Urgent Appeal: River Needs Double Knee Surgery

A dog whose human is experiencing insecure housing needs surgery on both rear legs. She would have been euthanasized if it weren’t for the nonprofit RAPS Animal Hospital. Can you help?

A very special three-year-old dog named River is depending on the RAPS community to help her return to a full, happy life.

PLEASE DONATE TO RIVER’S SURGERY

River needs immediate surgery in one leg – and very soon after will need the same treatment in the other leg.

This is a complex TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) procedure, which is a surgical treatment to stabilize the stifle joint when the Cranial Cruciate Ligament has ruptured.

River’s person, who is experiencing homelessness, does not have the financial resources to provide medical care and ongoing support for the sweet, gorgeous Pit bull. After visiting numerous veterinary clinics and animal shelters requesting support, he was told his only option was to euthanize River. He was quoted upwards of $20,000 for surgery on both legs. Then he came to RAPS. He agreed to surrender River to us, providing RAPS the autonomy to have the time and make the right medical decisions in the best interest of River, including the many months of proper recovery River requires after surgery.

River’s serious health issue comes just after she largely overcame a major challenge that has affected her from a very young age.

River would likely have faced euthanasia because early in life she developed incontinence. Finding a home for a dog with an incessant leak is remote but she did find someone who would take her on and deal with her issues.

Finally, after many soaked newspapers, towels, doggie diapers and absorbent pads, River has been treated at RAPS Animal Hospital, where a doctor prescribed Proin, a medication used to treat urinary incontinence due to poor muscle tone in the urethral sphincter. River has had an 80% success rate since starting the drug.

After playing with another rambunctious pup in a park a few days ago, River began to limp. Soon she was hardly able to walk at all.

RAPS Animal Hospital doctors discovered that one ligament had a full tear and the other leg had a partial tear, soon to be a full tear. She needs surgery immediately on the most serious problem leg. Any dog, but especially one of River’s substantial size and weight, needs at least one hind leg to walk on at a time. The added pressure on the already partially damaged knee, though, will necessitate the second surgery probably as soon as the initial leg is healed to a minimum level.

“River is an incredibly friendly, beautiful dog,” said Eyal Lichtmann, CEO of RAPS. “Our whole reason for creating the RAPS Animal Hospital was so that animals like River would not need to be euthanized just because their people can’t afford medical treatment. River is in dire medical straights and the injury is severe. She cannot walk. This is a curable medical condition– this is an entirely treatable, but expensive, condition that can be repaired. River can go on to live a long and healthy life.”

River overcame major odds early in life, he said.

“She’s a determined dog with a great life ahead of her,” Lichtmann said. “Stories like hers are why we exist. But every happy ending is only possible because of the support of our RAPS community.”