<div>If you know us, then you know how much Banksy means to our family. He isn’t just a pet—he’s our heart, our joy, our entire world. But this summer, our sweet boy faced something we never could’ve imagined, and it’s left us devastated.
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<div>It all began while Sofi was away in Italy. Banksy’s paw was swollen—nothing too alarming at first. Dave took him to the vet, where they ruled out a break and sent him home with antibiotics and antihistamines. We thought it would pass. But within days, the swelling worsened, creeping up his leg. Something wasn’t right.
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<div>We rushed him back. That’s when we were told he needed emergency care at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital. There, doctors opened up his leg to flush the infection and started IV antibiotics. Cultures were sent out to determine what was causing the infection—but results would take days. Meanwhile, the infection was spreading fast. Too fast. The antibiotics weren’t working. We were out of time. We were told we had one heartbreaking choice: take the leg, or lose him altogether.
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<div>On that day, our world shattered. Banksy lost his leg. And we lost a part of ourselves.
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<div>Even after the amputation, we hoped for a smooth recovery. But just one week later, things took a turn for the worse. He suddenly began crying out in pain—screaming—and Dave and Maya rushed him back to the hospital, trying to comfort him as he thrashed in agony.
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<div>The infection had returned. And now we had a name for it: klebsiella, an aggressive, drug-resistant bacteria, likely contracted from something as simple as a walk over sawdust or wood chips. The doctors had to leave his wound open, using a special bandage sewn onto his skin—replaced every single day under anesthesia.
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<div>Sofi cut her trip short and flew home early. We couldn’t bear for Banksy to go through this without us all by his side.
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<div>For a week now, we’ve been taking him in every day for painful bandage changes. We’ve watched him suffer. We’ve watched him try to adapt to life on three legs while also fighting for his life. But through it all—he’s been so brave. And slowly, we saw progress. The wound was healing. The infection seemed to be retreating. We were finally given a glimmer of hope.
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<div>On July 24th, his doctors stitched the wound closed again. We brought him home, hoping this nightmare was nearly over. But he cried all day in pain, even through the medication. We felt helpless again. Thankfully, he’s now resting, and we’re hoping this final phase of healing holds.
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<div>We’ve spent nearly $30,000 on his care—without hesitation. Because this isn’t about money. This is about saving our boy.  He's such a good boy and doesn't deserve any of this.
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<div>We never expected to ask for help. But here we are, doing everything we can to give Banksy the future he deserves. If you’re able to contribute to his medical care in any way, we would be beyond grateful. Truly.
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<div>Thank you for reading his story. And thank you for loving him like we do.
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<div>— With love,
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<div>All of us (and Banksy )
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ERICA CHESHIER

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Help Save Our Sweet Boy Banksy

Help Save Our Sweet Boy Banksy

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