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Fight for Otis!

Otis Baxter Groff is a big, loving Newfoundland that just turned 7 in June.  "Southshore's Sir Drools A Lot" loves his parents, Joelle and Andy, and you can typically find him glued to his littermate (and TWIN sister) Matilda.  Otis enjoys napping on the deck, yelling at the trains in the middle of the night, eating out of the locked garbage and conspiring with the cats to steal things off the counter.  He enjoys sleeping 16 hours per day preferably in front of his favorite central air vent with a fan blowing his Mohawk gently in the breeze.  Otie needs to be touching Matilda at ALL times and they often sleep with their paws or faces pressed together.  He loves to wrestle his sister, and always loses.  Otis’s dislikes include being kicked off the couch, physical activity, fire hydrants, potted plants, and the cat’s tails tickling his nose while napping.  His favorite snacks include pizza crust, PB toast, watermelon, and scrambled eggs.

Aside from occasional ear infections, Otis has had a clean bill of health.  Early last week he turned even more lethargic.  Originally Joelle and Andy thought it was related to the heat; he couldn’t seem to get comfortable, and stopped greeting his family altogether.  Despite eating and drinking normally the entire time, Otis progressively became worse by the end of the week.  On Friday it became clear the Groff’s needed to take Otis to the vet; Andy noticed Otie’s stomach was hard as a rock.

The Groff’s regular vet, Corning Animal Hospital was closed so Rio Vista took Otis in on Saturday morning and confirmed the abdominal mass.  They were immediately sent to Cornell and admitted to ICU on Saturday morning in critical condition because of severe anemia.  Four different ultra sounds couldn’t determine the exact location of the mass.  Otis was finally stabilized on Sunday afternoon for anesthesia for a CT to determine if surgery to remove the mass was even an option.  His heart rate was beyond critical; he has currently had seven blood transfusions and is projected to have more.  Otis was able to have surgery Sunday night, and the entire right kidney and right adrenal gland was removed.  He had a 22-pound mass covering his kidney; it is going to be biopsied.  As of now it will take five days to confirm whether the mass is malignant.  If the lab results determine the mass is malignant, the next step is chemotherapy. 

Originally the estimated cost for Otis’s care was $6,000.  The Groff’s just hit the 10,000 mark, and unfortunately the cost is rising.  Please consider helping the Groff’s save their sweet boy.  His Dad is his world, but he and Tilly can’t live without each other!  Check back as updates will continue!  Thank you so much for your prayers, concern, and love.

*In the event the donations exceed the cost of medical care, the Groff’s will donate back to animals in need of surgery that their owners may not be able to afford.  They plan to donate to Cornell and/or the SPCA.

Update (8/14):  Otis is back to critical condition.  Cornell called shortly after 7pm stating the left kidney isn’t picking up enough of the function for the missing right kidney.

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Donations 

  • Jenn Matthews
    • $75 
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Cory Thornton Phillips
Organizer
Gang Mills, NY
Joelle Groff
Beneficiary

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