Bear Is 14 Months Old & Needs A Lifesaving Operation

Hello Everyone

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Bear and I am a 14 month old Saint Bernard. I live with my Mum Karen, a 67 year old retired Royal Air Force Veteran and my Uncle Aiden, a 4 year old Golden Retriever in Nottingham, England. Mum said that Aiden needed a Pal, be careful what you wish for she said and I arrived 8 weeks old, on April 6th 2024.

I was unsure at first because my Uncle was so excited, but I need not have worried. I have not had time to think about the brothers and sisters I left behind with a fabulous Uncle, available for play 24/7.

It’s been great. However, when I was 8 months old, I started coughing, this was followed by me feeling very lethargic and not wanting to eat or play. So Mum took me to our Vet. Here they did blood test that showed that large numbers of immature blood cells were being produced. An x-ray followed, which showed that my heart was very enlarged, so off to the Cardiac Specialist we went.

There it was discovered that my heart was not enlarged. It was the sac that protects the heart that was full of fluid, that needed to be drained. This they did and amazingly, 2 Litres ( 67.628 Fluid Ounces ) of ruddy in colour fluid was drained. We went home to return in one month to see if this was a one off, or whether the fluid was filling up again. Within a week I was feeling much better and my Uncle was very pleased, because I wanted to play again.

When we returned to Cardiology in December. It was discovered that indeed the fluid had started to build up again.

I have a condition called, Pericardial Effusion. Ruddy liquid is building up in the sac protecting my heart, and will eventually lead to Cardiac Tamponade. The fluid build up around the heart increases pressure on the heart ventricles which leaves the heart unable to pump blood around my body. At this time, they were still not able to say why it was happening. We returned home knowing now what the symptoms were, if the liquid was filling to a damaging level.

My insurance year was ending, so we went back to Cardiology in March, to see how things were. Mum said that she is very glad that we did as unfortunately, things had changed.

As far as my Mum understands, the sac should be 1mm thick and the scan showed that it was now 6mm thick. This was of great concern to the cardiologist and I was referred to Pride Referrals in Derby.

Mum was advised that my condition is urgent and that I need an operation to release the fluid from the sack so that it can no longer damage the heart. The liquid will not stop and the sac will continue to thicken.

At the moment the reason for the fluid build up is still unknown, which is called idiopathic. However, the underlying cause could be cancer, but we will not know until tests performed after the operation.

Whether I have cancer or not, I need the operation as I can not survive without it. I am a youngster, and am hoping that cancer is not the underlying issue. At the moment we do not know why the fluid is building, sometimes you never know, which we are hoping, will be the case. They say I am like a time bomb waiting to go off. This is why the operation needs to be done as soon as possible and being well at the moment, is the best time to do it.

Mum is devastated because she has pet insurance, but it is not enough to cover all the operation costs or my aftercare. I am lucky to have a lifetime policy, £6000 per condition, per year, so if other things happen, I will be covered. This operation will use up all of the annual insurance for this condition. The cost of the operation is in excess of the £6000 available, exact costings will not be known until after it is done. With this surgery £12,000 will have been spent already. The operation is not a cure, but a way of managing my condition, after which I will be able to get back to playing with my Uncle Aiden.

It is for this reason that Mum has launched this page. Any contribution that you could make would be a marvellous gift, giving me the chance to live longer, whether I might have cancer or not. One thing is for certain, I can not survive without your help.

I am having the surgery shortly, and will advise you of the date as soon as I know it.

Any surplus donations Mum says, will be donated to the Guide Dogs Charity.