Surgery for Seamus
Donation protected
Everybody loves Asheville's Famous Seamus! (But not as much as I do) For those of you who know him, you know we can't go anywhere without people wanting to meet him.
My best hiking buddy, favorite co-worker and my shadow has gotten himself into it this time...
A few weeks ago, Clare and I noticed our typically eager-to-go, up-for-anything, excitable Seamus had become more lethargic and less interested in his usual favorite activities, and we thought, "I guess this is what a 6 year old Bernese Mountain Dog acts like now... way more subdued". Unfortunately, his lack of energy and appetite continued to decline beyond the realm of "summer malaise" or "maybe he's just getting older." So we took him to the vet to have X-Rays and blood tests run, hoping to make sure he was gonna be okay. The vet came back to us with some pretty bad news - just about our worst nightmare. It turns out his drop-off in normal-ness is due to a diagnosis of Adenocarcinoma (a cancer of the anal gland). In just a little more than a week, he's gone from "a little off" to being in some very bad pain. He's gone from wanting to go wherever we go and do whatever we do to not hardly moving and whimpering often. (We always thought he looked pitiful when we'd have to leave him at the house, but seeing him in this kind of pain is a whole new level of heartbreaking.)
The good news is that the Oncologist is suggesting a surgery to remove the tumor and a swollen lymph node. After that, we'll follow it up with 4-6 rounds of chemo to knock this cancer out and get him back on the trail and bringing joy to everyone who meets him. This is going to be our one chance to keep "Shamey Boy" up and at 'em. Like most cancerous surgeries, there are risks and also not 100% full success rates, but this cancer is among the more successful operations.
The bad news is how much dang money this treatment is going to cost. Owning a Bernese Mountain Dog has us used to expensive vet bills, but this one is going to exceed what we have available at this critical time. We've been told it could be around $5000, but we'll have a more accurate estimate once we are able to consult with the oncologist ASAP. We're trying to do everything we can within our means, but we can't come up with what we need as fast as we need it. He's our baby boy and we don't know what we'd do with him gone this soon. We would be beyond thankful and appreciative of anything you'd like to send Seamus' way. This big baby isn't quite ready to leave us and give up on swimming hole hikes yet, and we're hoping to get him back out there very soon.
You'll never know how much we appreciate everyone's concern and offers to help. We never expected something like this to be so tough, but all the encouragement and thoughts helps a great deal.
My best hiking buddy, favorite co-worker and my shadow has gotten himself into it this time...
A few weeks ago, Clare and I noticed our typically eager-to-go, up-for-anything, excitable Seamus had become more lethargic and less interested in his usual favorite activities, and we thought, "I guess this is what a 6 year old Bernese Mountain Dog acts like now... way more subdued". Unfortunately, his lack of energy and appetite continued to decline beyond the realm of "summer malaise" or "maybe he's just getting older." So we took him to the vet to have X-Rays and blood tests run, hoping to make sure he was gonna be okay. The vet came back to us with some pretty bad news - just about our worst nightmare. It turns out his drop-off in normal-ness is due to a diagnosis of Adenocarcinoma (a cancer of the anal gland). In just a little more than a week, he's gone from "a little off" to being in some very bad pain. He's gone from wanting to go wherever we go and do whatever we do to not hardly moving and whimpering often. (We always thought he looked pitiful when we'd have to leave him at the house, but seeing him in this kind of pain is a whole new level of heartbreaking.)
The good news is that the Oncologist is suggesting a surgery to remove the tumor and a swollen lymph node. After that, we'll follow it up with 4-6 rounds of chemo to knock this cancer out and get him back on the trail and bringing joy to everyone who meets him. This is going to be our one chance to keep "Shamey Boy" up and at 'em. Like most cancerous surgeries, there are risks and also not 100% full success rates, but this cancer is among the more successful operations.
The bad news is how much dang money this treatment is going to cost. Owning a Bernese Mountain Dog has us used to expensive vet bills, but this one is going to exceed what we have available at this critical time. We've been told it could be around $5000, but we'll have a more accurate estimate once we are able to consult with the oncologist ASAP. We're trying to do everything we can within our means, but we can't come up with what we need as fast as we need it. He's our baby boy and we don't know what we'd do with him gone this soon. We would be beyond thankful and appreciative of anything you'd like to send Seamus' way. This big baby isn't quite ready to leave us and give up on swimming hole hikes yet, and we're hoping to get him back out there very soon.
You'll never know how much we appreciate everyone's concern and offers to help. We never expected something like this to be so tough, but all the encouragement and thoughts helps a great deal.
Organiser
Israel Hill
Organiser
Asheville, NC