Join Dana in Saving Duffy's Life

My name is Dana Hoggan, and my best non-human friend is a golden retriever named Duffy. We've been together for more than seven years, since I could hold his tiny body in my hand, until now when we support each other through a difficult time. Duffy’s health has been mostly excellent, but once, he had a cyst on his left paw that went away after the vet performed a needle aspiration and biopsy. That's why when he got another one in the same spot a little over a year ago, I didn't pay much attention to it, especially since I was going through my health problems and couldn't even take him to the vet. I thought this mass would go away just like the other one. But unfortunately, it grew quite a bit. Then, a few weeks ago, it ruptured and resembled something from a horror movie. Duffy has been to the vet four times, three of which were ER visits. The vet’s consensus is that the tumor is not going to go away on its own and needs to be removed surgically, which is going to cost between $2000 and $2,500. However, that's not something I'm going to be able to facilitate, given the fact that I just got back to work after having been on disability for five months, living on a reduced income.

I can't begin to tell you how important Duffy is to me. Duffy, my mom, and I had a tight family unit. I was my mom's caregiver for nearly 20 years, so when my she passed away last year, 1/3 of our little family was gone, and the effect was devastating. Following that, I've had both legs amputated below the knee due to ongoing health issues. Therefore, my mobility is limited, although I'd like to do so much more for Duffy, like taking him into our big backyard and playing, swimming in the above-ground pool I built for him, going to the dog park, and swimming in Folsom Lake. There may come a day when we can do those things again, but not unless that hideous mass on his front left paw is surgically removed. I'm hoping it’s not malignant and hasn’t spread. The sooner it’s removed, the more likely we will see him happy and healthy for the remainder of his life. Suppose you generously contribute $20, $50, or $100 toward Duffy’s medical costs. We could then get Duffy into surgery and begin his recovery period so we can both be happy and healthy and together for years to come.