Help Paris Kick Cancer to the Curb!

Well, I never expected to be back here, especially when I thought life had dealt enough of a cruel hand to our first fur baby, Paisley. And yet, here I am, now writing about our current golden baby, Paris.

There’s really no way to ease into saying it, but at only age 3.5, Paris has just been diagnosed with cancer.

I never wanted to hear - or see - that “c-word” come up again after what Paisley went through. After what our hearts went through. And I also never thought that cancer would be a diagnosis we’d get for an even younger pup - a healthy, happy pup.

For those of you who have met Paris, you already know she is a beacon of sunshine, a furry ball of happiness and she has ENDLESS (excitable) love for everyone she meets. She’s gentle, she’s kind, she’s (mostly) smart, she loves her ‘extended family’ almost more than her ‘hoomans’ (grandpawrents, aunties and uncles, you know who you are) — and, I’ll tell you, she’s got a hell of a lot more life to live and love to give.

So, how did we end up here? (You can skip to the end for the quick summary, otherwise strap in for story time)

At only a few months old, we noticed that Paris had a small skin-like growth on the roof of her mouth. We pointed it out to our vet, who thought there might be a stick fragment or small foreign body that got stuck between her teeth and gums and caused an irritation - valid consideration, as Paris is part beaver and chomps on sticks like it’s her job (that she doesn’t have…beautiful freeloader <3) - but that was not the case. For being a puppy at the time, there was no reason to think it could be anything serious, so we were told to monitor it for any changes.

When Paris was getting spayed ~1 year old, we opted to get the growth biopsied to figure out what the heck this thing was. Biopsy results determined it was a benign growth (non-cancerous), but it was definitely unusual and not something that the pathologists and veterinarians knew much more about. So, we were told to keep an eye on it for any changes again, but were also given a quote for the mass to be removed.

Fast-forward 2 years and we noticed that the mass was gradually changing shape, so we opted to have Paris get the mass removal surgery. In January of this year, the mass was successfully removed and was sent off to pathology - again, it was benign, so we thought we had nothing to worry about, but we still wanted to know what it was. Turns out, there WAS something to worry about. What was once benign had turned cancerous at some point over the past couple of years. The real kicker? This is such a rare form of a sarcoma-type cancer that there isn’t even a formal classification for it yet - this particular type of sarcoma is currently being researched and there are no existing studies about it like there are for more common cancers. The pathology investigation and research process is active, real-time, in-progress.

The news was devastating, and honestly, we’re still in shock that this could even be happening - there’s no way to soften the blow of the feeling you experience when you hear your fur baby has cancer. And she’s just that - a BABY.

So, what was next? Referral to Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital to Oncology for a CT Scan + treatment plan.

The results?

- Ruled out lymphoma (thank god)

- Determined the sarcoma had not spread to her cheekbone or nasal cavity

- Determined that there was some spread into her palate that warranted treatment

The oncologist’s recommendation for Paris’ case? A partial maxillectomy

For non-medical peeps (my hand is up), this means a partial removal of jaw bone, palate and teeth in order to get clean margins around the affected tissue and get the cancer right the fuck out of there. Given where Paris’ affected tissue is, the surgeon expects they’ll have to remove between 4-5 teeth in addition to the surrounding jaw bone. They’ll also be removing two enlarged lymph nodes during the procedure.

The prognosis? If clean margins are achieved (i.e. all the affected tissue is successfully removed), Paris can live a full life, doing all the doggy things she currently enjoys.

If we do nothing? It’s basically a waiting game until the mass starts to regenerate - while it is showing that it’s slow developing, eventually it would cause a decline in her quality of life.

So, what are we doing? Paris is a healthy, young dog, with many years of fetching sticks, swimming in the lake, and keeping Pinot (my rescue bunny) company - as it stands, we’re opting to have her get the maxillectomy. In order to do this, we will be going to Ottawa in the next few weeks to get the procedure done by a surgical oncologist - one of the top surgeons in Ontario/Canada. I can share more about the procedure and healing journey if anyone asks and is interested - for now, I’ve already given you a three-part novel series, so will spare the details.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading <3. I’m sure it comes as no surprise, but the vet bills we’ve incurred for Paris’ mass removal, CT scan, and impending maxillectomy surgery are...well, a lot. I want to be transparent about this experience and what we’re going through. In total, we will be spending approximately $17,000 CAD.

While these costs are something we’re willing to tackle ourselves to give our precious girl the best shot at living a long, healthy life, if you’re able to contribute to her healing journey fund, it would be so, so appreciated. Any amount helps, and I’m not just saying that. It truly does. Your love and support helps. Your check-ins to see how WE’RE doing helps. But this is all for Paris. She’s our baby girl, and she deserves to be able to live out the rest of her life without any cruel, uninvited interruptions.

For those who have been on this journey when I went through it with Paisley in 2020, I carry that gratitude in my heart every day. Thank you to the oncology team at MOVEH, to Cait for being the absolute best vet tech ever, and to all our Paris-loving friends and family. Please give your fur babies (and real babies + family) big cuddles and all the love - and here’s a PSA to always trust when you think something might not be ‘just okay’.

Join us in Paris’ healing journey as she kicks cancer to the curb for good. And here’s to brighter, healthier days ahead. Thank you all so much, in advance.

Much love,

Paris, Samantha & Kevin

#FUCKCancer