“Hey – I’m Ronaldo (some call me Ronnie). I’m four months old and a happy boy, thanks to my new life with Ruff Start Rescue! My foster family and I love to play outside, go on long walks, train at home, and play with my foster sister, Molly. I am really fast, but they say I wobble a little bit. I am not sure why, but you better believe I’m not gonna let that slow me down!”
Ronnie deserves the ability to live a full, happy life – racing all his friends! But this sweet boy, found at the Cheyenne River reservation in South Dakota, needs our help.
When Ronaldo arrived at Ruff Start in April, his foster noticed right away that he walked and ran differently than other dogs. He tends to hop with both front feet and often favors his left leg, even limping at times. You can see how Ronnie runs for yourself in the video below.
We tried x-rays (nothing abnormal was seen) and crate rest; even minor pain medication was suggested. After two weeks and no sign of change, a second veterinary opinion determined that Ronnie likely has a neurological issue – but we can’t be sure until he sees a specialist to fully diagnose his ailment(s) and create a treatment plan. That’s where you come in.
Our adoption fees typically help cover the basic veterinary expenses for animals in our care. However, we rely on our donors to help with anything above our standard routine veterinary care. With the lack of fundraising events over the past two years, we are relying on our donors now more than ever to help us cover additional medical expenses such as Ronnie’s.
Every animal deserves a chance, and we know all of you reading this feel the same way. So, we are asking – will you help Ronnie keep running?
If you have the means, please consider donating to Ruff Start Rescue’s Animal Care Fund to help offset the medical costs for Ronaldo!
Update: Ronaldo’s MRI has been scheduled for 6/22, thanks to all of the generous donors! We will post updated information as soon as the results come in.
The Story of Ronaldo
Posted: July 23, 2022 by Kelli Hanson
meet ronaldo.
Category: Dogs, Rescue Tails, Resources Tags: animal, dog, education, ruff start rescue