Jack's life saving cancer treatment
Jack was recently diagnosed with cancer. The funds from this fundraiser will be used for Jack's vet bills to get a full diagnosis of what kind of lymphoma he has and what stage he is in. The tests may include bloodwork, x-rays and other tests to see where in the body the lymphoma is affecting. These tests will give the vet an idea of how aggressive the cancer is and how it could be treated, it will help me move forward with treatment options to give him the best outcome and quality of life. Any help will be appreciated so much, I am so thankful for the support I have already received and I cannot express how grateful I am for anyone who can help.
I am so thankful for the companionship Jack has given me. Jack has been my emotional support since the first day I rescued him. He is the clumsiest, goofiest, sassiest dog I know and we have had amazing adventures together. My heart broke finding out he has cancer and every day feels like I am counting down the days when I have to make the call to put him down. I want to do everything I can for him to live a long and happy life and be there for him how he has been there for me.
How I found out his diagnosis:
A few weeks ago a lump developed under Jack's jaw, the vet thought that it was probably allergies so I watched it for a few days and the same week Jack started to lose his appetite. I immediately took him to the vet, they did a fine needle aspirate test and it came back positive for lymphoma. I was in disbelief. Just a month or two ago Jack had visited a different vet for an annual check-up and he was a healthy happy pup.
The vet explained that lymphoma is a fast-moving cancer and told me it would be worth it for me to do chemotherapy for Jack but I needed to make a decision quickly. He told me that he could refer me to an oncologist or prescribe prednisone, an anti-inflammatory that would give him 4-6 months more of life. As soon as he told me he only had months to live I broke down in tears. Jack is only 7.5 to 8 years old how could this be happening already. I felt like he still had so much life to live. I left the vet that day waiting for a referral to an oncologist.
Basic courses for treatment:
I went home, did a TON of research, asked for advice and joined several facebook groups for dogs with cancer. From my research I found that we have three options:
1. Chemo - CHOP method which is basically a combination of drugs, given weekly. Chemo for lymphoma results in 80-90% of dogs reaching remission. Remission meaning that the lymphoma will come back, but the chemo can give your dog 6 months to a year or more of life. Treatments each week will cost anywhere from $300-$500 depending on the dog, which ends up being a total of $5,000 - $10,000. This is highly recommended as it is the most successful way to treat.
2. Holistic or homeopathic - This often consists of the combination of Eastern (Chinese medicine) and Western (traditional veterinary). From my understanding, there have been successful outcomes with Chinese herbs used to fight cancer. I am unsure of the success rate or the length of time this would give us.
3. Prednisone - My final option is to have the vet prescribe Prednisone to give Jack 8-12 more weeks of life, prednisone would increase his appetite so he would be eating normally and would go into a short-term remission.
The initial vet visits for options 1 & 2 will cost around $500. The tests needed to diagnose what stage, etc. will include blood tests and X-Rays for Jack and will be anywhere from $1700-$2000.
If left untreated, Jack's healthy will quickly decline and he will only live for another week or two at the most.
Upcoming appointments:
Oncologist : May 10th at 1pm
Holistic vet: April 28th at 1:40pm
After days of waiting for the referral to go through, I got the oncologist on the phone and the next appointment they had available was May 10th. In my head I was thinking "okay, May 10th, that's three weeks, hopefully we can make it, what other choice do I have?" So I booked the appointment, hopeful that Jack would make it to the appointment.
During this time I weened Jack off of his kibble and onto a no-carb cancer diet with nutritional supplements, purchased a product called Lymphoma Gold that aids in boosting his immune system, kidney function, and overall body function as well as CBD. This cost me $300 but I have hope that they will help slow his cancer. When I first started to introduce the new food to Jack (which was boiled turkey, broccoli, and cabbage) he ate it like it was dessert! It was definitely a good feeling to see him eating when a few days before he would only eat out of my hand. I began to notice more lumps showing up under his skin and it broke my heart even more. I decided to google vets in the area that practice holistic medicine and most of them had 6-8 weeks wait time!
I eventually found a place an hour away from me and we have an appointment for this Wednesday, April 28th. During this appointment, they will examine him and then give me a call (many vets are only during curbside at this time) and will then suggest further testing based on what they think. 
