health and nutrition focusing mainly on topics relating to feeding a raw meaty bones diet.
