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.