My Dog, Groot, Needs a Miracle

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Patchwork Paws

Mending our home, one pet at a time

Groot is:

5 year old Newfoundland pup

the dinnertime supervisor

a lover of food

an alert system for all noises and things that move

the best barker in the neighborhood

an expert in selective hearing

built for cuddly hugs

the shadow following my every stride

psychic, knowing every room I plan to walk into (and races me there)

a focused bathroom attendant

a good boy

Groot is also tired and in pain

He has an un-diagnosed condition affecting his spine and rear legs; the vet believes it is Lumbosacral Disease (LS) and both his sciatica are affected. He takes 3 pain medications a day; which have increased his anxiety and sedative effects. I worry about his ever-decreasing mobility and his future quality of life.

He is diagnosed with a CCL issue in his right rear leg. A big dog like Groot will need an expensive surgery to fix the right knee and likely his left knee in the future.

We started a social media presence (Patchwork Paws) to introduce you to our family - the fun, the unexpected, the trials and tribulations of our cats and dogs. While sharing our stories, we are working in the background to promote crowdfunding campaigns to help us with specialty veterinary expenses and home care costs.

Without the surgical treatments, Groot’s health will continue to decline. Every day that goes by I see the pain increasing and mobile stability decreasing. Without raising the funds, I will likely have to make the determination to end his suffering in this world because his quality of life will not improve.

Why we are on Donorbox

My heart broke when I heard the most recent news regarding the health of Groot.

How can I financially manage to provide him with his best life? I have poured everything I have into the care and love of the Patchwork Paws family. My finances have been depleted and we are just making it - without the additional expenses of specialty veterinary care.

Groot's campaign will cover an estimated cost of the MRI needed to diagnose and treat LS, and future TPLO surgeries in his knees (the finer details are listed towards the end of this page). See Groot’s Silent Struggle below.

Every donation, no matter the size, brings Groot closer to the relief he so desperately needs. Please consider donating to Groot's fund for veterinary services and lifelong care.

I do not expect that everyone and anyone can donate money.

Sharing his story with others would be a profound act of kindness. Your interactions with our videos – watching, sharing, liking, and commenting, will make an incredible impact in our journey of easing Groot’s pain and providing his family with the care they continue to need. We can be found on all the major social media platforms.

Following, liking, and sharing Groot’s tale will make the greatest impact to his life

SKIP TO THE END or READ ON FOR DETAILS

A Little Background

Three years ago, my mom passed away. She was my person. Just seven months before she was hospitalized, my mom adopted Rocket, a spirited golden retriever puppy. And a week after she fell ill, our Newfoundland, Groot, celebrated his second birthday. The dogs are a profound connection to her, and caring for them means keeping a piece of her with me every day. In particular, the bond between her and Zimmerman, our senior Newfoundland-Great Pyrenees mix, was a beautiful testament to their deep connection; she was truly "his person".

Following the loss of my mom, the partnership we shared has been replaced by a singular responsibility: managing everything. The weight of this has been immense, especially while navigating my own chronic pain disabilities. It often feels as though there isn't enough time in the day to make progress on anything or to simply rest and recover from my medical conditions, but somehow, we push through.

Stepping into her shoes to care for them all is a way to honor her memory. I am a cat person who is learning to also be the ‘leader of the pack’. It has not been a smooth transition, but I am navigating this new role one day at a time. Instead of being friends to our dogs, it is I that must lay the ground rules, be consistent, and provide for their needs. I was previously a playmate for our family dogs while my cats governed the rules of the house.

Every single day since my mom's passing has been devoted to their health and happiness. Their lives, filled with immense love, have also been marked by a relentless succession of veterinary emergencies and staggering expenses that have stretched me to my limits. My resources and energy are consistently directed toward ensuring their well-being, a commitment that honors my mom's love for them.

Groot's Silent Struggle

This isn't just about a pet; it's about family, legacy, and a promise made in love.

BLOAT: Groot's journey has been marked by multiple health battles. He endured a terrifying emergency veterinary visit for suspected bloat in December 2022:

Bloat is a sudden and life-threatening condition for giant breeds, and can occur in any dog regardless of size. This was a huge learning curve for me, as I have never experienced bloat and the closest emergency vet or clinic that has the equipment to treat this condition, is 55 minutes away from our home.

Daily routines now meticulously revolve around bloat prevention for all our dogs. Meals are served in slow-feeders an hour after exercise and they wait another hour after eating to go back outside. Depending on their level of activity outside, water consumption needs to wait at least 15 minutes if they exercised or played hard. In short, they are fed and watered after a cool down period.

ALLERGIES: Groot has aggravating allergies that cause ear inflammation and dermatitis on his feet. We have been managing his allergic reactions through environmental allergy immunotherapy injections. Thankfully the injections seems to have lessened his allergic reactions in the summer and seems worth the cost of approximately $255 every 8 months.

PAIN: For the last two years, Groot has been silenced by a relentless and excruciating pain in his left rear leg. This isn't a new struggle. His radiographs for both knees indicated he possibly had Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), a joint disorder where pieces of cartilage separate from the underlying bone.

2024: In December 2024, everything changed. Groot's entire demeanor shifted. Our joyful, talkative boy with a sense of humor became low-key, quiet, and still. Pain medication gave us a glimpse of our old Groot. He started to "talk" again, his tail wagged with a little more enthusiasm. It was a bittersweet relief because these medications can have adverse impacts on his kidneys and may not be suitable as a long-term solution.

2025 – Increased Pain:

CCL disease: Groot’s symptoms of pain and duration of lameness changed, and his vet was concerned that he needed to have an orthopedic consult to perform deeper diagnostics of his back legs. During an orthopedic consultation at the University of Minnesota on August 5, 2025, they determined that Groot needs a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) on his right knee and diagnosed him with right cranial cruciate ligament disease. TPLO surgery costs for a Newfoundland typically range from $5,000 to over $10,000 per knee, with averages often falling between $6,000 and $8,000 (including pre- and post-surgery costs like diagnostics, anesthesia, medication, follow-up visits, and potential physical therapy). There's also a high risk that his left leg will require the same procedure later in life.

More Uncovered: The CCL disease is not the source of excruciating pain that has quieted his presence. During the same ortho visit on August 5th, the neurology department did a brief exam and suspected a left sciatic nerve weakness believed to be responsible for the pain on his left side. The next critical steps involve a neurological consultation and an MRI to identify the nerve damage causing his suffering. This is our best chance to understand what's happening and find a treatment that doesn't jeopardize his overall health.

Neurology Consult: Groot’s pain episodes last about ten minutes and consist of screaming in pain, whining, holding up his rear left leg, not putting weight on the left leg, and returns to normal after rest. The episodes occur about once a month. His neurology consult at the University of Minnesota -Lewis Small Animal Hospital on September 10, 2025, found mild muscle atrophy of left pelvic limb, pain around the lumbosacral joint, and weak in reflexes controlled by the sciatic nerve. We have a temporary pain management plan where his gabapentin is increased to 600mg three times per day, carprofen remains at 100mg twice a day, and adding amantadine (200mg per day) to increase the management of nerve pain.

Summary of Medical Treatment Needed (also see table below):

Groot needs an MRI that will cost a minimum of $4500.00, with sedation and aftercare. It is needed to definitively determine if there is lumbosacral stenosis (LS)/chronic intervertebral disc disease, sciatic nerve compression and inflammation, and other causes of inflammation affecting the sciatic nerves.

The repair and treatment for LS is both medical and surgical:

Medical: pain medications (listed above) or recurrent epidural injections ($1000 each injection, base cost)
- Epidurals include sedation and frequency of injections can range from a few times a year to monthly.
- Pain medications are not a long term solution as the condition progresses

Surgical: involves making a window in the bones of the vertebra above the area of greatest compression and removing a portion of the associated disc to further relieve compression on the spinal cord. The base cost for Groot to have this surgery is $8500 under the most routine conditions.

While we wait to secure funds for the MRI, we have chosen to use pain medications to temporarily manage his symptoms:
- Carprofen, Gabapentin, and Amantadine
  - Carprofen is an NSAID and his organ functions will need monitoring with long term use of this medication.
  - Gabapentin and Amantadine both target pain associated with nerves. We began half his dose of Amantadine on 9/17/2025. A week later, we will increase to a full dose and then follow with the prescribed increase in Gabapentin.
  - An increase in the Amantadine to the full prescribed dose caused severe anxiety in Groot. We have since decreased to half the dose (December 2025).

Patchwork Paws Recent Medical History

Zimmerman (11yo, Newfoundland/Great Pyrenees), another gentle giant.

Mast Cell Cancer: In March 2024 he had a low-grade/stage 2 mast cell tumor excised from his foot. His initial surgery consult on April 4, 2024, with an oncologist at the University of Minnesota, recommended amputation or fusion of the toes. In the moment I believed it was too aggressive. During the oncology consult, an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) was heard on physical exam, that persisted throughout the day, so a cardiology consult was recommended and completed the same day.

Abdominal ultrasound reported no specific findings of mast cell metastasis. Normal sonographic appearance of liver and spleen does not preclude mast cell disease.
- Partially mineralized gallbladder debris, often of no clinical significance.
- Fine needle aspiration of spleen, liver, and left popliteal lymph node: No convincing evidence of metastasis. Rare poorly granulated mast cells were seen in the liver and left popliteal node, significance unknown.
Zimmerman needed a cardiology consult the same day he was at UMN for the oncology appointment on April 4, 2024. They performed an electrocardiogram and diagnostics, showing Mild degenerative valve disease with mitral valve regurgitation.
- Electrocardiogram: frequent single atrial premature contractions. No therapy recommended, but recheck ECG is recommended in six months.
  - Six months later, his youngest brother, Rocket, had an emergency hospital stay at Blue Pearl. I haven’t followed up on Zimerman’s ECG recheck.
As of August, 2025 we have not found new MCT tumors or symptoms. His current treatment is a regimen of pain meds and supplements for arthritis, and sedatives for thunderstorm/fireworks anxiety.
September 29, 2025 - scheduled vet examination to reassess treatment of pain and symptoms of arthritis

Over a dozen small growths were found all over Zimmerman’s body. Fine-needle aspirates of the lumps showed inconclusive results. Surgery for removal of 7 of the lumps was scheduled for October 9, 2025.
- Results: most tumors were indicative of lipomas (fatty tumors). Two tumors are suspicious and can be sent off for histopathology ($281/tumor)
- Zimmerman has fully recovered and appears healthy. He is on a daily dose of pain medication (Carprofen) for his arthritis, and it has greatly improved his mobility and quality of life.

Rocket (3yo, Golden Retriever) battled a severe Lyme and Anaplasma infection in 2024. Early symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs can include generalized pain, fatigue, decreased activity, loss of appetite, and fever.

Nonregenerative Anemia: He was rushed to the ER, where he was diagnosed with nonregenerative anemia and was teetering on the brink of needing a blood transfusion. He was hospitalized a few days and eventually stabilized enough to return home. Almost a year later, his bone marrow is still producing dangerously high amounts of young red blood cells, requiring routine vet visits to check his levels and monitor his ongoing treatment.

Appointment with his internal medicine vet on August 18, 2025 recommended further testing for Addison’s disease. The approximate cost of testing is $2700, could be less or more depending on how the testing goes and the costs at the specific clinic.

Cortisol Serial (AT-ACTH2) testing, ACTH (cortosyn) stimulation test, abdominal full ultrasound (if needed), Ultrasound Guided FNA Single (if needed), cytology (if-needed), potential medications to treat Addison’s Disease (if needed)
Cardiology referral if ACTH testing is normal – to rule out underlying conditions

November 24, 2025: CBC and reticulocyte testing came back with consistent results. Rocket is doing well.

Willow (6yo) and Neytiri (7yo) both developed painful bladder stones (2023). Willow required emergency surgery and Neytiri’s stone was able to resolve with medicine and a prescription diet. Both cats are on prescription diets for life. This alone adds over $100 per bag plus canned foods to our monthly expenses.

Willow is the only cat that I have had that does not “cough up” her furballs. She had issues with this as a kitten until we got her on an oral gel that helps lubricate her system so she does not get an obstruction from a fur ball.

Our tuxedo, Applejack (15yo), has chronic respiratory congestion from a virus she contracted at the shelter as a kitten.

September 2025: She was admitted to a day-stay at the clinic to test and treat a severe UTI on 9/9/2025. She is doing well with pain medications and a two-week antibiotic. She is eating but not eating full meals. In two weeks she will need to be admitted to the clinic to reevaluate her UTI status and assess her kidney health. (approximate cost of $200 without medications)
1. Her SDMA level was high at 16 ug/dl, normal 0-14, on 9/9/25. High SDMA value can indicate multiple causes from dehydration to chronic kidney disease. We will know more when she has her check up in two weeks (end of September 2025).

Applejack had her evaluation September 25, 2025. Yay!! She is healthy! And home.

THE SUMMARY

Following, liking, and sharing Groot’s tale will make the greatest impact to his life.

Summary of Funds Needed (also see table below):

MRI that will cost a minimum of $4500.00, with sedation and aftercare. It is needed to definitively determine if there is lumbosacral stenosis (LS)/chronic intervertebral disc disease, sciatic nerve compression and inflammation, and other causes of inflammation affecting the sciatic nerves. Also rules out other concerning causes and conditions.

The repair and treatment for LS disease:

Surgical: involves making a window in the bones of the vertebra above the area of greatest compression and removing a portion of the associated disc to further relieve compression on the spinal cord. The base cost for Groot to have this surgery is $8500 under the most routine conditions.
Pain Medications ($88 per month)
- Carprofen, Gabapentin, and Amantadine

Groot	MRI (UMN Neurology)	$4500	*ASAP -* Minimum cost
	LS surgery (UMN Neurology)	$8500	*ASAP -* Minimum cost
	TPLO right knee (UMN Ortho)	$8000	After recovery of LS surgery
	TPLO left knee (UMN Ortho)	$8000	Expected to occur in far future
Zimmerman	Tumor Excision (7) and Diagnostics	$1451.94	*COMPLETE -* October 9, 2025
	Tumor Histopathology	$281	*Not Complete -*On Hold
	Reassess heart function (UMN)	$1180	Based on 2024 cost paid
	Pain Evaluation Exam	TBD	COMPLETE- Sept 29, 2025
Rocket	Addison’s Disease testing	$2268.75	Based on estimate
	Heart function assessment and abdominal ultrasound	$3000	Based on cost paid for Zimmerman, and if Addison’s Disease is not a diagnosis
Applejack	Urine evaluation	$100	*COMPLETE -* Sept. 25, 2025
Reoccurring Costs:
Applejack	VetriScience Lysine Chews 120 ct	$30	Every 2 months for immune support
Willow/Neytiri	Purina UR St/Ox dry cat food	$109	35-45 day reoccurring cost
	Purina UR St/Ox wet cat food	$25	monthly
Willow	Laxatone gel - maple	$18	Every 2 months - hairball treatment
Groot	Nextmune Immunoallergy set	$255	Every 8-10 months. Next vials needed March 2026
	Gabapentin, Carprofen, Amantadine (pain meds)	$88.65	monthly
	Weight and Joint support prescribed food	$120	Every 25 days, approximately.
Rocket	CBC, Reticulocyte, exam	$336	Every 6-8 weeks
Zimmerman	Carprofen	$58	Monthly

ENHANCED Thank You Package (Gifts over $100)

You have the option to receive a handwritten Thank You card, a stylized insert with Groot's paw print, and his photo. You can find examples on our YouTube channel or Facebook Group and Page.

Email a copy of the donation receipt (including amount, full name, date of gift) and provide the recipient name and their mailing address. Also follow the prompts on the donation form to request a handwritten card. Contact us if needed.

**only available on DonorBox

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