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Offerings to a Fox Goddess and Company

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Offerings to a Fox Goddess and Company

Offerings to a Fox Goddess and Company

Offerings to a Fox Goddess and Company

Offerings to a Fox Goddess and Company

Offerings to a Fox Goddess and Company

Foth Learhity
Foth Learhity
Foth Learhity
Foth Learhity
1 Campaign |
Rochester, United States
$250 USD 6 backers
6% of $4,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk

This is Inari.

 

A little less than a year ago, we had to put our German Shepherd, Remus, to sleep after it became clear that he would never win his battle with megaesophagus or the aspiration pneumonia it kept causing. The void he left behind was immeasurable, especially for his owner, Luke. Day and night, Remus was under Luke's watchful eye and gentle care, one never seen far from the other. At eighteen, taking care of a very special needs dog is no easy task! Luke stayed with Remus right to the end and it became clear to us -his family- that he was not coping well after seeing his best friend across the Rainbow Bridge after 12 years of companionship.

 

So, enter the sassy meatball. Nine months ago, Inari came into our lives as a sad, emaciated, little ball of fluff. As we had hoped, Luke channeled all of his grief into getting Inari on her paws proper and today she is sixty-five pounds of pure sass and love. Luke named her 'Inari' after the Shinto goddess of prosperity and success, two things she has gotten the short end of. She was successfully spay a couple months ago and had an umbilical hernia removed that the breeder's vet totally missed. Once she recovered, we all noticed ominous signs.

 

Inari had come to us a little clumsy - or so we thought. She could never quite manage stairs and didn't run. She needed help to get onto the couch or Luke's bed at night and she tripped way too often to be sheer clumsiness. These things became clear as day after her sterilization and x-rays revealed why: A severely advanced case of hip dysplasia and arthritis has left Inari with hip joints that only vaguely resemble joints. Bone spurs are starting to grow between the femoral head and hip joint. When she walks, the joint and femoral head just sort of grind on each other. As the specialist stated: She has basically been walking around on severely disjointed hips her whole life.

 

She is facing dual hip surgeries to perform a femoral head ostectomy. The femoral head will be removed and her hind quarters will be on the grace of scar tissue and muscle. Sadly, this won't be a major change from her current anatomy - she just won't hurt all the time. Across a year and a half, we hope that she'll be able to act like a normal puppy instead of being a puppy who wants to play, but can't. 

 

All of this less than one year after struggling to help Remus.

 

It is a long shot, but this surgery is being funded the way Frankenstein's monster was assembled: Piecemeal. Some from Luke's elder brother, some from his older sister and her husband, some from his mother. He is a full-time college student who is out of work so that he could help Remus and will remain at home to help Inari.

 

We are all asking for help. Any money donated will go towards the cost of Inari's surgery, post-operative care and medications... maybe even physical therapy, which will give her the greatest chance of post-op success! If this does not work, she does potentially face a future in a wheel chair. Help us help Luke and Inari! Luke has been through so much already that we are humbly asking for you to help ease the burden that we are all carrying!

 

And it has become quite the burden very suddenly. "And Company" entails our mini Dachshund, Axel, who is in the same uncertain position as Inari. We have no idea what happened, but there was a thirty minute window on Friday (2/11) where the dogs were home alone (Luke was sleeping, so he can't count as 'present'). When Jackie (Mom) and Jake (Luke's elder brother) got back in the door, Axel was sitting by the kitchen table shaking terribly. He's a nervous fellow, so Mom coaxed him over to her and all seemed to be well. He gets cold easily in the winter, so she wrote his shaking off as the chills and just sat with him while he was all wrapped up in layers of blankets all day. 

 

Saturday night, Jake's Husky, Dante, was almost panicked in his attempts to wake Jackie up. When she did, she thought Axel was on the couch by her feet sleeping. She tried to go back to sleep and Dante went at her again! It was then she realized that Axel was not on the couch - he was in a ball on the floor. All Friday he wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, wouldn't go to the bathroom, or even move. We all thought he was just having one of his moments (he does go through these weird spells) and watched him through Saturday. Sunday morning (2/14), Axel was looking far worse and Jackie and I (the elder sister) brought Axel to our vet. Ironically, the vet on-call is Inari's surgeon! Try as he might, the vet could not get Axel to do more than sit. When he set Axel on the floor, he tried to move for Jackie... while dragging his back legs. X-rays revealed that Axel has type-2 disc degeneration, a genetic trait of weenie dogs.

 

T13 through L3 had either bulged or herniated and had put pressure on Axel's spinal cord. We brought him to an emergency vet in Scarborough, Maine where he was admitted for emergency surgery to take care of the destroyed discs. As of today, he is standing on his own (to the staff's utter surprise) and we should have him home as soon as tomorrow (2/16). 

 

Problem is, Axel's surgery comes out to $5,000. This is on top of the $4,000 for Inari's still desperately needed surgery. We had to move fast to help Axel, since literally every hour that his back was messed up ensured he would never walk again. We are hopeful for the moment, but like his little sister, Axel may still be facing a wheel chair.

 

It has been a hell of a month and we need help now more than ever!

 

We will post updates, videos, and picture of the Fox Goddess and Teeny Weenie as we go through a very trying and frightening time. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and compassion!

 

Our thoughts and prayers be with you,

The Bobbie/Owens Family,

Inari & Axel 

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