Junior is our 12-year-old boxer foster fail who joined our family in June 2024. He quickly became a beloved part of our pack, and his sweet, gentle nature has brought so much joy to our lives. On December 6th, Junior suddenly wouldn’t eat and became very lethargic. We rushed him to the emergency vet, where they discovered a large mass on his spleen and small pockets of blood in his abdomen. We were able to stop the bleeding temporarily with compression and a Chinese herb called Yunnan Baiyao, but the underlying issue remains.

After chest x-rays and blood work, we learned that Junior is a good candidate for a splenectomy to remove the mass and his spleen. The surgery is scheduled for January 14th, but it is a significant and unexpected expense. If the mass is benign, removing it along with his spleen could cure him. If it turns out to be malignant, we are looking into enrolling Junior in a study at UW Madison to help find better treatments for hemangiosarcoma, a cancer of the blood vessels, which could benefit both dogs and humans. Without surgery, Junior is at risk of the mass rupturing, causing severe internal bleeding and potentially death. Thankfully, no other masses were found, and all his organs are functioning well, so we want to give him the best chance at a longer, happier life.

This morning, Junior had another scare with internal bleeding, but we were able to stabilize him again with Yunnan Baiyao and compression. Our vet has added medications and supplements to help prepare him for surgery next week. We are asking for financial support to help make Junior’s surgery possible. This was an unexpected expense for an older dog we took in to help someone in need, and Junior is so deserving of the care he needs. Please consider donating to help Junior get the surgery he needs—any amount is deeply appreciated and will make a difference in his life!