Help Brody Beat Lymphoma

Hi - We are Catherine and Andrew and we are raising money to cover the medical costs to treat our dog, Brody, for Stage III Lymphoma.

We adopted Brody (AKA Breethers, BreenJorts, JeanShorts, Brody-Brodah, etc.) about 11 years ago as our first dog. I will always remember the day we went to pick him up at his foster home in Cochran, GA. Andrew went to get Brody on a leash to take him back to his car. Brody was so ready to go and start his life with us that he pulled him out of his enclosure and Andrew drilled his head on the fence. After Brody took one last farewell poop in his foster mom’s house and we drove him back to his home with Andrew on Hines Terrace. On our ride back in Andrew’s red Corvette-sorry Corolla, Lola, Brody hung his entire body out of the window apart from his back legs. He has always been one to enjoy and open window and cry (of joy we think) on car rides. He just can’t get wherever he is going fast enough and has a 6th sense for determining the location once we get close.

Although we have since taught him to only put his head out of the window on car rides, he was a true country dog when we got him, but we have somehow turned him into city-folk. He is used to the busy Atlanta lifestyle and loves to sniff out the infamous Atlanta chicken bones on his walks. For anyone that knows him, they know he is super loyal, very vocal, but is also the biggest baby you have ever met. He loves people, but especially Andrew. Everyone else is chopped liver when he is around. Brody happily spends most of his days enjoying morning walks, sunbathing in the yard, and being Catherine’s side-kick while working from home. He is also known to get bossed around by his dog sister, Lily.

We received the unfortunate diagnosis a couple of weeks ago after going through multiple diagnostic tests and overnight veterinary hospital stays back in June. We noticed he was acting kind of funny and wasn't closing his mouth all the way. After our initial appointments and screenings, they cleared him for any cancer and chalked it up to a potential tooth abscess. A couple weeks later, we received a call that an MRI report showed he had enlarged lymph nodes in his head and that we should go get a biopsy on his lymph nodes. It was from that testing that we learned that Brody had Stage III lymphoma.

The treatment plan we have decided to pursue is called the CHOP protocol. It is about 20 weeks of a combination of IV and oral chemotherapy treatments. The estimates we have been given total up to around $10,000 for the full course of treatment. This estimate does NOT include any of the initial, visits, full workups, additional testing/treating of side-effects, and overnight stays we have already completed. It also is not inclusive of all additional visit and consult fees, restaging/retesting, etc.

The treatment information we received for the CHOP protocol states that we could gain an additional 9-12 months with Brody or more, based on an 80-90% survival rate if things go well. We have high hopes that this treatment should get him to remission and buy us more time with him. We are putting full faith in the oncologist and staff providing the treatment and are thankful for all of their time and attention, as much as Brody doesn’t enjoy going to the vet.

Overall, our main goal in all of this is to ensure whatever days Brody has left with us are good, if not great days. So, if at any time the treatment is failing to provide any hope for remission or causing more suffering than good, we will have to make the difficult call to cease treatment at that time and have him live out the remainder of his days as best as we can make them for him. If for any reason we have to stop treating Brody or the funds we raise exceed his cost for care, we will be donating anything in excess to a local non-kill shelter here in Atlanta called PAWS. We wanted to donate it back to the Heart of Georgia Humane Society, who we have to thank for bringing Brody to us, but unfortunately the organization is no longer around.

We are going into this with a heavy heart after receiving the diagnosis, but also keeping our hopes high for treatment and recovery. We know Brody has had a huge impact on our lives and some of you as well. We are really hoping to give him the fighting chance he deserves and want to be able to provide him with the treatment and care he needs without the financial burden that comes along with it. Until further notice, you can find us thoroughly enjoying our time with Brody and his sister Lily, and making sure they know just how much they’re loved.