- N
- M
When Anthony and I moved in together in September of 2015, it was a package deal. I didn't just get one roommate, but two- a wonderful man, and an even more wonderful pup.
Arrow is the most amazing dog I have ever met.
She's the snuggliest, sweetest, smartest animal I've ever been around. She has the most expressive little face, and the cutest little smile and if she could snuggle with you all day- she would. She loves EVERYONE and never turns down a new friend. We can't take her on walks without several people stopping in their tracks and fawning over her- and she loves it. She's the friendliest dog on earth, and the biggest ham.
Arrow is my best friend. She really is. Since Anthony works long hours and I work from home, I have spent more time with Arrow than any friends I have made here in NYC, and honestly-maybe any other friend I've ever had. We snuggle, nap, watch Netflix, take walks, get coffee and wait for Anthony to get home together. We are inseperable. I don't know what I would have done the last year without her in my life... She's been my rock and my best friend and I couldn't have asked for a better companion as I adjusted to this new city. I never knew my heart could be so full until I had this sweet pup in my life.
About two weeks ago, Anthony and I noticed a lump in Arrow's neck that seemed to have appeared overnight. I of course cried, freaked out and took her to the vet the next morning. After a check up, some bloodwork and a few x-rays, the doctor knew immediately that something major was wrong- and found several more lumps along with an alarming mass in her chest. Swollen lymphnodes. Arrow had emergency surgery the next morning to remove one of the lumps for an in-depth biopsy to determine whether or not the mass was cancerous.
She was a complete zombie for about a week. With giant stitches in her neck and a tube to drain fluids, I sat with her all day at home and made sure she didn't scratch at her wounds as she whimpered from pain and confusion. I completely shut out the world. The idea that our baby might have the C word shook us to our core and Anthony and I admittedly spent day after day sobbing at even just the thought of losing our little girl.
The results came back about a week or so later, and the vet confirmed that Arrow had cancer- specifically Lymphoma, and that it had likely spread to other parts of her body since it's able to travel through blood. It's an aggressive cancer and the doctor let us know that if we were going to fight this, we needed to act quickly.
We were able to get an appointment with the best Veterinary Oncologist in NYC who happens to be a friend and old colleague of our vet. At our meeting, he explained our options- all of which, except for one, ended in losing our girl within the next couple of months. That was out of the question. So, the only other route was what they call "CHOP chemotherapy."
CHOP chemotherapy lasts about 6 months and is administered once a week for 5 weeks, and once every other week for the remainder of the 6 month period. Dogs actually respond to chemo much better than humans, and typically are able to go into remission through this treatment- giving them a longer, healthier life. CHOP stands for the several different drugs that are used for this specific kind of chemo- the levels of which are tweaked to match each specific case, therefore proving to be the most affective. There was no question that this is the road we would take to save our girl- however, it's expensive. The doctor gave us an estimated total of around $12,000 by the end of Arrow's chemo.
The weekly treatments are paid individually each visit, and range from about $500-$800 depending on which drug is being administered that day. While we were relieved that we'll be able to pay small bits at a time instead of having to lay it all down at once, making it much more managable- that is still a lot of money. And we need help.
Neither one of us likes asking for help. We work extremely hard to make our living- Anthony works at the shop all day long, and several times a week even works at a bar afterwards from 10 pm until 5am to make extra money to pay rent- only to wake up at 9 and do it all over again. I work around the clock because, well, Social Media never sleeps. New York is expensive as it is and while we're able to barely manage our lifestyle as it is- $12,000 in vet bills was not only compeltely unexpected, but is also no longer managable for us.
Up to this point, we have spent close to $4,000 in vet bills- including her initial vet visits and just one round of chemotherapy. Starting this week, it will be another $500-$800, and so on for the next 6 months- along with the cab rides to the vet in Midtown, which run around $40 both ways. We're going to do everything we can to budget ourselves and make more money any way we can to pay for this, but the fact is- we really, really need help.
We're asking our friends and families for donations. We are going to do everything we possibly can to keep Arrow feeling good and getting better, and I know that all our loved ones would do the same for their babies. She's just 4 years old and she deserves a long, healthy life with parents who love her more than anything in the world.
Our goal is $13,000 over the next 6 months.
Every little bit counts. Even if each one of our friends donated $1, we would be inexplicably grateful and forever indebted. And even if you're unable to donate, just SHARING this link would be unbelievably helpful to us and our puppy. The money we raise will be used to help pay for her weekly chemo treatments, along with transportation to and from the vet. Again, this will be over the course of 6 months- so it's a marathon, not a race. We just need all of the help we can get.
This has been extremely overwhelming and we haven't been very open about it since it all began, but we're done crying and now it's time to start fighting to get Arrow better. It's not going to be easy, but with your help we KNOW we can do it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for all of your help. It means the world to us, and even more to Arrow.
Arrow is the most amazing dog I have ever met.
She's the snuggliest, sweetest, smartest animal I've ever been around. She has the most expressive little face, and the cutest little smile and if she could snuggle with you all day- she would. She loves EVERYONE and never turns down a new friend. We can't take her on walks without several people stopping in their tracks and fawning over her- and she loves it. She's the friendliest dog on earth, and the biggest ham.
Arrow is my best friend. She really is. Since Anthony works long hours and I work from home, I have spent more time with Arrow than any friends I have made here in NYC, and honestly-maybe any other friend I've ever had. We snuggle, nap, watch Netflix, take walks, get coffee and wait for Anthony to get home together. We are inseperable. I don't know what I would have done the last year without her in my life... She's been my rock and my best friend and I couldn't have asked for a better companion as I adjusted to this new city. I never knew my heart could be so full until I had this sweet pup in my life.
About two weeks ago, Anthony and I noticed a lump in Arrow's neck that seemed to have appeared overnight. I of course cried, freaked out and took her to the vet the next morning. After a check up, some bloodwork and a few x-rays, the doctor knew immediately that something major was wrong- and found several more lumps along with an alarming mass in her chest. Swollen lymphnodes. Arrow had emergency surgery the next morning to remove one of the lumps for an in-depth biopsy to determine whether or not the mass was cancerous.
She was a complete zombie for about a week. With giant stitches in her neck and a tube to drain fluids, I sat with her all day at home and made sure she didn't scratch at her wounds as she whimpered from pain and confusion. I completely shut out the world. The idea that our baby might have the C word shook us to our core and Anthony and I admittedly spent day after day sobbing at even just the thought of losing our little girl.
The results came back about a week or so later, and the vet confirmed that Arrow had cancer- specifically Lymphoma, and that it had likely spread to other parts of her body since it's able to travel through blood. It's an aggressive cancer and the doctor let us know that if we were going to fight this, we needed to act quickly.
We were able to get an appointment with the best Veterinary Oncologist in NYC who happens to be a friend and old colleague of our vet. At our meeting, he explained our options- all of which, except for one, ended in losing our girl within the next couple of months. That was out of the question. So, the only other route was what they call "CHOP chemotherapy."
CHOP chemotherapy lasts about 6 months and is administered once a week for 5 weeks, and once every other week for the remainder of the 6 month period. Dogs actually respond to chemo much better than humans, and typically are able to go into remission through this treatment- giving them a longer, healthier life. CHOP stands for the several different drugs that are used for this specific kind of chemo- the levels of which are tweaked to match each specific case, therefore proving to be the most affective. There was no question that this is the road we would take to save our girl- however, it's expensive. The doctor gave us an estimated total of around $12,000 by the end of Arrow's chemo.
The weekly treatments are paid individually each visit, and range from about $500-$800 depending on which drug is being administered that day. While we were relieved that we'll be able to pay small bits at a time instead of having to lay it all down at once, making it much more managable- that is still a lot of money. And we need help.
Neither one of us likes asking for help. We work extremely hard to make our living- Anthony works at the shop all day long, and several times a week even works at a bar afterwards from 10 pm until 5am to make extra money to pay rent- only to wake up at 9 and do it all over again. I work around the clock because, well, Social Media never sleeps. New York is expensive as it is and while we're able to barely manage our lifestyle as it is- $12,000 in vet bills was not only compeltely unexpected, but is also no longer managable for us.
Up to this point, we have spent close to $4,000 in vet bills- including her initial vet visits and just one round of chemotherapy. Starting this week, it will be another $500-$800, and so on for the next 6 months- along with the cab rides to the vet in Midtown, which run around $40 both ways. We're going to do everything we can to budget ourselves and make more money any way we can to pay for this, but the fact is- we really, really need help.
We're asking our friends and families for donations. We are going to do everything we possibly can to keep Arrow feeling good and getting better, and I know that all our loved ones would do the same for their babies. She's just 4 years old and she deserves a long, healthy life with parents who love her more than anything in the world.
Our goal is $13,000 over the next 6 months.
Every little bit counts. Even if each one of our friends donated $1, we would be inexplicably grateful and forever indebted. And even if you're unable to donate, just SHARING this link would be unbelievably helpful to us and our puppy. The money we raise will be used to help pay for her weekly chemo treatments, along with transportation to and from the vet. Again, this will be over the course of 6 months- so it's a marathon, not a race. We just need all of the help we can get.
This has been extremely overwhelming and we haven't been very open about it since it all began, but we're done crying and now it's time to start fighting to get Arrow better. It's not going to be easy, but with your help we KNOW we can do it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for all of your help. It means the world to us, and even more to Arrow.