Nobu - 2 surgeries down, 3 to go!

27 Sept 2012:
THANK YOU!! Today I received a large donation which EXACTLY reached our goal for Nobu's surgeries and took my breath away at the same time. I am so touched by everyone's generosity and simply cannot thank you enough. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

======================================================================

I took Nobu into foster care when her best friend at the shelter, Chloe, went to her forever home. We were all worried about Nobu's well-being as she is such a timid soul and we wondered what would become of her if we left her to fend for herself, without Chloe. In fact, we didn't want to find out.

The "tough" cases always catch my eye and I was ready and excited to watch Nobu transform from being literally too scared to move, to a dog who can just relax and "be a dog". We are still getting there. It's a slow but incredibly rewarding experience to teach a dog to trust you when they had no trust before. I've never met a dog quite like Nobu. She is the sweetest-natured little girl anyone could wish to meet and you feel immensely privileged when she reaches milestones such as wagging her tail, limping over to you or giving you a little lick on your hand. She is SPECIAL!

What I didn't realise when I took Nobu in, was just how many health issues I would also have to rectify. She is without a doubt a very expensive gal, through no fault of her own, and worth every bit. I have no idea of her past, and if she could talk I don't think I'd even want to know. Whatever led her into the sad and neglected state she was found in must have been too terrible for words.

So that brings us to today...

Nobu needs FIVE surgeries. So far, she has had TWO. Only THREE more to go! :)

Here is a brief summary of her medical history and current issues:

1. Nobu tested positive for heartworm and was treated for this while in the shelter. She is now heartworm NEGATIVE :)

2. Nobu's teeth were in a hideous state, so bad that she could barely even eat. She has had a full dental scaling and five teeth extracted while in my care. She is feeling MUCH better about her mouth! :)

3. Nobu has luxating patella in BOTH hind legs. This is extremely painful and debilitating.

3a.) Her LEFT hind leg is a grade 4, which is the most severe. She had this surgery on Wednesday the 12th of September 2012. She is now recovering in hospital for one week and will need 2 months to recovery fully.

3b.) Her RIGHT hind leg is a grade 3 luxating patella. She will need to get this done when her left leg has recovered.

4. Nobu has not yet been spayed and will need to be.

5. Nobu has a cataract on her right eye. The vet says it should not be ignored as it could cause glaucoma and rupture the eyeball. This surgery will have to be performed by a specialist in Seoul.

WHAT IS NEEDED NOW:

- The costs of numbers (1) & (2) above have been taken care of.
- The surgery for 3(a) still needs to be paid. With a hefty discount from my awesome vet, the cost for this is W520,000. (UPDATE: Thanks to all you wonderful people, I paid this bill on Weds, 19 Sept.)
- The surgery for 3(b) will cost the same as 3(a).

The luxating patella surgeries are the most pressing and all I will focus on at this point.

Therefore, the total amount I need to raise for the 2 x luxating patella surgeries is W1,040,000.

If you would like to donate to help Nobu get well, please see below for details.

In Korea:
Clare Mills
KEB
Account # 620-203339-430

In South Africa:
C. Mills
Standard Bank
Account: 25-164-593-2
Branch: Kloof

I am working on a PayPal solution!

Nobu and I thank you for your generosity!

You can read more about her journey via her ARK profile: http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/dog/624

*** Please be sure to send me an e-mail at [email protected] once you have made a donation so I can keep track of the money and of course, so I can thank you. ***

GOAL: W1,040,000
RAISED: W1,040,000
STILL TO GO: ZERO!!!

Donations received:
Thank you so much to:

You Hwan Hee - kindly donated his pocket money to help with Nobu's surgery costs. <3
Caroline Mills - best mom in the whole wide world!
Kallen Young
Tatiana Hopps
Jennifer Yum
Jordan Schultz
Betty Cusator
The Nystroms
Erinn Duprey
Rebecca Kuhn & Allan Newton
Mikyoung, Marley & Lady Bumble Pearce :)
Whi-Hyun & her friends
Vicky & Sergio Cunha
Aalia Jamie
Nicci Maxwell
Julia Yukovsky
Leah, Angelo & Penny Cuomo
Mark Johnson