Luxating Patellas And Shelter Medicine

When ever the subject of shelter medicine comes up, I cringe inside. I even have dear friends who make excuses for why substandard medical care is acceptable in shelters. It isn't....More and more as we struggle through this terrible economy; people are making the choice to take their beloved pet they can't afford to treat, to a No Kill shelter . We all know that No Kill shelters can afford this, right ? Wrong.  I saw one pitbull wait 2 years at our " World Famous No Kill Shelter" for a cruciate repair. During that time the dog was adopted out several times and returned when his limp got worse. For sure it will get worse with an untreated torn ligament..... and the tragedy is the adopters are not told the reality of the care needed and the cost.  comments such as " may need surgery down the road "  are bandied about.The depth of the need for surgery is often glossed over.
One year to the week after we lost our Precious Miss Priss, our Silkie Princess was diagnosed with bilateral luxating pattela. This is a painful condition where the knee socket cannot hold the knee in place, it's congenital and progressive.You may read more here :https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/patellar-luxations  Not a lot of people know about it and it is becoming more common in large breeds, while it used to only be in smaller dogs.  I wish I could just jump in my denial bus, and think well, she'll " get along, but I know better. Over the years my husband and I have raised money for many other dogs needing treatment, allowing the dog to stay in the home with the owner. Now faced with up to $5,000 for both legs we are standing in the other man's shoes, and they pinch. Silkie Princess can still walk which surprised the vet, but she needs surgery in a very short time. If any of Oreo's readers want to help , that would be great, but we know times are tough all over, we are just to stunned to know what to do yet. The image below was taken on her one year birthday in November, just a few months ago..
We did set up an account at our vet of 30 years ( just letting you know, it's not some fly by night quack diagnosis )
I redacted the Veterinary information because people were calling and just asking what a Patella was. If you feel like you would like to donate to the account, let me know.....
People wanting more information may contact me through the comments section......I have thought about a crowd funding site, but have no idea how to do any of that.......