Hi, my name is Maeve. I'm a dog mom to rescue dogs Bruce & Leo. Bruce is a gentle giant, weighing in at 44kg of pure love and affection. Bruce is 8 years old and sadly suffers from arthritis in his joints which has led to him rupturing the cruciate ligament in the knee of his left hind leg on 13th June 2024. He needed a vital, unavoidable surgery to help repair this injury, reduce his pain, to allow him to walk again and to restore his great quality of life. It is for this operation I am reaching out to ask for help for Brucie’s operation and vets bills, as it is a very costly operation.

Introducing Bruce

Bruce has been with me for 6 years, I adopted him from Sera Husky & Animal Rescue, here in Co. Kerry. Bruce had been a stray, unwanted, unloved and from the day I met him, I fell head over heels for his kindness, exuberance and endless supply of unconditional love. He is well known and well loved all around Banna Beach! Brucie thrives on a carefully managed diet for his sensitive tummy and I have treated his arthritis with anti-inflammatories under vet supervision for a few years now and a daily herbal remedy.

He is my great protector, he walks alongside me when I cross through rivers, stands between me and anyone he isn’t sure of (it’s rare, he loves most people!), he’s hiked through Cornwall with me, slept in tents and vans alongside me and licked away my tears when I cry. He’s a huge goofy giant, who loves playing ball, chasing imaginary rabbits and smiling!

He now has the same injury that led to 3 corrective surgeries for my old dog Molly between 2021 - 2022. Post operations, Molly lived on to the ripe old age of 13 years old. She sadly left us just 12 weeks ago and I miss her every single day :( That's my beautiful girl below.

Surgery Info

Bruce's injury is caused by a degenerative condition in larger breed dogs. For his size, a surgery called a TPLO is the only repair option. Without it he could not bear weight, walk or have a quality of life. His knee cap is unstable without this ligament, so the pain is intense. Surgery involves cutting through his shin below the knee, changing the knee joint angle so it no longer needs a cruciate ligament to stabilise it and repairing the joint and bone with a plate and pins.

Recovery Timeline

Recovery is slow and tedious but I try to stay positive by focusing on milestones like in 2 weeks his stitches will hopefully be removed. Walks reduced to 5 mins x 5 times daily and slowly increasing over the weeks. After 2 weeks he can begin canine physio and hydrotherapy after 6-8 weeks, to strengthen his muscles to avoid the other legs taking any more of the additional weight and causing more damage. By week 10 we hope he will have made a full recovery.

Unfortunately, there is very high chance (circa 70% likelihood) that Bruce will need also need another TPLO surgery on his other hind leg, within 1 year of the first occurring - this is the case with most dogs who undergo this. Bruce is a cross-breed but this injury does not discriminate.

The surgery was performed by skilled, experienced surgeons in Cork's Vet Specialist Clinic on 19th June 2024. The cost of this initial surgery with consultation and pre and post xrays came to approximately €3700 for one leg. This does not include physio/hydrotherapy for his rehabilitation work. Thankfully this time around Bruce has health insurance which covers 65% of it but not the physio or rehab work recommended for a dog his size.

Other Options?

I understand that the cost and undertaking of a surgery like this will surprise some people, perhaps you will wonder why I am doing this? The only options would have been to allow Bruce to suffer - causing damage to his other hindleg and it too will rupture quickly leaving him unable to walk at all and in terrible pain. It will not repair on it's own in a dog his size. It would be inhumane and cruel. Or to put Bruce to sleep. He is young-ish, otherwise healthy and the happiest dog I have ever met, I could not face doing this to him without trying. I honestly do not think I could not cope doing that just 12 weeks after saying goodbye to Molly. Bruce deserves this chance at healing.

We'd love your help

I have shouldered the strain and burden both financially (and emotionally) for Molly's knee surgeries (3 total - and no insurance cover - we live and learn!) and these used up all of my savings over the years. I am being really open, honest and reaching out now to ask for a little help for Bruce please, given the cost of the operations, he and I would massively appreciate your support. Here’s some ideas if you’d like to help.

Join a yoga/pilates class - my business is my income, this pays vets bills, physio etc and I would LOVE you to join our community. Classes etc are listed here
New offerings will be available from July such as Summer Journaling, Seasonal Essential Oils Recipe Book, A Year in the Trees Guidebook and more. I can’t wait to share they with you!
Donate on Bruce’s Go Fund Me page - thank you so much in advance

How funds will be used

My job as a yoga teacher involves helping others daily, holding space and supporting them. I have raised thousands for local charities including Sera Animal Rescue, Baile Mhuire day Care Centre, Irish Whale & Dolphin Society and Adapt Women's Refuge over my 7 years in business with Ebb & Flow Yoga and now it is my turn for ask for a little help. I would not do this unless I really had to, it’s not an easy thing to do, but Brucie needs every fighting chance at recovery and having any extra help will alleviate the pressure on us both.

Funds kindly donated will be used to pay back a loan for Bruce's surgery and any remainder will be used to cover his physio & hydrotherapy and saved to put against the likelihood of a second operation on his other hind knee in the future.

Thank you

To help towards this fundraiser I would love you to join me and attend a class or workshop, to treat yourself to one of the upcoming self-paced guidebooks or to make a Go Fund Me site donation. Bruce, Leo and I will be so deeply grateful for your support.

With all our love & gratitude,

Bruce, Maeve (& Leo) xxx