Zags wants to Keep Living!
Donation protected
In November 2017, we first noticed the lump on her side. It was a small but almost sure sign that her cancer had returned. Fast forward to this week - after just about every imaging test a dog can get, she is undergoing the first of three weeks - up to 20 days - of radiation therapy.
Zags is a rescue dog. She was found wandering in an abandoned apartment building and was very scared of the world around her. We saw her online with a rescue group, fell in love, and adopted her when she was about 18 months old. She has since been showered with attention and love, and is an incredibly sweet girl. She smiles whenever she sees us. She is my constant shadow - even telling me what time it is.... Breakfast time. Treat time (2pm). Afternoon walk time (3pm). End of my work day time (5:30pm - according to her). Bed time (earlier than I usually am ready). Even if I’m not ready for something she thinks should happen - she lets me know where I should be going and what I should be doing with her. I love having her there to remind me - especially to get up and take a break for loves!
She is already a cancer survivor - in remission for nearly 5 years. It started much the same way back then, a lump on her back that we watched and after a time, it was diagnosed as cancerous and she underwent surgery. The scar on her back is our constant reminder of what a fighter she is. And when people ask about the scar - we can proudly say she fought to be a Cancer Survivor!
Well, here we sit again. Zags is the happiest healthiest dog with cancer I’ve ever seen! She has this mass on her side - growing inside and outside of and between her ribs - that has more than quadrupled in size since we first discovered it in November. It is too large and in too difficult of a place for surgery at this time. However we have our fingers crossed that we can go down that road in the near future. For now, she is spending her days with the doctors getting her radiation therapy. We hope to shrink the tumor enough with three weeks of Monday - Friday treatments to get it to a place where we can surgically remove - and therefore have the greatest chance of curing her. If we can do that, and the removal is successful (which will likely entail removal and rebuilding of several ribs, adjustment of her diaphragm, and potentially removing part of one lung) then we can put her under Radiation Therapy for one more week and kill any last cancer cells that linger. That will mean our girl is cured of cancer once again!
Zags is close to 14 years old - she has a birthday coming up this July. And while that may sound like ‘old lady’ status (and yes, she does snore like an old lady sometimes) she is still a very youthful dog - with lots left to give and lots of life to live! She loves her multiple walks every day with me. She gets an exercise walk, a ‘stretch it out’ mid day walk, and her favorite - an evening stroll where she gets to set the pace and sniff and smell everything she wants to. She runs up and down the stairs to get us out of bed, or to be first up the stairs if we are headed that way. She eats her favorite meal of the day - breakfast - and then rubs and rolls all over the carpet. Even ‘chasing’ herself around the living room for a bit. She loves getting her toy to show us as soon as we get home - Every. Single. Time. And she gives so many kisses after we’ve been gone! Running from one of us to the next wiggling her bootie the whole time!
She is a genuinely happy and youthful dog! Yet here we are treating her for cancer again. The amazing Oncology team at Texas A&M Small Animal Clinic have put together a plan that will give her the best chance to continue her happy life for as long as possible. If all goes well, she will be with us for a long time to come. However, this long loving life comes at a price - and that is dollars that we don’t readily have. We are asking you to help our family - help Zags - in any way that you possibly can - to give Zags the best possible chance to Just. Keep. Living. You are helping us save not just our dog but our 'second child'! A true member of our family! Loved by all who see her.
Here is our current estimate to get Zags the help she needs:
Three weeks of Radiation Therapy : $9,000 - 11,000
Surgery : $3,500 - 5,000
One week of Radiation Therapy : $4,000 - 5,000
This is on top of the hotel stays in College Station, driving to and from each week, time off of work. But it's not about me or those incidental costs - it's about Zags and the joy that she brings to the world and the fight she has in her to continue to live a wonderful life. She just needs to beat the cancer - and with your help she will have the best chance to fight.
Thank you for donating as much or as little as you are able! Anything we can do to keep this girl living is incredibly appreciated!
~Robin, Mykol, and Indigo
Zags is a rescue dog. She was found wandering in an abandoned apartment building and was very scared of the world around her. We saw her online with a rescue group, fell in love, and adopted her when she was about 18 months old. She has since been showered with attention and love, and is an incredibly sweet girl. She smiles whenever she sees us. She is my constant shadow - even telling me what time it is.... Breakfast time. Treat time (2pm). Afternoon walk time (3pm). End of my work day time (5:30pm - according to her). Bed time (earlier than I usually am ready). Even if I’m not ready for something she thinks should happen - she lets me know where I should be going and what I should be doing with her. I love having her there to remind me - especially to get up and take a break for loves!
She is already a cancer survivor - in remission for nearly 5 years. It started much the same way back then, a lump on her back that we watched and after a time, it was diagnosed as cancerous and she underwent surgery. The scar on her back is our constant reminder of what a fighter she is. And when people ask about the scar - we can proudly say she fought to be a Cancer Survivor!
Well, here we sit again. Zags is the happiest healthiest dog with cancer I’ve ever seen! She has this mass on her side - growing inside and outside of and between her ribs - that has more than quadrupled in size since we first discovered it in November. It is too large and in too difficult of a place for surgery at this time. However we have our fingers crossed that we can go down that road in the near future. For now, she is spending her days with the doctors getting her radiation therapy. We hope to shrink the tumor enough with three weeks of Monday - Friday treatments to get it to a place where we can surgically remove - and therefore have the greatest chance of curing her. If we can do that, and the removal is successful (which will likely entail removal and rebuilding of several ribs, adjustment of her diaphragm, and potentially removing part of one lung) then we can put her under Radiation Therapy for one more week and kill any last cancer cells that linger. That will mean our girl is cured of cancer once again!
Zags is close to 14 years old - she has a birthday coming up this July. And while that may sound like ‘old lady’ status (and yes, she does snore like an old lady sometimes) she is still a very youthful dog - with lots left to give and lots of life to live! She loves her multiple walks every day with me. She gets an exercise walk, a ‘stretch it out’ mid day walk, and her favorite - an evening stroll where she gets to set the pace and sniff and smell everything she wants to. She runs up and down the stairs to get us out of bed, or to be first up the stairs if we are headed that way. She eats her favorite meal of the day - breakfast - and then rubs and rolls all over the carpet. Even ‘chasing’ herself around the living room for a bit. She loves getting her toy to show us as soon as we get home - Every. Single. Time. And she gives so many kisses after we’ve been gone! Running from one of us to the next wiggling her bootie the whole time!
She is a genuinely happy and youthful dog! Yet here we are treating her for cancer again. The amazing Oncology team at Texas A&M Small Animal Clinic have put together a plan that will give her the best chance to continue her happy life for as long as possible. If all goes well, she will be with us for a long time to come. However, this long loving life comes at a price - and that is dollars that we don’t readily have. We are asking you to help our family - help Zags - in any way that you possibly can - to give Zags the best possible chance to Just. Keep. Living. You are helping us save not just our dog but our 'second child'! A true member of our family! Loved by all who see her.
Here is our current estimate to get Zags the help she needs:
Three weeks of Radiation Therapy : $9,000 - 11,000
Surgery : $3,500 - 5,000
One week of Radiation Therapy : $4,000 - 5,000
This is on top of the hotel stays in College Station, driving to and from each week, time off of work. But it's not about me or those incidental costs - it's about Zags and the joy that she brings to the world and the fight she has in her to continue to live a wonderful life. She just needs to beat the cancer - and with your help she will have the best chance to fight.
Thank you for donating as much or as little as you are able! Anything we can do to keep this girl living is incredibly appreciated!
~Robin, Mykol, and Indigo
Organizer
Robin Colton
Organizer
Austin, TX