Juniper’s Oral Cancer Surgeries

Hi, my name is Lucie and my 6 year old dog Juniper has an aggressive form of oral cancer.

This journey has felt like a rollercoaster in such a short period of time… and we are both exhausted. But the end of all the chaos is close, just one more surgery, which is why we are asking for your help.

We first found the tumor in November 2021. As I sought out options, her regular vet said she needed a minor surgery to remove the tumor but they couldn’t see her until April.

By January the tumor had already doubled in size and bleed everyday, so I quickly sought out another vet that would take her. Unfortunately, the second vet we saw for her first surgery was only able to remove half the tumor and couldn’t tell us anything about the type of cancer we were dealing with. This first surgery was at the beginning of February, and by the end of February the tumor doubled again. This cancer seemed to be growing even faster and to be honest…. I was scared. I was running out of ideas.

Two days ago we found a specialist in southern New Jersey at Veterinary Dental Specialists. They were the answer to our prayers - a highly skilled staff who could give us the answers we were looking for. They saw Juniper next day, performed a small surgery to remove half the mass for a biopsy, and informed us of the aggressive cancer we were dealing with. But with a cancer this aggressive, there is only one option in a hope for a cure - a partial mandibulectomy, or partial removal of the lower jaw.

You can imagine my shock and distress. Juniper has been at my side through all my ups and downs and adventures for 6 years. She grew up on the road with me as a puppy and it is almost like we can read each other’s minds. Now I’m being faced with the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. But I want to believe that Juniper wants 8 more years of life with me just as badly as I want 8 more years with her.

Her first surgery took all my savings and I have been spending my last month selling as much of my possessions as I can in preparation for what may come next… but despite my best effort I was not prepared for this. The total between the biopsy surgery and the partial jaw removal surgery she will have on March 31st totals the amount we are asking for. Nothing more, nothing less. I know these times are really hard for everyone, but if you have an extra $20 or even $5 we would appreciate your help.

I will be posting Juniper’s surgery and recovery on my Instagram if you would like to follow along as Juniper and I chose to keep trying to live this life together.

Thanks and lots of love,

Lucie & Juniper