Tophet is a one-year old male Labrador Retriever mix puppy found running on the freeway near Deer Trail, CO. After unsuccessfully attempting to find his people for a couple of weeks, I decided to make him a permanent member of my family. One morning, I woke up to find his nose bleeding profusely. I rushed him to a 24-hour emergency vet and learned that he has a very large liver shunt. The cause of his nosebleed was never determined, but an ultrasound and CT showed definitively that he has what's called an intrahepatic protist steric shunt; a congenital defect resulting in a vessel that runs through his liver, preventing blood from being detoxified before being sent throughout his body. At this this time, there are no veterinarians in the area who specialize in the procedure required to seal the shunt. However, a skilled MD is willing to work with Tophet's veterinarian to perform a series of two surgeries to place a stent in his liver to close the shunt. Without the surgery, Tophet runs a high risk of developing neurologic symptoms as a result of the unfiltered blood being sent to his brain. His kidneys and bladder are already working overtime trying to maintain stasis. These surgeries will save my puppy's life. His first start seems to have been a rough one, as he was very underweight and fearful when I began fostering him. I'm still working through all of his behavioral issues, and am hoping that getting his vast medical problems taken care of will aid in this process.