Hello, my name is Suzie Schmick. We're in the worst possible trouble and desperately need your help please. We spent most of Sunday, June 11th at Dove Lewis Animal Hospital for what I thought was, worst case, a torn ligament or dislocated hock from playing ball out back. It was neither. Sitting on the floor smooching him on my lap, the Dr. came in with her laptop and hit the floor as well, to tell me she did not believe what she saw on the first x-ray, so she took more. Which confirmed that he instead has an aggressive osteosarcoma that has already eaten part of his tibia. That's why he got hurt playing ball. He needs emergency surgery to amputate his left hind leg and is at high risk of breaking that leg, which would be like a bomb going off in there.

After many, many calls, we've been able to secure an appointment for that surgery on the morning of June 21st. I have to pay for half of his surgery on that day, and then there will be post-op appts, meds & follow-up care, never mind if he needs chemo afterward.

To say my mind is reeling and my heart breaking is an understatement, but we *have to* get this done ASAP. He is my only family here in Oregon, and has my whole heart. The hideous, cosmic joke here is that I myself am an amputee now, so we are to be a little family of two, both missing our left hind legs.

Sitting on that floor with Beau and the Dr. while I sobbed and two techs hugged us, this sweet, *sweet* boy just tipped his head up and started licking away my tears.

Please help us through this; I'm embarrassed to ask for money, but my back is against the wall. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart for sharing your own hearts with us at this desperate time.

Love, Suzie and Beau