Why I created this fundraiser:

I have created this Gofundme campaign in hopes of raising the funds needed to afford orthopedic surgery that will save my dogs legs. He is 4 year old American Pitbull Terrier, born May 7th 2016 but is suffering from complications in three of his legs. He has a long and happy life ahead of him and I couldn’t bare the thought of him being crippled at an early age. Although he is tough and able to walk now, it is only a matter of time before his injuries cause his limbs to begin to fail him. He is relatively inactive but loves to go on walks and visit his doggy neighbors, including his little buddy Marshmello (pictured below). His quality of life is still good as he brings great love & joy to myself, roommate, family and friends.


Moving back to Philly, parting ways with my family in Boston, was a hard decision. At the time I had interest in having a dog but knew I wasn’t ready to commit. The day I moved into my new apartment the homesickness really started to kick in. Missing my family, I decided I would explore the options to start my own little family. I jumped on Google and few clicks later I came across a picture of this beautiful litter with little Kunta sitting in the middle. It was something about his look they drew me to him immediately. I knew I had to meet him in person and as you can imagine, this visit was only going to make me want him more. Little did I know I was walking into a situation that would leave me no choice. 


I drove deep into the Kensington area of Philadelphia to meet the owners and couldn’t believe what was in front of me. At only 8 weeks old, Kunta was living in a box in the back seat of a Honda Civic with his mother and 6 other puppies and was the runt of the liter. The owners were a very young couple who had just recently been evicted from their apartment, which I didn’t question after seeing their small car packed like a moving truck. The owners and the dogs were in a tough place but surprisingly weren’t even asking for money. They genuinely loved their dog and just wanted to find a safe and loving home for the puppies. I made sure to compensate them the best I could and rescued Kunta that same day. I didn’t know what was taking on bringing home such a young puppy but I knew I would do whatever I could to keep him safe and wholesome.



What he needs:

The surgeons at the Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center guarantee that Kunta would greatly benefit from surgery on all three compromised limbs as listed below.

(1) Ulna Scope & Ostectomy of left elbow

(1) TPLO (knee replacement) surgery on right knee

(1) TPLO (knee replacement) surgery on left knee

Given the current pandemic, I was very hesitant to create this page, in fear of my own moral judgement that there are people suffering all over who are in need of more dire support. After consulting with family and hearing the surgeons diagnosis, I knew I had to let my pride down to get this amazing & loving family member the treatment and care he deserves. 



What’s wrong with him:

Kunta has always been a sweet and loving pet with tons of energy and loved crashing around the house, jumping off and over anything he could climb. It’s not clear when it first occurred but Kunta has a history of a left forelimb lameness stemming from an injury to his left wrist as a puppy that didn’t heal properly.

At the time, I was underemployed and using discounted Vet services. I was initially told he had no breaks and would return to normal soon, which he did. However the way in which it healed caused premature closure of his distal radial growth plate. This caused the ulna to grow faster than the radius which eventually led to elbow incongruency. In layman's terms, there are 3 bones that connect in a dogs elbow, one of which never grew to connect to the other two in Kunta’s elbow. This is a condition where one of the bones in the forearm is longer than the other, which causes a step in the elbow joint. As the surgeon describes, it’s like walking around with pebbles in your shoes. Over time this creates abnormal wearing of the cartilage and causes arthritis in the joint. Over the last few years the lameness had been subtle but he more recently started limping much more. His left elbow is thickened and there is significant decrease in range of flexion and extension and crepitus.



He is also experiencing lameness in both knees from possible overcompensation which has been diagnosed as injury to the cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL). There is some joint effusion in the knees which is consistent with an ACL (CCL in the dog) tear. We believe the tears are partial at this time but think they will worsen over time. The cranial cruciate ligament is one of the major stabilizing ligaments of the stifle (knee), and injury in dogs is usually the result of a degenerative process or traumatic injury.



What your donations will be used for:

For Kunta’s left elbow the surgeon at VSEC recommends an ulna ostectomy to shorten the ulna which will make the radius relatively longer to the ulna, allowing the two bones to have less of a step between them. They will also remove some of the boney fragments in the elbow and even consider some injectable substances such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid. Kunta will still have a limp but this will significantly reduce his level of pain and will extend it’s lifetime of use.

The TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) procedure is recommended to stabilize his knees. It's similar to knee replacement surgery and is known to be very effective. This procedure relies on changing the slope of the top of the tibia, eliminating the need for a CCL. The top of the tibia is cut with special circular TPLO saw blade and then rotated to a new position that creates a level weight-bearing platform. The bone is held in place with a bone plate and screws. 

Your donation will also contribute to Kunta's intensive follow up care. A specific recovery plan and follow up will be discussed by the surgeon, but in general most animals are seen by appointment 2 weeks after surgery for suture removal and re-examination. Additional re-examinations are usually recommended at 8 and sometimes 4 or 12 weeks postoperatively. For many orthopedic surgeries, x-rays will be taken periodically to assess healing.



What your donation means to me:

Even with his macho exterior he is genuinely one of the most loving beings I’ve ever come across. Like many pittys, he thinks he’s a small dog and enjoys nothing more than sitting on your lap or feet. With your help I will be right by his side to nurse him through his 6 week recovery to be comfortable back up on his feet.

Living away from my family is tough but Kunta has always been my family away from home. After I rescued Kunta, I was able to connect my good friend to the owners and he rescued Kunta’s big brother “Zulu” (pictured below). Kunta has become my road trip partner and we drive to visit my family in Boston a few times a year. As I mentioned, my family never had a dog so naturally they were intimated by him. It took a few visits but now they love him and miss him so much that he inspired my elderly parents to want there own puppy. Kunta is not just an animal or pet, he’s become a family member. 



When do the funds need to be raised by:

While I'm working from home (per COVID-19) and considering his current level of discomfort, this is the right time to get these surgeries for him. To reduce costs, VSEC will operate on both the left elbow and right knee first. The recovery for the right knee is two weeks and the left elbow is 6 weeks. After that he will be reevaluated before they operate on the left knee.