Where do I start,

Dazey has been by my side since October 2017, when she was only 8 weeks old. Dazey kind of fell in my lap when I was just 19, a sophomore in college. I had only had my own apartment for about a month, of course, rightfully so, I would want a dog and there she was. So it was definitely a spur of the moment type of decision. But since that day, she has been the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. She has been by my side ever since and I could not imagine it any other way. Looking back, life would have been so dull without her. She is such a ball of light and sunshine. She is friendly, fierce, smart, spoiled in love and so much more. She’s a girl who knows what she wants and is probably going to convince you to give it to her, whether it be attacking you with kisses or constant speaking. You will never forget she's in the room with you. If she's sleeping, she is between your legs completely covered up by the blanket, snoring without a care in the world. She goes through hundreds of toys ripping them up and pulling their squeakers out, but her favorite toy is a blue ball that she has had since I first got her. It is the only toy she has ever had that she refuses to destroy, although sadly 7 years later it has started to lose its squeak. But that doesn't stop her from playing with it every single day. All of that is just to say Dazey has a personality. It is so much more than what I can explain in words. She is smart and she knows what you are saying to her most of the time. She’s one of a kind and will forever have a huge chunk of my heart. (I know all us furbaby owners feel this way about our babies.) I will do anything within my power to give her the longest and healthiest life that I can. When it is time to let life take its course, I won't be selfish, but until that time we are going to fight tooth and nail for more time. 7 years of life is too young. She is too full of life and love. She is strong and I know she is ready to fight this for a second time.

Medical Journey:

Dazey has a history with mast cell tumors. In May of 2022 Dazey had a high grade mast cell tumor removed from her back right leg. High grade meaning it was more likely to be invasive and more aggressive than a low grade. It was determined in June of 2022 that she would need a scar revision to ensure they got deep enough margins based on the high grade of the tumor. Dazey had a Soft-Tissue Skin Specialist perform both surgeries because of the area of her leg that the tumor was on created for a tougher close. After the second surgery, an abdominal ultrasound was performed showing her lymph nodes were mildly enlarged causing concern. Dazey received 5 doses of (vinblastine) chemotherapy and continued to have ultrasounds until she was deemed cancer free around August of 2022.

Since then, Dazey has been in such great health. Even while she was sick with the high grade tumor she was always in such a great spirit, people could never believe she was the dog from her profile. She’s happy and playful and her extra self like she has always been. She loves being outside, playing with sticks, digging up the yard, barking at squirrels, playing in the snow or swimming in any body of water she can find. She’s an outdoor dog who loves to adventure.

Fast forward to January 2025. A questionable lump appeared on Dazey’s back left thigh, on the same leg as last time but just far enough for them to suspect they aren't related. (Mast cells are common in pitty breeds, along with dog's with light/white coats). A sample was sent out for testing on 1/27/2025, and it was confirmed on 1/29/2025 that it was in fact a mast cell tumor. With her history we decided it would be smart to start with an abdominal ultrasound to ensure the cancer has not spread to or from anywhere else. This ultrasound will also include aspirates to her liver and spleen as mast cells can commonly hide themselves in these organs until aggravated or sampled.

When the vet performed the ultrasound she said visually everything looked good. She was able to take a sample of the spleen and of her lymph nodes. Her liver however was too small and behind other organs, so she did not want to risk taking the sample and hitting something else. The vet also took a sample of sadly another questionable lump that became more apparent over the week.

On Thursday 2/13/25, the vet called with the results of the three samples. Her spleen came back clear. Her lymph nodes unfortunately didn't have a clear result, it didn't come back as cancer cells nor healthy lymph node cells. And finally, the other lump came back as also being a cancerous Mast cell. Which broke our hearts even more.

The vet is optimistic that the tumors are not related, and that the cancer doesn't seem to have metastasized to another part of the body. So we plan on moving forward with surgery, the difference being she will now be having two tumor excisions, on opposite sides of her body. Meaning a harder recovery for her.

Dazey’s surgery is scheduled for this Thursday the 20th. She will be dropped off at 7am, and sadly won't be ready for pickup until Friday morning. Depending on the results of the surgery and the biopsies of both tumors, we will know the next steps. If the tumors seem aggressive or if clean margins are not possible, she will most likely need further treatment such as chemo again.

Dazey also already had existing back leg problems from when she was only around 1. She was a big jumper and ended up with a cruciate (CCL) injury, leaving fluid behind her knees. She gets around just fine, but if she plays too hard it's definitely noticeable that she’s in pain later that day. And her legs shake a lot when trying to get up and down. With all of this, having another surgery on an already hard to close area, the vet is worried about her having limited mobility after. A skin stretcher will be put in for the first 5 days to try and expand the amount of skin she has there, in order to give her the most mobility possible. But the truth is we won't know until she is recovering. All of that just to say her leg also might need extra assistance after her procedures.

Like I have already said, Dazey is so strong and determined. I know she will want to fight this. And we are determined to fight this all the way to the end, hopefully coming out on the other side. My hopes at this point are to take this journey one step at a time, giving her the best possible treatment without financial limitations. I'm sure everyone is aware of how expensive any type of medical treatment is. And treatment will NOT be given unless a down payment is made before each procedure. This Go-fund me will directly go to all and any of Dazey’s upcoming treatments.

I will continue to update Dazey’s progress and be very transparent with the cost of her treatment. We appreciate every penny as it ensures Dazey the care she needs while not financially putting me in a tougher spot (I already work two jobs). By the end of Dazey’s first cancer battle, I spent anywhere from $15,000 - $20,000. Basically draining my savings account. I would do it again in a heartbeat knowing that it will give her more time. But I have never financially recovered from that. I am ready to charge any and every credit card I have if that's what needs to be done. Dazey came into my life at a time where I really needed her. She saved me without even knowing it, and it’s my turn to continue to save her.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Dazey's story.

After Surgery Update:

This update is way over due but for anyone invested in Dazey story I wanted to make sure to keep you in the loop!

Dazey is a little over 2 weeks post op now. The first few days were definitely rough on her, but she is a trooper and is healing so quickly. Dazey originally went in for two known mast cell tumors to be removed. She also had 3 other small lumps (and a large skin tag so 4 small lumps, 6 all together) that we had removed since she would already be under, we figured one big recovery is better than multiple in the long run. We also wanted to ensure any ounce of cancer would be dealt with now asap. I am so glad we decided to do that because one of the 3 small lumps ALSO turned out to be a mast cell.

In total Dazey had two low grade (grade 2) mast cells with a MI of ZERO (MI deals with the aggressiveness and rate of which the cancer would be believed to spread at), a subcutaneous mast cell (in which can't be graded) also with a MI of ZERO, and two collagenous hamartomas (a benign skin tumor). Each of the mast cells also came back as having clean margins, which is huge. The clean margins, the low grades and the MIs of zero mean that Dazey (knock on wood) is most likely cancer free again. Which also means no need for further treatment such as chemotherapy. This is honestly once of the best outcomes we ever could have hoped for (even with finding out she had 3 mast cells at the same time). I am so glad we know our dog and notice the second something weird or abdominal appears, because we might not have been this lucky if we did not act as quickly as we did.

Her leg also ended up closing better than any of us could had hoped, she had a bolster bandage on for 5 days to help stretch the skin and ease the tension of her muscle as much as possible. But her mobility (especially for not even being 3 weeks post op yet and having 12 stitches just on that one leg) is hardly affected for walking purposes. We of course will have to take it easy on the running and jumping once she is fully healed (probably forever) but that is such a small fee to pay for the outcome we got.

Dazey has an upcoming appointment this Monday to check her incisions and possibly remove a stitch or two from her smaller lump removals. In total dazey received about 26 stitches between all 6 incisions. Dazey has also formed a large seroma on one of the larger incisions on her side that we are having checked out, which will hopefully heal on its own and if not will need to be drained to prevent infection, but we are of course staying on top of it and keeping a close eye. Again a small price to pay for how far we have come.

I know this is a lot of information but I just wanted to be so clear and transparent on Dazey's journey. We appreciate each and every one of you more than you could even know. Everyone who donated, shared or even just reached out with kind words, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thanks to you not only will Dazey be healthy and healed soon enough, but my credit card will not be financially detrimental to us for months to come.

I could say thank you a million times and it will never be enough, but again thank you for being here with us through this journey. I cannot wait to show Dazey the best summer of her life once she is fully healed and back to her crazy and amazing self.

I will be closing this go fund me by the end of the week to pay off as much of my credit card as I can before interest charges are applied, I am forever grateful to the village I have in my life who helped me and made this all possible. We love each and everyone one of you, thanks again (x1000)

-Dazey Mae and Lorrin LaNier

Treatment Cost:

1/27/2025 Comprehensive exam with the Surgeon and aspirate taken of lump and sent to cytology for testing - $530

2/10/2025 Ultrasound with aspirates of the liver and spleen, and aspirate of another lump on the right side of her belly. - $1260

2/20/25 Surgery excising 6 Lumps - $5,329

2/25/25 Bolster bandage removal - No Charge

3/10/25 Post op checkup and possible stitch removal - TBD