Gracie needs surgery - please help her to walk without pain

Please help our darling Gracie get the cruciate ligament surgery and other treatment she needs.

We are a mature couple with chronic and debilitating illnesses that mean we are unable to work. We have already sold everything we can to pay for Gracie's previous surgeries and treatment - so this time we need your help please!

Gracie is a three year old rescue pup. She was handed into the SPCA at 5 weeks old and has spent her life struggling with the result of early trauma and being born to a malnourished mum and being the runt of the litter.

At eight months old Gracie suffered a severe break to one of her front legs. This has left her lame in that leg.

Just after she turned one, she got a fright and ran off and got lost. We don’t know what happened to her in the six hours she was lost, but she was found in a pond in the beach dunes, very traumatised and with one of her rear paws severely injured and torn internally. She had surgery at Massey University which included her foot being pinned. When the pins came out, because of her weak immune system, she got an infection in the bone. This has caused her rear foot to be very deformed and she has difficulty walking for more than a few minutes on it.

Because of her struggle to walk. she has now torn the cruciate ligament in her other rear leg. We tried to let it heal naturally as it was only a partial tear. However, after getting badly attacked by another dog in November, she has now torn the cruciate completely so needs surgery. She has also developed severe arthritis in her knee from the injury.

Gracie is very traumatised by the things that have happened to her. She is on daily pain medication for arthritis. We’ve worked very carefully with her over the last two years, and she had come such a long way. But since she got attacked, she has lost all the confidence she had gained, and is now unable to weight-bear at all, so is hopping on her deformed foot which is causing her a lot of pain.

Gracie is such a happy and joyful dog despite all her struggles. She gives so much love to so many people. A regular visitor to the rest home where her human nana lives, the residents all love her and look forward to her visits and kisses. We just want her to be able to walk with as little pain as possible, and maybe even run on the beach again.

Estimations are that surgery will be $5000.00 at Massey University as Gracie requires an Orthopedic Specialist.