I remember seeing this little squirt for the first time as a tiny wrinkly ball of fur walk into my apartment, no one was in sight, just a little confused pup tip-toeing into the doorway...I knew at that moment he was mine/ours and I/we would never let him go.       Our 4.5-year-old Buddha has been with us through thick and thin. He has witnessed all our milestones accomplished in the last 4.5 years, has provided incredible emotional and spiritual support, as well as helped me achieve numerous physical fitness goals. He was truly the glue between my husband and I and one of the main reasons we are husband and wife today.
      We were lucky enough to rescue him at one month old. When we got him, Buddha had a swollen jaw and a tail filled with recent cuts and scars from the previous owner... unsuccessfully docking his tail off with rubber bands.  Regardless of this experience he has shown a brave face, trusted my husband and I to care for him, love him, and protect him as our child. We like to say he adopted us. In return he has given us unconditional love and so many precious moments. 
      Soon after adopting Buddha, he was diagnosed with mange. His mange was not the contagious one... it was the type that puppies get from their mother's when being born. Typically, dogs are able to fight off this type of mange because their immune system gets stronger.
     Unfortunately, Buddha had a tough time and it gave him a severe skin irritation...when I say severe, I mean SEVERE!! Bald spots everywhere followed by bumps and flaky dry skin. For months Buddha was suffering, itching so bad he made himself bleed and/or whimper more often than not. We even had to put socks on his feet to keep him from bleeding all the time. We even had the nerve to think about putting him out of his misery...
      At the time it was really difficult to hear and consider that he may never overcome the disease.  We looked at Buddha and knew that he could beat this. We went for the most potent, safest, treatment for him; which included shots everyday (2x) as well as antibiotics to help his skin. As we had sensed and thought, Buddha showed us an emense sense of will power and urge to survive. We were soon told that he was mange free! We all celebrated for weeks on end and we were SO incredibly proud of the internal fight he put up. It would be safe to say that he remembers a lot of treats and bones during this time. The worst was over...or so we thought...
     After returning from our honeymoon a week or so ago, Buddha was taken in to get his routine check-up and yearly vaccinations. When getting ready to leave and book our follow-up appointment, the vet gave us the news that our little boy had cancer. A small but large lump on his hind leg had been carrying the deathly diagnosis of a Mast Cell Tumor. The tumor was in the absolute worst place on the outside of his body...meaning almost no way to successfully get our baby back to cancer free. We were devastated by the news. We were given three options: 1) 2-3 months to live if we do nothing. 2) Remove the mast tumor, not knowing if all cancer cells have been fully removed then start a road to the possibility of recovery, through numerous chemotherapy sessions. Chemo often makes a dog lethargic and not happy campers. Some dogs can make it with this option but usually the tumor size is much smaller and on an easy-to-operate part of the body. Option 3) Amputate/Remove his entire left leg. 
      As all of these are difficult options and with many nights/sudden moments of tears, trying to explain to my husband, breaking the news to members of our family, we knew that in the next two days we had to make a decision. Option 1 was just not an option. The estimates of option 2 &3 were approx. $8,000-$10,000 total for full treatment. Pet insurance is helpful but does not quite make a dent in what it means to keep our boy with us, healthy, and cancer free. With what seems to be the best odds, we have chosen to amputate Buddha's left hind leg. =..( That is not even easy to type. 
       In only a week, this has caused enormous grief, sense of guilt, confusion, and financial hardship...along with a laundry list of other spiralling emotions. We still hope to have the resources to afford his treatment. What has been most supportive has been looking at that face in the photo posted above, seeing a face of such amazing spirit, a leader, a friend, a son, a support, a glimmer of hope when all else seems to be wrong in the world, a sense of security, a sense of understanding, a protector, and most of all the one we vowed to never give up on no matter what. 
     We were told even with the amputation he will need to be monitored to be sure that he and we continue to do everything in our power to beat his cancer. He has a long road ahead of him which we hope to be a smooth healthy road.
     This is our fight, it will only get stronger, the bond will grow closer, Buddha WILL grow older, and we will ALL be here to witness his incredible resiliency. Buddha has a lot of life to give; there is no way we are about to let cancer take that away from him, us, and the rest of the world at such a young age. Please help us, help our boy. Join our fight to have Buddha CANCER FREE.
     Any support is greatly appreciated, including a simple note/message that you would like us to share with Buddha.


Paws and All,

Buddha and His Parents