CHESTER NEEDS US!!
Donation protected
Many of you know my dear friends Andrew & Kate Bunting. They both work tirelessly with animal rescue and animal health organizations. This time, they need our help.
This is their story:
Little Chester, also known as Chester the Foodie by many, suffers from what is suspected to be Syringomyelia.
Syringomyelia is a serious and painful condition caused by a disproportion of the skull causes the brain, particularly the cerebellum, to squeeze through the hole at the back of the skull, partially blocking the flow of cerebrospinal fluid down the spinal cord. This both causes pain and the creation of fluid which collects in pockets in the spinal cord. It can cause irreversible damage to the spinal cord, resulting in additional pain and other neurological disorders. Thankfully, there is a surgery available if needed, but a scan is a necessity first. Especially in Chester's case as there may more happening. His suspected condition is currently managed with medication and supplements.
While many Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels suffer from the same condition, Chester also have symptoms that are not usually associated solely with Syringomyelia. Due to this, it is strongly recommended that he goes through a full body MRI scan as well as CT scans of the neck and back legs area. As neck and leg pains were mentioned to the vet prior his insurance cover starting, the scans will not be covered, leaving Chester's parents (Kate & Andrew) with an expected bill of several thousand dollars. If you know Kate & Andrew, you know that their two dogs (Chester and their rescue boy Paddington) are their babies and they would do anything for them. Kate also volunteers many hours every week helping dog rescues, including, Dogs Paws Aid where they save the lives of dogs in a high kill shelters in Romania and find them forever homes in the UK.
She also volunteers her time to help other dogs in a Facebook group she created for that purpose: Chester the Cavalier and His Foodie Friends, where she is constantly offering advice and support. She does so much for others and always for free... I feel like the least we can do more is help HER and her very much loved Chester. Kate and Andrew are the most generous and caring people and they never ask for anything... Which is why I'm asking for them: can you help them help their little Chester? Can we say thank you to Kate that way? She, Andrew and Chester truly deserve it.
Any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated!
Please share this post and get it out to as many people as possible! We need to help Chester!
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UPDATE - JULY 10th, 2021
This is their story:
Little Chester, also known as Chester the Foodie by many, suffers from what is suspected to be Syringomyelia.
Syringomyelia is a serious and painful condition caused by a disproportion of the skull causes the brain, particularly the cerebellum, to squeeze through the hole at the back of the skull, partially blocking the flow of cerebrospinal fluid down the spinal cord. This both causes pain and the creation of fluid which collects in pockets in the spinal cord. It can cause irreversible damage to the spinal cord, resulting in additional pain and other neurological disorders. Thankfully, there is a surgery available if needed, but a scan is a necessity first. Especially in Chester's case as there may more happening. His suspected condition is currently managed with medication and supplements.
While many Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels suffer from the same condition, Chester also have symptoms that are not usually associated solely with Syringomyelia. Due to this, it is strongly recommended that he goes through a full body MRI scan as well as CT scans of the neck and back legs area. As neck and leg pains were mentioned to the vet prior his insurance cover starting, the scans will not be covered, leaving Chester's parents (Kate & Andrew) with an expected bill of several thousand dollars. If you know Kate & Andrew, you know that their two dogs (Chester and their rescue boy Paddington) are their babies and they would do anything for them. Kate also volunteers many hours every week helping dog rescues, including, Dogs Paws Aid where they save the lives of dogs in a high kill shelters in Romania and find them forever homes in the UK.
She also volunteers her time to help other dogs in a Facebook group she created for that purpose: Chester the Cavalier and His Foodie Friends, where she is constantly offering advice and support. She does so much for others and always for free... I feel like the least we can do more is help HER and her very much loved Chester. Kate and Andrew are the most generous and caring people and they never ask for anything... Which is why I'm asking for them: can you help them help their little Chester? Can we say thank you to Kate that way? She, Andrew and Chester truly deserve it.
Any amount you can give would be greatly appreciated!
Please share this post and get it out to as many people as possible! We need to help Chester!
*************************
UPDATE - JULY 10th, 2021
First of all, we want to thank you all so much for the donations, as well as the wonderful comments and messages you sent our way... You got us teary many times!
Chester had his much needed scans on Thursday and even though we didn't get any answers, we ruled many things out that we REALLY wanted to have ruled out.
Here's how it went:
"After a 12-hour day and nearly 4 hours of driving, we may not have full answers, but we have ruled many things out. Many of those things shocked/surprised me due to previous diagnoses.
Here's how it went:
"After a 12-hour day and nearly 4 hours of driving, we may not have full answers, but we have ruled many things out. Many of those things shocked/surprised me due to previous diagnoses.
The good news:
Despite what the 2 previous neurologists told us, Chester has ZERO signs of SM and CM. In fact, the amazing neurologist we saw today was impressed by how beautiful the shape of his skull is, as he's a Cavalier.
And no signs of IVDD.
Some possible disc issues, but nothing unusual for his age (4) and breed.
So we've ruled out many things... But we don't know what it is that is causing him pain.
The next part of our journey is beginning! This means more tests, more probing, more appointments... But we will do whatever we most to help him.
Oh and Chester really wants us to tell you that he was VERY brave. The neurologist described him as such a little ray of sunshine and so friendly! Very anxious at first... But then he was everybody's best friend. That's our boy. "
Organizer
Patricia Moyer
Organizer
Martinsburg, WV