UPDATE: Surgery was scheduled for November 9th. They discovered there was bone in the tumor (odontogenic growth) and just did an evaluation. That eval was $1200 instead of the $765 we were quoted, probably because of the extra cytology. They have to remove part of his jaw to get the growth. It isn't cancer but it is aggressive. Removal will be $3600. We're getting a second opinion because we don't want him to lose any of his jaw. We'd also like to save money. We're still in the pillow-making business to pay for his care..

Howdy!

You've met Buster (typically known as Bus) and you've met his epulis. Bus is ending his relationship with the epulis soon but it's going to cost more cash than we have on hand. We're industrious so we're creating things to pay for his surgeries.

We met Bus (formerly known as Crookshanks, a terrible name for a boy dog) when he was four months old back in 2011. He was a stray from Los Angeles. He was adopted from a shelter and rehomed to us. He started out as the mister's dog but he's become very attached to me. I bought him with burlesque earnings. He just turned seven.

Bus is a happy dude. He loves chasing squirrels. He's been through basic and intermediate dog training. He's even trained on tricks. He loves his sister, Coca, despite his grumblings when she licks his face. Hobbies include snoozing, pooping and going to the dog park.

He developed a small epulis (lump) on his gums in late 2015. We had it surgically removed late spring of 2016. It was non-cancerous and fleshy. We hoped it wouldn't return.

The roots of the epulis had other plans. It grew back before our move in March of this year. It spent the summer getting larger. It's now so big he can't fully close his lips when snoozing and he drools when he plays. It's also moving a tooth out of place. The dentist said the ligament that holds the tooth in place is what's currently growing, causing discomfort and swelling.

Remove any of the financial hits from our lives this year and this page wouldn't exist. (One cross-country move with tire replacement on the way, delayed employment in Dallas for the mister, hail damaged car prompting higher car payments, a significant reduction in my income from a partial-pay furlough, and a local move have drained the coffers. I'm going to burlesque events on frequent flyer miles when I do travel.) But, life didn't plan ahead for the aggressiveness of Buster's epulis.

The epulis requires removal by a canine oral surgeon so our pet health plan won't cover it. His full treatment plan is expensive and needs to be carried out by late November.

ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS $2665

$765 anesthetized evaluation including x-rays to see if it has bone inside and determine damage to the tooth, cleaning & polishing while he's under; blood work so they know he's healthy enough to put under

$1900 removal of epulis, ligament, tooth and some jaw bone; histopathology (lab fees) to be sure it isn't cancer.

The procedure will be done over one or two surgeries, depending on what they find when they have him under. (My last root canal took 3 or 4 visits instead of two since I had twisted roots. The endodontist couldn't have predicted the way the instruments would break in the roots.) He'll be on soft foods and antibiotics for a bit, I imagine.

So, we're raising money for Bus like we did when Doodle faced unexplained anemia. We're selling Buster pillows! We're also selling pawtographed (get it? paw autographed?) candid photos of Bus. And, since some people just like to give and don't need more stuff, we have a donate button if you just want to see him get his grill fixed.

Thank you for reading and thank you for the support.

If you'd just like to make a donation, just click here and donate anything you like. Every bit helps get Bus a better grill. :)