Help Us Save Camper: Our Sweet Pup’s Fight for Life

Friends, Family, Community and Kind-Hearted Strangers,

On Saturday, March 29th, our sweet dog Camper had a terrifying and sudden brush with death.

We came home to find our floors covered in blood. It was coming from Camper, and within moments, we rushed her to the emergency room. The vets discovered a massive internal growth had ruptured, causing severe internal bleeding. We were told we had arrived just in time. If we had hesitated even slightly, we could have lost her at home.

Camper just celebrated her 4th birthday a few weeks ago…she was healthy, vibrant, and full of life, doing happy zoomies on our neighborhood baseball field just that morning. Routine checkups and bloodwork had all been normal. Because dogs don’t usually receive internal imaging until they’re at least 5, there was no way to know a tumor had been silently growing inside her.

Initial X-rays were grim. The doctors feared an aggressive cancer that had already spread, and Camper urgently needed multiple blood transfusions just to stabilize her overnight. There were no guarantees, but we had no time to wait. Surgery was her only shot. We told ourselves, if this is rare... maybe her survival will be rare too.

And she made it.

Our strong, resilient girl survived the surgery. The team was able to stop the bleeding, remove the main tumor, along with her left kidney and spleen and secure her stomach to her abdomen wall. We now rely on her right kidney to carry the load, and we’re monitoring her closely for signs of normal function. The tumor has been sent for biopsy, and the results will tell us whether Camper has months or years ahead of her, and whether chemotherapy is part of her future.

This week has shaken us to our core, emotionally, mentally, and financially. We’ve had to make impossible decisions in a matter of minutes, and while we knew we were taking on a huge financial burden with no guarantees, we couldn’t let her go without giving her a chance. She is only 4 years old. She has so much love, life, and tail wags left to give.

We’re now reaching out to our community, to those who know us, and to those who simply believe in second chances for good dogs like Camper.

If you can:

-Donate

-Share this fundraiser

-Keep Camper in your thoughts and prayers

...you’ll be helping us give her the best possible shot at recovery.

Between emergency exams, imaging, CT scans, blood transfusions, hospital stays, surgery, and potential chemotherapy, we’re facing a long financial road, but one we’ll walk proudly if it means keeping our girl by our side.

We’re incredibly thankful to the extraordinary doctors and staff at Access Specialty Animal Hospital in Culver City and VCA West Los Angeles. These people are true heroes, and they saved our Campie’s life.

With love and gratitude, Jaclyn & Jared

UPDATE: 4/9/25

Dear Friends, Family, Community, and Kind-Hearted Strangers,

We are thrilled to share some good news about Camper! The biopsy results came back showing a type of cancer called leiomyosarcoma, which is non-aggressive in nature and hadn’t spread. Doctors were able to successfully remove all affected areas, including her left kidney and spleen. Thankfully, this means Camper won’t need chemotherapy! We had to make medical decisions for our sweet girl in a matter of minutes, and with this outcome we feel validated in the choices made.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support we’ve received. The love, donations, prayers, shares, texts, letters and kind words have made a world of difference and gave us the strength to continue on.

While the prognosis is positive, Camper will need follow-up ultrasounds over the next year to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned. If all goes well, the surgery will be considered curative, but if additional treatments like radiation are necessary, we’re prepared to face that challenge.

This journey has been incredibly difficult, both emotionally and financially. The medical costs are still substantial, surpassing even the original fundraising goal we had set. However, the support we have received from all of you have made it possible to see a way forward. We are so deeply grateful.

Thank you again for everything. We couldn’t do this without you.

With love and gratitude,

Jaclyn, Jared & Camper Roo