Bruce's Bounce Back

--All updates posted to bottom of story--

As a couple without any human children, all we have aside from each other are our fur-babies – they get special holiday meals, presents, birthday cakes, and all the love that we can offer as many would with their human children! Bruce came home with us in May of 2020 and was the perfect addition to our tiny family. If you've had the opportunity to meet him, you know just how sweet and full of joy he is despite his intimidating appearance. He's truly just a big lovable goofball!

Unfortunately at only four years old, Bruce has received an injury to his cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) which is the equivalent to a human's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). As the CCL is responsible for stabilizing the knee, Bruce's injury has significantly impacted his ability to do the things he loves most—running in the yard, playing with his sister and the neighbor dogs, and going on walks. Without proper treatment, his mobility and quality of life will continue to decline, and he’s at risk of developing arthritis in the affected leg.

After consulting with our veterinarian, it’s been determined that Bruce needs surgery to repair his CCL. To ensure that Bruce receives the best care possible, we will be consulting a canine orthopedics surgeon in Shawnee, Kansas. As much as we wish we could cover this on our own, it’s a challenge that’s too big to take on without some help.

To be completely transparent, we do not yet know the cost of the surgery or even an exact plan. While speaking with our veterinarian, we were informed that it could roughly be anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 - on top of a consultation fee of $200-$300 and likely an overnight stay or two in Kansas for both us and Bruce. With that said, we will provide regular updates as we learn more, and in the event that we receive more donations than necessary, the remaining funds after Bruce’s recovery will be donated.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Bruce is such an important part of our lives, and after very recently and unexpectedly losing two of our fur-babies back to back, it’s devastating watching the joy drain from another as his conditions worsen. Any help, whether it’s financial or simply sharing Bruce’s story, is so genuinely appreciated – knowing that others care for him as much as we do is truly a gift.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for giving Bruce another chance at living the playful, active life he deserves. We will be sure to provide updates as we learn more.

UPDATE 12/30/2024: Bruce's first consultation with the orthopedic surgeon in Kansas is on January 14, 2025. We'll update again after the appointment!

UPDATE 1/15/2025: Bruce had his first appointment/consultation with the canine orthopedic surgeon on January 14th, and he has unfortunately been diagnosed with bilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease. In other words, Bruce has a CCL tear in both of his hind legs which will require surgery - significantly increasing the cost of surgery.

Our current plan, if we financially meet our goal, is to proceed with surgery on Bruce’s left hind leg as this is the leg that is currently being favored the most. Four weeks later, the surgeon wants us to return for surgery on the right hind leg. This will allow time for Bruce’s left side to heal just enough that he should be more willing to put pressure on it (allowing him to stand, potty, etc), while also not spacing the surgeries out too much which would ultimately lead to a years worth of recovery rather than the preferred 3-4 month recovery.

The type of surgical procedure being performed is TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy). This procedure requires cutting the top of the tibia and realigning it so that the knee can be stabilized.

The cost of surgery per leg is expected to be $4,500 - $5,500 depending on the size of the bone plate that will be used to stabilize Bruce’s tibia. We will not know which size will be used until the date of the surgery (TBD), but we are expecting him to need the larger, more expensive option due to his size.

The great news is that the doctor is confident that after a few months of recovery following the surgeries, Bruce should be back to his normal and playful self with a very unlikely possibility of further complications.

We greatly appreciate the support we have already received, and will continue to post updates as we learn more.

UPDATE 2/18/2025: We have a surgery date! We will be traveling to Kansas on February 23rd, and Bruce will be admitted first thing in the morning on February 24th with the expectation of returning home that night. We will continue to keep everyone posted!