Unfortunately, the cancer has aggressively returned. He was first diagnosed with a grade 2 soft tissue sarcoma in his left rear hock back in December of 2023. It was surgically removed with an inability to determine if clear margins were established with the resection. After his recovery from that surgery, he had a fully torn CCL (ACL) surgically repaired. Unfortunately, 2024/2025 has not been a great year for Gusser. About a month ago, another cluster of soft tissue sarcomas was discovered in the same general area as the first one, although this time the growth rate was substantially higher. Due to the location of the tumors and fast growth rate, surgical removal of tumors alone is not recommended. Amputating his leg will give the best chance of long-term survival. We did diagnostic testing to determine that the cancer has not spread from the local site; thankfully, it has not spread. The oncology specialists assured us that he is a good candidate for amputation and could still live a happy life.

Gus has been an amazing part of our family. We adopted him at 6 months of age, and he has been the best companion. Once he reached 1 year of age, he became a certified therapy dog and brought countless smiles to people's faces up until his retirement after the medical issues arose. He loves to travel; he has been to Canada, West Virginia, the Carolinas, Michigan, and many other places. Of course, he loves his brother Barclay too, but only if he lets him have all the toys.

If you wish to contribute to his upcoming recovery efforts, we would greatly appreciate it. The surgery is estimated to cost around $3500, and it's unknown at this time whether he will need physical therapy or any other specialized items.