Bandit the Husky - Cancer Fund

Bandit is a 10 year old male Husky and he is our absolute world. We got him when he was a puppy and he has lovingly annoyed us every day since. Whether it be silently shouting at us that he wants to go out or to play or just generally nagging us that he is starving and needs a treat.

He used to have a superpower of being able to hear a cheese wrapper open from over 10,000 meters away but since he’s getting older this superpower is fading and we can now enjoy cheese in peace (he still gets his fair share). He will be 11 in March but he is and still acts like a puppy even throwing his cuddly gorilla around in the garden before licking it to death.

This situation is so hard for us as we have always tried to pay our own way and are only doing this as things have been tough for us this past year and money has been extremely tight. We have decided to try and raise some funds to help towards his vet's bills to help him as much as we possibly can.

The Story:

In March 2021 Bandit came running into me and tried to get on my lap which is strange and not something he has ever done. Within seconds he was on the floor having a seizure. We immediately rang the vets who saw him straight away. They checked him over and he appeared fine. We went back a week later and they did some blood tests. The tests didn’t show anything and we told it was most likely a one off and given some medication to stop any future seizures if he has one.

14th December 2022 - I was making a cup of tea in the kitchen and he was stood with me. He disappeared and there was a huge bang in the living room (which is next to our kitchen) my partner Dave and me went in and Bandit was having another seizure on his food and water bowl. Dave managed to get him to the open floor where we comforted him. Again, the vets saw him straight away but this time they did blood tests straight away. These blood tests showed that his thyroid count was high.

3rd January 2023 - We went back for a full thyroid count (blood tests) which again showed that his thyroid count was high, it was 77 it should be under 40. The vet said it was unusual for Dog’s to have a high count.

During a cuddle we found a lump on his neck which we hadn’t noticed before. It is hard to find / see it due to all his fur. We spoke to the vet about the lump and she wanted to see him so she could check it herself.

20th January 2023 – We were back at the vets so she could check for the lump. We left him there and he was sedated and was given an ultrasound and they took a sample of the lump by needle which they sent off for testing. When she phoned me to say he was ready to be picked up she told us she had found a lump and it was about 5cm in size. We still needed to wait for the lab results of the lump.

24th January 2023 – Our whole world came crashing down and we were given the news that Bandit had been diagnosed with thyroid carcinoma (Thyroid cancer). I cried and gave Bandit a cuddle and told him the news. He looked at me like I was a complete idiot and wondered what all the fuss was about.

The vets have done a referral to Anderson Moores for us and we have an appointment with them on Thursday 2nd February to hopefully get the cancer graded and find out what treatment options are available for him.

Insurance:

We do have insurance but it is only up to £3,000 per condition. This likely means that not all his treatment will be covered.

We must pay £95 excess for each claim + 20% of all treatment due to his age.

So far, we have spent:

14th December 2022 - £337.91

3rd January 2023 - £280.72

20th January 2023 - £527.51

2nd February 2023 - £275.00

Pet Plan Insurance has paid us £815.26

This means we currently have £2184.74 left on the insurance to pay for.

UPDATE 2nd February 2023:

We had our appointment today and he needs an MRI and surgery which is around £8k

3.40pm

We’ve just off the phone to the Vet at Anderson’s and she has come up with a new plan to help us with the money situation. Bandit is going to have a chest X-ray to see if the cancer has spread. He will have this on the morning of his operation. He will then have an operation to remove the lump on the 22nd February. Both of this should come to around £4,000.

He may also need chemo should the operation not remove it all but we won’t know until after the operation.

We will be so grateful of any help you can give us and Bandit. We want to give him all the help in fighting this.

At the moment, he has no other symptoms other than the lump and is absolutely fine in himself which we are taking as a positive.