Winston is my 5.5-year-old Golden Retriever. Two weeks ago, he had surgery to remove three tumors. One week ago, I was informed that one of the lumps (located on his head) is Mast Cell Sarcoma. This cancer is typically aggressive in canines, but the vet informed me that his is considered “low grade,” which means that the chance of it metastasizing (spreading) elsewhere isn’t as high. However, they did not obtain clean margins when removing the tumor, so unfortunately, part of the cancer is still in him. He now has to undergo another surgery to remove the remainder of the cancer.

His primary vet sent a referral to the Oncology Dept. at Blue Pearl (formerly known as PVSEC) for another surgery. Here, they are able to perform rapid biopsies, enabling them to ensure that they gain clean margins before stitching him up.

I spoke with the scheduling dept. yesterday. He has a consultation appointment on March 27th, during which they’ll give him a quick exam, possibly perform some testing, and we’ll likely schedule his surgery. The cost for this is $228.

If they do want to perform any testing, which could include blood, genetic, etc., the cost will be $600-1200. There is a high chance of them wanting to do this, being that he’s a Golden and they’re so highly susceptible to cancers.

The surgery can, according to them, put the cost from anywhere between $3,500-4,500.

Winston is not just a dog to me; he is my family. I know that eventually, I will have to deal with the inevitable heartbreak of losing him, but not now. I can’t let that happen; I would and will do anything for him (including disrupting every fiber of my being and asking for money from acquaintances and strangers on the internet).

I know that so many are struggling just to survive right now. If you donate, I will be forever grateful for every single dollar. PLEASE help me help my baby honey bear. ❤️‍

In the interest of full disclosure: I do have pet insurance. For those of you who don’t know, the issue with pet insurance is that you still have to pay whatever the bill is outright. You are then able to submit a claim and potentially get reimbursed for it. Though this is absolutely helpful, it is not a guarantee or a fix-all. His surgery to remove the tumors cost me $1,300, and I got notified today that I’m being reimbursed only $325.

With that being said, if you are able to and decide to donate, there is a possibility that I may be able to give you a partial refund. I don’t know what the future holds in regards to Winnie and his health, but I do know that I’m not interested in taking/keeping anyone’s money if I have a chance to give some back. So, if you donate and would be interested in receiving a partial refund, please let me know.