Bowie's Fight Against Cancer
Donation protected
After a long and arduous diagnostic journey and watching our precious Bowie quickly decline, it is with the great sadness that Ray and I share with you that Bowie has been diagnosed with cancer and we humbly ask, if you are able, that you make a donation to Bowie’s Fight Against Cancer.
It has been a truly agonizing decision on whether or not fighting this cancer is the right choice. His team of veterinarians, neurologists and oncologists have assured us that radiation will not only shrink the tumor but make a huge difference in decreasing his level of pain and increasing his quality of life.
We would not be asking for your financial donation if we didn’t truly believe (1) that this was truly the right, humane path to take (2) if we were not already throwing all of our financial resources into this fight and (3) if your donations were not going to make a huge difference in how aggressively we can fight this cancer. Any money you are able to contribute will go directly towards Bowie’s Fight Against Cancer.
This is how your money will go to work:
Day 1 - $1,214.46: CT Scan with Contrast and Anesthesia. This will show exactly where to aim the radiation to get the best results.
Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 - $5,985.02: Definitive Planning of Radiation Therapy, 3 days of Radiation Delivery and Anesthesia
I have been updating Bowie's instagram daily so you can follow his fight and celebrate his wins with us! Please take a moment to donate and follow Bowie's journey on instagram @BowieBestLife.
Sincerely and humbly,
Rachael, Ray and Bowie
All the Details...
...Where we are at: On Thursday, October 22nd, the day Ray and I had been sure that we were going to have euthanize Bowie, we sat outside a speciality vet in Orange County waiting for the oncologist that specializes in radiation to call us with news about Bowie's condition. The Dr informed us that Bowie had a cancerous tumor at the L4 location on his spine but that she could do high grade radiation to shrink the tumor. While radiation treatment will not cure Bowie, it will take away his pain, it will hopefully restore function back to his leg (this is not guaranteed) and most importantly give him time and quality of life. Knowing that Bowie was doing better everyday, that we could remove his pain and extend his life and give it quality, Ray and I discussed all of our options and decided that we were ready for the fight.
...Treatment Plan: On Monday, October 26th Bowie will have a cat scan performed so that the Dr can see exactly where the tumor is in relation to his spine. Then likely the following day, he will have his 1st of 3 radiation treatments. All 3 radiation treatments will occur this upcoming week and we will see results quickly!
...How We Got Here: On about Saturday October 10th Bowie was seen at the vet for not using his back Left Leg. After diagnostic imaging showed spots on his spine, initially assumed to be arthritis, and a fluid filled sack around his left knee it was thought that he had torn a ligament. With that information we scheduled an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon but as we waited for the appointment, Bowie began to increasingly decline in health. Suddenly he wasn't eating anything, he was having difficulty using his back right leg, the tail wagging had altogether stopped next he stopped drinking and finally he lost control of his bladder. I mentioned to Ray that I was worried this was neurological, something seemed off and Bowie was so weak and sick.
At the appointment with the surgeon that Saturday, additional x-rays were performed and sadly it was concerned that there was a tumor on his spinal cord around the L4 region. The surgeon referred us to speciality hospital with a neurologist for a neurological exam and MRI. We hospitalized Bowie overnight so he could get an MRI as soon as possible and then waited almost 48 agonizing hours for the news that it was in fact a cancerous tumor.
Devastated I picked up Bowie from the hospital on Monday night and the wind was knocked out of me as I saw Bowie approach looking thin, sick and overall miserable. I warned Ray what he was coming home to and we spent the night beside ourselves thinking we were going to have put him down. I kept saying, "if he would just eat, then I would know he could fight this," but as we made our way through Tuesday it was obvious we had an extremely sick dog ... well that was until we made steak for dinner that night and after initially ignoring our offering Bowie finally began to eat the steak! I watched in awe the next morning as Bowie ate a mixture of steak, hot dog, and rice. And called the oncologist they referred us to and made an appointment.
Things began to look up as quickly as they had gone down hill. Bowie began to eat, he began to drink, while he was having difficulty using his back left leg, he started to use his back right leg and eventually began to do the few steps outside our apartment with just a little help!
On Thursday, we saw the Dr that specializes in Radiation Oncology and as mentioned above learned that with 3 high dose radiation treatments we would be able to remove Bowie's pain, hopefully reverse some of the neurological damage and give him months of a quality life!
We are ready to fight and we hope that you support us and join in on Bowie's Fight Against Cancer!
If you have any questions or want additional information before donating, please email me at [email redacted]
It has been a truly agonizing decision on whether or not fighting this cancer is the right choice. His team of veterinarians, neurologists and oncologists have assured us that radiation will not only shrink the tumor but make a huge difference in decreasing his level of pain and increasing his quality of life.
We would not be asking for your financial donation if we didn’t truly believe (1) that this was truly the right, humane path to take (2) if we were not already throwing all of our financial resources into this fight and (3) if your donations were not going to make a huge difference in how aggressively we can fight this cancer. Any money you are able to contribute will go directly towards Bowie’s Fight Against Cancer.
This is how your money will go to work:
Day 1 - $1,214.46: CT Scan with Contrast and Anesthesia. This will show exactly where to aim the radiation to get the best results.
Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 - $5,985.02: Definitive Planning of Radiation Therapy, 3 days of Radiation Delivery and Anesthesia
I have been updating Bowie's instagram daily so you can follow his fight and celebrate his wins with us! Please take a moment to donate and follow Bowie's journey on instagram @BowieBestLife.
Sincerely and humbly,
Rachael, Ray and Bowie
All the Details...
...Where we are at: On Thursday, October 22nd, the day Ray and I had been sure that we were going to have euthanize Bowie, we sat outside a speciality vet in Orange County waiting for the oncologist that specializes in radiation to call us with news about Bowie's condition. The Dr informed us that Bowie had a cancerous tumor at the L4 location on his spine but that she could do high grade radiation to shrink the tumor. While radiation treatment will not cure Bowie, it will take away his pain, it will hopefully restore function back to his leg (this is not guaranteed) and most importantly give him time and quality of life. Knowing that Bowie was doing better everyday, that we could remove his pain and extend his life and give it quality, Ray and I discussed all of our options and decided that we were ready for the fight.
...Treatment Plan: On Monday, October 26th Bowie will have a cat scan performed so that the Dr can see exactly where the tumor is in relation to his spine. Then likely the following day, he will have his 1st of 3 radiation treatments. All 3 radiation treatments will occur this upcoming week and we will see results quickly!
...How We Got Here: On about Saturday October 10th Bowie was seen at the vet for not using his back Left Leg. After diagnostic imaging showed spots on his spine, initially assumed to be arthritis, and a fluid filled sack around his left knee it was thought that he had torn a ligament. With that information we scheduled an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon but as we waited for the appointment, Bowie began to increasingly decline in health. Suddenly he wasn't eating anything, he was having difficulty using his back right leg, the tail wagging had altogether stopped next he stopped drinking and finally he lost control of his bladder. I mentioned to Ray that I was worried this was neurological, something seemed off and Bowie was so weak and sick.
At the appointment with the surgeon that Saturday, additional x-rays were performed and sadly it was concerned that there was a tumor on his spinal cord around the L4 region. The surgeon referred us to speciality hospital with a neurologist for a neurological exam and MRI. We hospitalized Bowie overnight so he could get an MRI as soon as possible and then waited almost 48 agonizing hours for the news that it was in fact a cancerous tumor.
Devastated I picked up Bowie from the hospital on Monday night and the wind was knocked out of me as I saw Bowie approach looking thin, sick and overall miserable. I warned Ray what he was coming home to and we spent the night beside ourselves thinking we were going to have put him down. I kept saying, "if he would just eat, then I would know he could fight this," but as we made our way through Tuesday it was obvious we had an extremely sick dog ... well that was until we made steak for dinner that night and after initially ignoring our offering Bowie finally began to eat the steak! I watched in awe the next morning as Bowie ate a mixture of steak, hot dog, and rice. And called the oncologist they referred us to and made an appointment.
Things began to look up as quickly as they had gone down hill. Bowie began to eat, he began to drink, while he was having difficulty using his back left leg, he started to use his back right leg and eventually began to do the few steps outside our apartment with just a little help!
On Thursday, we saw the Dr that specializes in Radiation Oncology and as mentioned above learned that with 3 high dose radiation treatments we would be able to remove Bowie's pain, hopefully reverse some of the neurological damage and give him months of a quality life!
We are ready to fight and we hope that you support us and join in on Bowie's Fight Against Cancer!
If you have any questions or want additional information before donating, please email me at [email redacted]
Organizer
Rachael Paige
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA