In February of 2018, I walked into a shelter in LA and met my best friend and familiar, Bofur. It was love at first sight; I wasted no time in adopting him and bringing him home. He had struggled with being overweight in his early years, but in a matter of months (with help from his veterinarian and a prescription weight loss diet), he started losing weight and at last reached his goal weight, which has been maintained since. However, those few years of puppy obesity impacted his joints permanently.

In mid October, Bofur suddenly started limping. A vet visit and initial X-rays showed a bone tumor in his back left knee. The X-rays were sent out to a radiologist for evaluation, who agreed that the osteosarcoma appeared cancerous. The next step would be a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

Referred to a different veterinarian in Juneau with the ability to do a bone biopsy, Bofur had to undergo anesthesia for samples of the bone marrow and joint fluid to be collected. During this appointment, new X-rays were taken. These clearer images showed what the first X-rays had not: his CCL (analogous to a human ACL) was torn.

Currently, the samples are at the lab for analysis and diagnosis. If it is a cancerous mass, a treatment plan will need to be discussed. If it is not cancerous, but instead a result of chronic joint issues and arthritis, combined with the torn CCL, amputation may be the only feasible treatment.

Bofur’s two vet visits, including X-rays, the radiologist consult, his surgical biopsy, and analysis of the samples, amounted to about $2,000. Treatment and/or amputation are likely to be much more expensive.

I want to be able to provide the best care possible for Bofur; he has been by my side for almost seven years, through some of the most difficult times of my life, and I know that I would not still be alive and well today without his love, presence, and the joy with which he infuses my life and being. Any support you are able to provide is so very appreciated by myself, by Bofur, and by his feline and canine siblings, Théoden and Ori.