Support Bongo's Knee Surgery Fund

Our sweet pal Bongo was born with luxating patellas. This means his kneecaps slide out of place on his rear legs. It is as painful for him as it sounds. It limits his ability to run, play fetch, get exercise, and just generally do all the fun dog stuff. We are raising money to help offset the costs of this much-needed surgery.

There are varying degrees of severity of luxating patellas, and unfortunately Bongo is on the wrong end. We discovered a couple years ago that he was on the cusp of needing corrective surgery, but chose to monitor his condition because the surgery is truly an ordeal. He was doing fine for over a year with no signs of discomfort and we hoped he would be ok. Unfortunately, in the past few months his condition has worsened to the point that he is clearly in pain, particularly his left leg, and can no longer sit properly. He needs surgery to correct this.

When we scheduled his surgery, we were stunned to discover the cost has soared to between $6981 and $9281, almost doubling previous estimates. We have pet insurance, but they consider this a pre-existing condition and outside of coverage, so we are on our own.

We could really use any help paying for this surgery for Bongo. I broke my collarbone 4 weeks ago, putting me out of work and leaving us a mountain of bills from the ER and subsequent doctors' visits. Despite the huge financial strain this has created, Bongo needs surgery now and cannot wait. He is in pain every day and we must get him in there. If he gets this surgery, his prospects for recovery are excellent, but the longer he waits, the more damage is done to the ligaments and bones.

Bongo’s surgery is scheduled for August 5 and will require at least 12 weeks of confinement for healing. It is going to be tough on him (and us.) We hope for a complete recovery and to get him back to playing his favorite game, fetch, as quickly as possible.

Any help with these huge medical costs would be truly appreciated.

Thank you so much.

Jeff, Angi and Bongo.