Hendrix Cancer Releif - Fibrosarcoma

Hi, my name is Matthew Lawrence. I have had my best friend Hendrix since he was 6 weeks old. He has been my shadow everyday for the last 8 years. He comes to work with me almost every day, sleeps on our bed , and goes on all of our adventures. He has the most gentle soul of any dog I have ever met. He is very playful and loving with everyone he comes in contact with.

On the week of 11/16/22 we received the worse news. After finding a small bump on his snout which appeared over night; we decided to bring him into the vet. They found a small mass on the roof of his mouth which our Vet believed to be an oral cancer. That Friday, Hendrix underwent anesthesia and had a dental exam, X-rays and a biopsy done to determine what type of cancer it could be. The results for this test took 7 days to come back. The biopsy narrowed it down to either Melanoma or Fibrosarcoma. The X-ray also showed the mass has started to eat away at the bone in his upper jaw.

At this point our vet sent a referral to oncology and Soft tissue surgery to three local hospitals. It is a very specialized surgery. The earliest date for an oncology appointment we could get is for December 13th with Oncology at NC State and soft tissue surgery on the 21st. I also set up a soft tissue surgery consultation with TVRH on the 16th. It has been VERY upsetting that our dog has an aggressive tumor that is growing in his mouth rapidly and no one can see him sooner than 3 weeks.

In order to get a more definitive diagnosis we then had to order extra Stains. The stains narrowed this down to Fibrosarcoma.

During this waiting period for our appointment I have been calling every surgical hospital in the area trying to get a sooner appointment but no one will accept him unless there is another cancellation. I’ve express my concern of his mass growing to all of them , with no help.

On Friday, December 9th, Hendrix mass seemed to have tripled in size overnight. He was very lethargic and not eating his food. His breath has had a foul odor like tissue was dying inside there. I brought him to NC state emergency hospital. They gave him antibiotics and a pain killer and were adamant they still could not see him until his surgery consultation date. I understand they are very busy and there are many other dogs in a similar situation to Hendrix that need to be attended to. It just breaks my heart to see him this way, and know that the mass is growing , and no hospitals have the capacity or staffing to take him in earlier.

The antibiotics and pain killers made a huge difference. He is mostly back to acting like his normal self, other than discomfort in the face and not being able to open his left eye. He is eating normally ( soft foods) and enjoying his walks.

To date , I have spent over $1,500 on Vet bills between :

-2 visits to primary Vet care and Emergency Vet care

Dental exam , X-rays , Mass biopsy, Lab testing , Ordering extra stains , antibiotics , 2 rounds of pain killers/anti inflammatory medication

The planned surgery would be to remove the mass in his mouth. Fibrosarcoma’s are aggressive locally. The estimation for the Surgery is between $5,000- $7,000. By the time all is said and done we could be around $9000 total in vet bills to get our poor Hendrix all fixed up.

As long as the doctors are confident in removing the mass and extending our time with him, we plan to do whatever it takes to help him.

Right now my fiancé are tight on funds due to being in an early stage of starting our business , just had a newborn baby , and paying back a large sum of student loan debt. Please if you find yourself in a position to help out in any way , we can not thank you enough! Even if that help is not in the form of money, but sharing with others is just as helpful. Thank you so much!