About the Campaign
Mocha is a 3-year-old female Cane Corso, nearly 100 pounds, with a complete tear of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in her knee. Her vet says the only option besides amputation is a TPLO, a surgery that cuts and repositions the top of the shin bone so the knee stays stable without the ligament. For a dog her size, it is the only repair that holds, and her condition is so bad surgery is truly must.
Almost certainly her ligament was already weak. Last month Mocha came in from the yard, took off running through the house, and on her way up the stairs let out a yelp and started limping. Her owner Alona thought she had stepped on a bee.
However, at the vet, the paw was fine. X-rays showed the torn ligament. Without surgery, a knee this unstable in a dog this heavy grinds down the cartilage fast and puts her other leg at risk of tearing too, especially since Mocha is putting NO weight on her bad leg.
Mocha was a graduation present. Alona’s dad gave her the puppy in 2023 when she finished college, at about 12 weeks old. She is now 24, lives alone in a rented house, and Mocha is her family in the house. Her parents are in Dayton. Alona studied human development and works at a daycare center caring for children, but only on a contingent basis. Her hours come and go, and so does her paycheck. A knee surgery for a 100-pound dog is one of the most expensive procedures in veterinary medicine, and there is no way to plan for it on income that is not steady.
Mocha is young, and TPLO has an excellent track record in large breeds. Donations will cover her surgical consultation, bloodwork, anesthesia, the TPLO, pain medication, and follow-up visits so she can get back to tearing around the house. All donations are paid only to the veterinarian. Estimate below, click to enlarge:
