Help Bown fight recurring cancer

Thanks for being here. My name is Pree. I made this page on behalf of my best friend, my soul dog, Bown. At 12 years young, we recently embarked on a journey together to save his life. My first furbaby was officially diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma earlier this year, and while waiting for an appointment for a surgery consultation,  he suddenly got sick. In September Bown began acting strange, became lethargic and just wasn’t himself. It turned out that the skin on his arm began dying and because of this the tumor burst. Everything happened right infront of me and I did the best I could to make sure Bown was comfortable until I could get him to the vet the next day. He was subsequently diagnosed with necrotic tissue, an infection, and became even more lethargic. In a matter of one day, my once lively and happy pup turned into a dog who couldn't even lift his head up to eat and could barely move. As a pet parent, this was one of the hardest situations to witness, as this was one ailment I couldn't help him overcome.

Thankfully I had the support of an outstanding veterinary staff at Banfield in Burlington, North Carolina and Carolina Veterinary Services in Greenboro. They worked together to get my sweet boy into surgery within a week of diagnosis. The Banfield team was integral in helping cut some of the surgery costs since they used the x-ray and bloodwork available on his plan (something I pay for monthly). CVS Greensboro was also very flexible in allowing me to outsource some of his pre-surgery work to Banfield to help alleviate some of the overall cost since this is all out of pocket for me, mainly on credit cards. They successfully removed most of the tumor and the dead tissue without having to amputate his arm, but we did prepare just incase by making an imprint of his paw. Having to make such big decisions was very difficult, but I had to come to terms with my dog already being a senior and how he may want to spend the rest of his days. I'm so grateful for the support of my loved ones, who guided us through that extremely difficult time. 

However, the surgery was only a temporary victory. The doctors described Bown's type of cancer as one that would return over and over again, and there was an immediate emphasis on eradicating the current tumor and ensuring it didn't return. This meant the battle against his cancer was only halfway through and we had to act quickly because if it comes back it will be more invasive and harder to fight. The next step of the process is to begin radiation- four weeks of daily treatments, to be exact. Because of this I’ve gone to several radiation centers to get quotes for treatment that range between $6,800 and $18,000 total. This includes consultations, ct scans, prescription medicine, the treatment cost, boarding for the treatment and the treatment itself. It doesn’t include follow up visits. Additionally, this process will be as impactful and invasive as his surgery because the medical team will have to place him under anesthesia for every treatment which is every day for about a month. It also means he'll have to be at the treatment facility (Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Matthews, N.C.) Monday through Friday for four weeks. Thankfully my job has been another saving grace in being flexible with my schedule to accommodate his drop offs and pick ups.

Needless to say, the past month and a half has been a whirlwind of a multitude of veterinary visits in various areas of central North Carolina, consultations and life-altering decisions. Despite the stress, tears, traveling and having to juggle two other dogs (one who is also sick and a senior) I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with fighting this recurring cancer. However, making these decisions to save my dog's life has come at a price that's become an added stress to the entire process, especially because he's not my only sick senior dog. There are times that I feel like I’m drowning financially, but deep inside I know I’m taking the right course of action to prevent my dog from suffering.

I’ll be honest- I'm not usually one to ask for help, but I'd do anything for him and my other furbabies. I'm very grateful for the encouragement, reassurance and support I've received so far, and I genuinely appreciate you for allowing me to be vulnerable and taking the time to read about our story. Thank you.

With Love,

Bown, Baby, Kilo and Pree