Help Gus Get Better: Surgery and Treatment Fundraiser

Gus has always been the sweetest, most gentle soul that you'd ever meet, and I have always done my best to do good by him. So when he started developing fatty lumps on his body, I did what any good parent would do and started bringing him to doctor appointments. For the last 2 years, my primary has consistently told me not to worry and that these growths were nothing but fatty lipomas that come with age. Multiple visits have been made in order to monitor, track, and diagnose these lumps. Over this time, I always requested imaging to be done, and each time I was advised that it was never necessary and that I was just worrying over nothing. Then recently, Gus began having mobility issues. He was unable to jump up on the bed, couldn't get comfortable, and was not eating normally. Once again, he went back to the vet, and this time he was diagnosed as just having a mild sprain and was provided with Gabapentin for pain as well as Carprofen for inflammation. I requested imaging but was advised that it was unnecessary and, due to his age, potentially harmful as it would require sedation. Blood work was completed with no signs of any issues. For a while, I saw what I had believed to be some signs of improvement, but little did I know what was really happening.

After a few weeks, things all of a sudden went really wrong. I woke up to find Gus's abdomen was completely swollen. With no appointment and no phone call, I immediately rushed him down to the vet's office. Imaging was now done, and what was found was a MASSIVE tumor in his abdomen down to his pelvis. There was no time to waste, and I raced Gus to an emergency care facility a few towns over. An ultrasound was completed confirming the tumor, and it was believed that it must have shifted, causing a blockage which resulted in the swelling. There was no time to talk; it was either emergency surgery right then and there or losing my best friend. For me, there was no choice. Even if it was just the smallest chance of being successful, the surgery needed to be done. The next few hours were horrible; I had no idea if Gus was going to make it, but in the end, he pulled through like a champ. What was removed was nothing the surgeon had ever seen. A 9-pound tumor....

Gus is now recovering from the surgery, however, the biopsy results are less then favorable and we must find a way to get him the treatment he needs. The doctor was able to keep all his organs intact as the tumor was was attached to his abdominal wall, but some muscle did need to be cut into due to its size. My poor boy had to be cut open from his chest to past his pelvis and will require physical therapy once the staples are removed. At the end of the day though, he is home, and he is happy to finally be rid of the suffering that he silently went through for all this time.

Now here we are. Never would I have ever imagined being in this position, and I am certainly not one to ask for help as I always believed that I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it. The fact of the matter though, is that it took 2 separate lines of credit totaling over $15,000 to bring my baby home and even more to get him where he needs to be. I don't know how I'm going to do it, so when it was suggested that I tell my story here, I knew it would be hard for me to ask for help, but I know that at this time every little bit helps.