#Help4mooch Loving canine may face Amputation from Hit and Run

Please Share Time is of the essence We have raised 400 of the 2500 needed. 

On April 24th 2013 my Pit-Bull mix Mooch, who has a penchant for running, managed to get out the front door past my ailing father and his CNA; she bounded down the ramp and took a gallop down the road. I cannot run so my father got into his motorized scooter and went after her as I collected the car with my mother to head her off. Mooch usually will hop in the car or go to my father once she has run a bit.

This is not an all the time occurrence, typically she is leashed or allowed run of our yard with an overhead lead that lets her bounce around with the cats or us when we are with her. But every so often maybe 2x a year she will get by someone... Unfortunately, this time we were not able to catch her before she hit the busier street at the end of our own.

Just before my father could grab her she was struck by a mini-van, the driver who almost hit my father as well did not stop, leaving Mooch laying in the middle of the road. After help from the local police and a paramedic, she managed to hobble to the corner where we (The Police Officer and I) were able to get her into our car.

I called the Animal Clinic of Milford whom we had been with for more than 11 years, before the original Vet Dr. Tocini passed away and another took over his practice. When we called they refused to see Mooch unless we could pay immediately, stating that they could show me a list of others with unpaid IOU’s. I don’t think I need to tell you what my response to that was; needless to say, they will no longer provide us services.  

After a large amount of panic and several more phone calls with Mooch in the car, the VCA Shoreline Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center agreed to see our girl and allow us to pay them on May 1st and asked that we apply for Credit care, for which we were denied. The vets at Shoreline did what they could to examine Mooch, but due to our financial constraints and my explaining that I could not pay them more than 350.00 USD on the 1st, her care was minimal.

After giving us her diagnosis, (Left elbow luxation) possible treatments, (sedation, manual manipulation and splinting with rehab, or the unthinkable Euthenization of an otherwise healthy animal) and prognosis (which they believe would be good if treated in a timely manner) they suggested that I attempt to find financial aide and a private vet who could work out a payment plan with us, as there was nothing they could to more financially than they already had, (they cut our bill in half, from almost 700.00 USD to 336.00 USD out of sympathy for our situation, for which we will forever be grateful). They prescribed Tramodol and sent her home with us.

My father having helplessly witnessed her accident is a mess; Mooch is his pride and joy, his lifeline, having been with him through his Chemo, Radiation treatments, surgeries, and deepest depressions. To not bring her home would have broken his heart, and amputation which is apparently less cost effective than the repair at least for the ER vets, is something he is strongly against, he him self having faced that possibility as a younger man due to an accident, he was lucky enough to find a surgeon who fused his knee instead. Something most people (Doctors especially) have never even seen. We want Mooch to get better; we need for her to get the treatment she deserves. I hope that you or another group can help us. The irony of this whole situation is I had planned on purchasing insurance for her and our cats in May, as our finances could finally afford it. We are trying to find the woman who hit her, but have little to go on as no one who witnessed the accident was able to get the license plate because the woman was going 50 in a 25 zone. What we do know is she was driving a hunter green astro van on Franklin Street in Ansonia CT at about 215 pm on Wednesday afternoon. She is fourty-ish thin and has dark hair. We believe she may have damage to her left front panel from the impact. If anyone has information on this we would greatly appreciate it as this was an accident, and her insurance would have covered Moochies care... If she had stopped. If she can be identified or comes forward I am willing to forgive her fleeing the scene if it means our girl will get her treatment. Without this your support, via donation, shares and tweets, we are at a stand still until we can find help, Mooch is resting and taking her pain medication which will only last for 5 days without a refill. This is now day three.

This is the link to the donations page

I have also created a Facebook page where you can come show your support, share, and stay updated. 

Help4Mooch

If you can and have twitter please use the Hashtag #Help4mooch