Contact Sheet

Here's a contact sheet that might be helpful to others, so I thought I'd post. I've been doing so much research I've lost track of the source. I'm putting useful links onto this blog's sidebar, but I'm skipping over ones that deal specifically with cancer, or certain states for which Claire is not eligible, so I thought I'd re-post the document in its entirety. Click on the image to enlarge it to a readable size.

The Sam Simon Foundation

Today we submitted an application to the Sam Simon Foundation. We're hoping they can help Claire by doing the operation or by offering financial assistance.

The foundation is funded by Sam Simon, the creator of the Simpsons. Their mission is "Saving the Lives of Dogs to Enrich the Lives of People."

Their application requests specific information along with all pertinent medical records:
1. Your first and last name:
2. Your pet's name:
3. The sex, age, and species of your pet:
4. The breed and approximate weight (if your pet is a dog):
5. The type of surgery you are seeking:
6. If your pet has already been spayed or neutered:
7. At least 2 phone numbers where you can be reached

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Claire's Spinal Injury

My seven-lb Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, Claire, was a rescue from the Carson shelter in 2006, and has been certified as a therapy dog through Delta society for several years. She has walked with a pretty pronounced curved back for about a year and a half or more. I've taken her to several vets without pinpointing the exact problem. She's had a few incidences of pain, but nothing that lasted more than a day--until last week. She was yelping so much that I took off in a hurry to see any vet who would have me. I was referred to a specialist, a veterinary neurologist, for a spinal consult.

Claire had an MRI on Tues afternoon (6/21/11), which is a story in itself--$2300 just for the test. But it gets worse: she has a herniated disc in her back which requires a $6000.00 surgery. Since I absolutely do not have that, we're treating her conservatively with meds: steroids & pain medications, possible therapy to include hydrotherapy, acupuncture, massage.... that should treat the symptoms for a while & ideally lessen the inflammation, but won't cure the problem. She's still got a good ten years left on her, which means at some point, this degenerative condition will require surgery. So I've got to start now applying to foundations like Actors & Others for Animals, set up a ChipIn page to accept donations, set up a Facebook page in her name, whatever I can think of....

I've requested a written estimate of the surgery from the vet & a letter stating her condition. I've never entered this territory before as a pet owner so will be taking it one day at a time....

Do any of you have dogs with back issues? What sort of therapies have you tried? Any resources in the community for pet owners without financial means? Please give me any referrals or leads you may have in the comments to this post.