Help Goliath

Goliath's Surgeries were a success!! Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

Another pup we know needs help. If you are willing and able to donate please visit http://savedakota.tripod.com/

If you are still looking for a good cause to donate Henrico Humane Society could use your help.

www.henricohumane.org

I first came to live with my family in June 2000. My Mom and Dad came to pick me up from Henrico Humane Society. It seemed like they were going to pick my sister to take home first, and then I showed them how well I walked on a leash at only 7 months old. So they picked me, and off I went to my new home and to meet my new sister Sabrina. She was a little older than me and very snotty! But I won her over soon enough and we became best friends.

Soon after my family and I moved into our new home. I was so excited to be in a house with a fenced in yard and everything. I loved that this house had so many more squirrels for me to chase!

The Start of Trouble

My Mom and Dad had always thought I was a little bow-legged, they kept asking the vet whenever I would go for a checkup (those vets really need to learn to keep those thermometers to themselves, by the way!) if I was okay. The vet kept telling Mom that it was okay, and that I might end up with arthritis. About 6 months ago my mom demanded they take x-rays because she noticed I was limping and becoming less active. The vet took x-rays and told my mom I had hip dysplasia and gave me 25mg of Rimadyl to take as needed.

After a few months Mom and Dad noticed I was getting worse than before. So they took me to see Dr. Martin at Sycamore Veterinary Hospital ( I really like them, but they still use that stupid thermometer!). Dr. Martin took more x-rays and referred us to Dr. Suess, an orthopedic surgeon. On Tuesday Sept 21 Mom and Dad took me to see Dr. Suess and apparently got some very bad news. She seemed very upset after we left, I'm not sure what's going on yet but I'm going to find out.

What's going on with Goliath?

After visitng with Dr. Suess (pronounced CEASE) we found out Goliath has some leg deformity problems. It was something he was born with and progressed as he got older. As a result he as a crucial ligament tear in each leg. He also needs an operation on both knees. The catch here is that the surgery they can do (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy ) or better known as TPLO may not work for Goliath.

Dr. Suess advised us that he has never seen a case as bad as Goliath's. And if they are unable to perform surgery on him the most humane thing to do would be to put him to sleep.

So why does Goliath Need Help?

The estimate for the TPLO is $2000-$2500 per leg. Unfortunately we do not have $5000 dollars available by other means (credit cards, loans, etc.)

We are asking fellow animal lovers who have ever been in this positon and have the means to donate a $1.00 or any spare change they have to Goliath.

Anything we receive that is not needed for Goliath's Surgery or if we get bad news from Dr. Suess saying that the surgery will not help him, will be donated to Joe's Promise. Without the woman who runs Joe's Promise, we would have never had such a wonderful dog who touched our hearts in countless ways.

What's going on now?

****UPDATED 10/13****

Goliath had his x-rays yesterday. After speaking with Dr. Suess we have learned that the slope in Goliath's right knee is 45.5% and his left is 38%. A normal knee is 22-23%, 30% is considered excessive and Goliath's case is considered extreme. Dr. Suess says by doing surgery we are "taking a leap of faith" and that he reccomends trying the surgery, it really is the only option we have. There is no other type of surgery that will work, and of course they don't have total knee replacements for dogs. My husband and I have decided to go for the surgery. We can not justify not trying it. So surgery is scheduled on Nov. 4 for Goliath's right knee and hopefully if all goes well we will schedule the surgery on his left knee 8 weeks later.

****UPDATED 11/04/04****

Recently we received financial assitance from S.T.A.R.T. START Inc. is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide financial assistance to pet owners who couldn't otherwise afford surgery for their pets. They granted us $750.00 per leg for a total of $1500.00. I can't tell you what a huge relief this has been for us. Between the grant and the donations we just might make enought to do his second surgery on his left leg. If you would like more information about start feel free to email us at goliathshope@hotmail.com. I can provide you with all of their contact information.

Another update is Goliath had his surgery today. We talked to the Dr. and he said it went better than they could have hoped for. They were able to reduce the slope of his knee from 45% to 20%. Goliath did have a torn ligament and quite a bit of torn cartlidge. However, Dr. Seuss has high hopes for the outcome. Now we just have to wait and see how well he heals. If everything goes okay we will try to schedule the second surgery for the first week of Janurary.