Cadence's Surgery

Hello all who find this page!

My name is Kate and my service dog and I are students at Michigan State University.

I suffer from a traumatic brain injury and epilepsy that I incurred following an injury while I was in the army in 2006.  After it became clear that I would no longer be able to live independently, my doctors and I began applying for a service dog.  The goal was for me to be able to live as normal a life as was possible.  In 2009 I was placed with Cadence, my chocolate lab mix.  Cadence is trained to do things like roll and keep me on my side, pull things away from my head that I might hurt myself on, and press a button that calls for help.  

Cadence has basically spent her life saving mine.

Two weeks ago, Cadence began showing symptoms of illness.  Mostly she was pretty lethargic, but after a day or so she developed a non-productive cough.  On Friday, February 12, 2016, I consulted with a veterinarian who told me to give her some Robitussin, DM and schedule an appointment if it the symptoms worsened. However, on Sunday, February 14, 2016, I had to rush Cadence to Michigan State University's Veterinary Medical Center 24 hour Emergency Room when she started having extreme difficulty breathing.  The critical care doctor did a full exam with chest x-rays.  The x-rays showed plural effusion (a build up of fluid in the space surrounding the heart, lungs, and stomach).  They drained over a litre of fluid in the emergency room, and then admitted her to the ICU for further testing.

The initial hypothesis was that Cadence had a type of cancer called lymphoma.  The doctors tested the fluid they drained from her plural cavity, as well as tissue samples of her liver, spleen, and thyroid.  They even performed an ultrasound, but they found no evidence of abnormal lymphocites.  After repeating the labs on her fluid and blood the doctors ruled out cancer.  The fluid they pulled out of her abdomen tested positive for tri-glycerides.  A milky-white mixture of lymph fluid and tri-glycerides surrouding the plural space is the defining symptom of Chylothorax.  Chylothorax is a condition caused by a problem with the thoracic duct.  It, itself, can be caused by lymphoma, heart disease, trauma, and sometimes may even have no known cause at all (idiopathic).  

The hospital ran an echo-cardiogram on Cadence next to rule out heart diease as the cause of the chylothorax.  The good news is that Cadence has no evidence of heart disease, but the bad news is that she will now need surgery.  Surgery to resolve chylothorax is complicated.  The doctors have to do a CT (cat-scan), along with a lymphangiogram in order to determine their surgical approach.  They then have to ligate the thoracic duct along with its connecting lymph vessels.  Finally, they must remove the pericardium.  There is a 90% chance this will completely resolve the chylothorax, but also a small chance she will continue to produce a small amount of fluid (which can be drained thorugh a port that they will also install).

Cadence's vet bills have already exceeded $3,500.  Thankfully, after I exhausted my savings, credit cards, and the generosity of my family and close friends, I was able to pay them off.  They estimate that the surgery she needs is going to cost an additional $6,000.  I know it seems like a lot, and many would choose to put their dog down instead.  The reality is that my life depends on Cadence.  If I applied for a new service dog today, it would likely take 2 years before I was placed with one.  Without a service animal I would probably have to go into nursing care, making the likelihood of completing my college degree slim-to-none.  With the surgery, my dog wouldn't be able to work for 3 weeks.   After she recovers, it is completely within the realm of possibility that she would be able to work for 3 more years.

Aside from the logical reasons, Cadence and I have a very special bond.  I can't imagine losing her right now.  I can't imagine her not being there to walk across the stage at graduation next year with me.  Cadence has done so much for me, literally saved my life, and this is the one thing I can do for her right now.  But I need your help.

Please, please consider donating what you can.  It would mean the world to us!