Matt Muller's Amazing Dog Dexter

My friend Matt has one of the best dogs ever. His name is Dexter and he is an absolute sweetheart. I have never met a dog so happy and full of love. 

The other day Matt came back from the vet and told me Dexter has a cranial cruciate ligament disease in both his hind legs. Without surgery, Dexter only has a year to live before the symptoms become too painful. Utterly devastated and heart broken, I thought, "Okay, the surgery can't be that expensive, we will do anything to save Dexter." Then Matt told me it would cost $ 4,500.00 for each leg,   $ 9,000.00 total. I thought we could handle how much the surgery would cost but $ 9,000.00 is just an impossible amount for us to deal with on our own. How could something so awful happen to such a nice dog.

** UPDATE: Matt just went for a new consultation at a veterinary hospital in Abbotsford, Allwest Animal Hospital, and recieved a significantly lower quote! Instead of a               $ 9,000.00 goal we now have a $ 7,500.00 goal!! Happy Happy day!! :) **

**UPDATE: Because of all the amazing, generous donations we were able to book Dexter's first surgery for one of his legs!! We are so close to the halfway point, everyone's generousity has deeply touched our hearts. We could never have done this on our own, at one point we thought there was nothing we could do but I learned, no many how futile your ideas may seem, if you love something enough you must do anyhting and everything possible to keep it with you.**

Love you Dexter I promise you will be okay <3

Here is some information about cranial cruciate ligament disease if you would like to learn about what Dexter is dealing with.

What Is It?

Your dog’s knees, just like your own, are supported and stabilized by several ligaments (fibrous structures that attach bone to bone).  The cranial cruciate ligament of dogs is analogous to the anterior cruciate ligament, commonly referred to as the ACL, of humans.  This ligament keeps the tibia from sliding too far forward and limits internal rotation of the knee.  Dogs or cats who are suffering from acute damage to the cranial cruciate ligament typically present to our hospital with non- or partially weight-bearing lameness of the affected hind leg.

Diagnosis

In many cases, a thorough orthopedic examination will raise suspicion of a cruciate ligament injury.  Most pets are painful upon palpation of the affected knee, and your veterinarian may identify swelling in the area or a soft “click” that typically represents secondary damage to the associated meniscus (a cushioning structure of the knee).  Chronic cases of cruciate ligament disease may also exhibit evidence of degenerative joint disease (stiffness, creaking or crunching of the joint referred to as crepitus) or thickening of other fibrous structures associated with the knee (“medial buttress”).  In either case, your doctor will evaluate for presence of a “cranial drawer” or “tibial thrust” – two actions of the knee that suggest that the function of the cruciate ligament has been compromised.  Radiographs (x-rays) of the area will help to rule-out other potential causes of lameness as well as to characterize the extent of secondary changes.  While x-rays cannot identify the cruciate ligaments specifically, there are several classic signs on x-rays the are supportive of cruciate ligament disease.

Treatment

Management of cruciate ligament injuries may involve surgical or medical treatment.  For most cases, surgical management provides the best stabilization of the joint and the best long-term prognosis.  Both options are discussed below:

Surgical Management

Unfortunately, there is no current surgical repair method that can restore a cruciate ligament after it has been damaged. Instead, surgical corrections are aimed at stabilizing the knee in other ways.  These techniques include:

a. Tibioplasty: Large dogs typically do better with a more substantial surgical procedure.  Doctor preferences vary, but the Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) and Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) procedures are most often recommended.  Both options involve surgical adjustment of the proximal tibia in an attempt to minimize sliding forces.  These procedures are best performed by a board-certified veterinary surgeon.  These types of surgeries provide the best stabilization of the joint, though degenerative joint disease (arthritis) can still develop.  These surgeries rarely fail, but there is a small percentage of patients that do not recover as well as expected.

(Source: http://www.stfrancisanimalandbird.com/ResourcesLibrary/?page_id=363)

Please help Matt fund Dexter's surgery. I love Dexter too much to let him go without a fight. 

1 dollar or 1 hundred dollars, any amount you can contribute will bring us one step closer to reaching our goal.

Just think, your donation could be the last amount needed to save Dexter's life.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this message.

We will keep everyone who donates up to date with Dexter's progress.

Paige