Offering help is easy. Asking for and accepting help feels like an entirely different world. And we hate it.

Benson, our unbelievably sweet 4-year-old pup, hurt his leg about 4 weeks ago. Over the last year or so, he has hurt it a handful of times, but with lots of rest and restricted play, he recovered without intervention. But this time was very different.

After a trip to the emergency vet in Deerfield and about 10 referrals for orthopedic surgeons, we had a consultation last week with a wonderful doctor named Dr. Benson (serendipity?), and he immediately determined that Benson needs surgical intervention, not just to help him walk, but to alleviate the pain he is obviously in.

Because of Benson's large size, he requires a knee surgery called a TPLO. The cruciate ligaments that crisscross over his kneecap can no longer be repaired or replaced with synthetic material for a functioning leg. He will have a portion of his bone cut out and moved to the correct position and secured with a metal plate and screws. While the surgery itself is extremely common and we feel very confident that this will be a great long-term solution, the recovery and the cost are going to be seemingly impossible. We are working at home to find creative ways to make this 4 to 5 month recovery possible for both Benson and us, but the cost is a whole different story.

Our deposit for the surgery is over $8000. The deposit. The total estimate is about $9300.

After a lot of discussion, John and I decided to push the surgery out until December 11 to give us time to look at any and all options to make this happen for Benson. And here we are. We are incredibly fortunate and grateful that we are able to pay our bills in this difficult economy, but a surprise bill of almost $10,000 is not a surprise we welcomed. Unfortunately, the only alternative to getting this surgery for Benson is to have him continue to be in pain all day every day. His pain is reasonably controlled at the moment, but we will be switching to a new medication in the next week to give him some added short-term relief.

As many of you know, and some may not, John and I have spent the greater part of the last 10 years doing everything in our power to help as many animals in need as we can. And now we feel somewhat helpless with our own animal. With our family dog.

A few years ago, we were in a situation with our other dog where we had no choice but to go into debt by about $8000 to try to help our sweet biggest boy, Carson. Unfortunately, our efforts did not prove to be helpful, and our baby could not be fixed. We are so thankful we are not in that situation with Benson, but the financial strain of this feels all too familiar.

For as long as I can remember, I have encouraged as many people as possible to ask for help and that it’s OK to do so. That they should never feel judgment or embarrassment or be discouraged to ask for help when they need it. And if you’re reading this right now, I encourage you to do the same. If you need help, it’s more than OK to ask. And today, I am finally trying to take my own advice. I have some wonderful friends who put it into perspective for me by telling me that this is not about me at all. It is about Benson. But it’s far more difficult than I thought it would be.

I certainly do not expect or want people to overextend themselves. Nor do I expect for this surgery to be completely covered by the generosity of others. But I want to be transparent in the total costs involved.

If you are able to help at all, even just by spreading the word, it’s hard to put into words how grateful we would be. We love our boy so much, and just can’t allow him to be in pain any longer.

Sincerely,

Benson’s Bunch