A U.S. Army combat veteran is travelling across the country to get his service dog livesaving amputation surgery.
WTXF reported that David Broido's beloved service dog, a pit bull named Dr. Indiana Bones, has osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
Bones is Broido’s companion and helps him deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder.
“He has been trained to do stuff like remind me to take medication at nighttime before I go to bed or occasionally wakes me up from less-than-pleasant dreams,” Broido said.
“Pretty much every dog owner's worst nightmare and bad reaction,” Broido told WTXF of his dog’s diagnosis. “I turned into a faucet, of course, and became a mess on the floor.”
Broido, a former member of the 82nd Airborne Division, lives in Los Angeles, but the cost of complete leg amputation for his dog has led him to travel back to his hometown of Philadelphia to get the surgery done at a more affordable price.
Broido's friend, Dan Keeton, created a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with costs and travel. More than $5,700 has been raised toward the page's $6,000 goal.
“David is in no financial position to pay for a major operation, and at this point, after biopsy results, the only possible way to save the (dog’s) life is an amputation surgery of the entire rear left leg,” Keeton said on the GoFundMe page.
Bones underwent surgery Tuesday. According to an update on Broido's Facebook page, he is doing well.
“It's very nice to see how many people have really ... come together to make things happen for all of this,” Broido said.
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