Hi, I'm Tony and the adoptive daddy for a loving and super special boxer named Duval. Duval (formerly Bradley) came into my life through B.A.R.C. which is the Boxer Rescue that supports NE Florida. Someone had found him wandering the streets in another city, was severely underweight, had scars from being chained, and several broken and damaged teeth. He was brought into foster care in Jacksonville, FL where I live and was restored to great shape and health through a loving foster family. After about three months of foster care, and a clean bill of health, Duval became available for adoption where he was given a forever home with me.
 
It was a normal Wednesday morning and Duval was in the yard doing his morning routine before I left for work. However, when he came into the house I noticed he was limping and acting somewhat gingerly. At the time I thought he was still waking up from sleeping all night and didn't think much of it, but when I came home from work that evening, he was laying in his cage and didn't want to get up. When he did get up a found a growth under his leg which looked far from normal. He also had no energy and was very sensitive on his chest and under his leg. That night we went to the ER and they couldn't really figure out what it was besides the appearance of some sort of bite or sting, possibly from something poisonous, so he was put on pain meds and antibiotics and I brought him home so I could keep an eye on it. But, the next morning it had gotten worse, so we went to visit our normal vet.

 Over the next couple days Duval was treated at his local vet, as well as a specialist, but his health degraded to the point at which the specialist recommended he see a soft tissue surgeon. The closest and best option for this was in Gainesville, FL at the University of Florida.

Thankfully Duval underwent surgery that evening to remove an (at least) 6-inch by 11-inch section of infected and dying skin under his front leg and across his chest. To this point, the only thing known about the infection was the type of bacteria in the wound, but it’s still unknown if it was from a poisonous bite. It is all very baffling because Duval lives in a fenced yard and doesn't interact with many animals in his daily life. It’s very frustrating to not know how this all started.

At this point Duval's recovery is going as well as it could, but the closure wound is going to require more attention soon through another surgery. The area was just too big and in a very tough place to hope for only one closure surgery. He's eating well, and is in high spirits, even given the fact that one of his legs has been immobilized while surgical wounds heal (as you can see in the main photo on this page). Not to worry, he'll be back on all four paws once this is all said and done, and is past the "fearing for his life" stage.
 
I'm terribly sorry this is so long, and this is the toughest part of it all. I'm not one to ask for much from people, especially for financial assistance, but this entire situation is going to cost at least $16,000 (yes, the comma and zeros are in the right places) in medical expenses, all in about 2-3 weeks of emergent and around the clock care at four different facilities. And it could end up being more than that. That said, I don't think the care he has received could have been any better throughout, especially at the UF Vet Clinic. Even the chief surgeon commented that this case is probably a 9.5 out of 10 in level of difficulty in his professional experience. Duval sure is one of a kind!
 
Duval is known and loved by many, especially for his holiday themed dress up photo shoots and giant dog hugs he gives to all visitors. He has a huge heart, and is a gentle soul with all people and most animals. He's been through too much in his short dog life, and doesn't deserve to be dealing with so much pain. What he deserves is to have a fair chance at living a happy dog life in a loving home, and that's what I've always strived to give him. And I promised to him that I'd do everything I could to make him better when this madness started, and I intend on keeping that promise.

Duval and I would sincerely appreciate any support you can give to help alleviate some of the financial burden on his daddy. Again, setting up this awareness page is hard enough for me to do, but the expenses have grown to a level I never imagined. Thank you for taking time to read all the way to the end, for your consideration, and for your prayers to a speedy and full recovery.
 
Best Regards and Dog Hugs,
Tony & Duval

http://www.boxerarc.org/happy-dogs.php?id=842