Kuta Kicks Cancer
Donation protected
This is our beloved dog Kuta, an 8-year-old Siberian Husky born on April 6th, 2007 in Swan Hills, Alberta at a breeder called Nanook Siberians. Son to former Canadian and American Kennel Club champions, Kuta came to join our family when he was just a small pup at 10 weeks old, but not before we were asked to sign a non-breeding agreement. The bloodlines he comes from date back to one of the first actual Huskies brought from Siberia to North America in 1917; to say he has good genes would be an understatement.
Kuta is one of the happiest, most adventure-loving dogs you'll ever meet who brings so much joy to us and those around him. Sometimes it's impossible to go 20 feet without someone wanting to meet him or simply tell us what a beautiful dog he is. He joins us on hikes, where he roams in search of wildlife, and cruises alongside us while riding our bikes.
On September 17th, 2015 Kuta was diagnosed with a nasal sarcoma, or adenocarcinoma. He in no way seemed unhealthy or sick until late July when we began to notice his bloody noses. Not being sure of their cause, we were absolutely blindsided by the 3-month median life expectancy.
After some research, we went down the alternative path for nearly a month using a product called neoplasene orally. Once it became clear from the manufacturer of the drug that oral treatment would not allow Kuta to gain much on the median, we decided to take a look at a more aggressive approach which would require an injection directly to the tumour. On October 17th we had a CT scan performed at a local clinic but once the scan was done it was clear the tumour was too large to proceed with the neaoplsene injection. It did however yield an appointment with an amazing veterinary oncologist in Vancouver by the name of Dr. Charney who introduced us to stereotactic radiation therapy: short doses of very concentrated radiation, using extremely advanced technology and equipment usually reserved for rare cases in humans. Unlike conventional radiation therapy, this treatment is so acutely focused on the tumour that the surrounding tissue remains healthy and it produces little to no side effects. We have been given a positive prognosis and have decided to move forward with the treatment.
He will be undertaking the journey to Calgary, and the process will take three days - one to travel there and be examined, one to setup the system and layout the therapy plan, and one for the single 1-hour treatment and return to Vancouver. As you can imagine this is all very expensive and after all is said and done we expect the costs to be around $15,000 and have decided to start this campaign to cover half.
Thanks for coming to our page, and taking time out of your day. Whether you can contribute or not, or whether you agree with our decision to seek treatment for our little buddy, we do appreciate you taking interest and visiting the page to learn more about our story.
Kuta is one of the happiest, most adventure-loving dogs you'll ever meet who brings so much joy to us and those around him. Sometimes it's impossible to go 20 feet without someone wanting to meet him or simply tell us what a beautiful dog he is. He joins us on hikes, where he roams in search of wildlife, and cruises alongside us while riding our bikes.
On September 17th, 2015 Kuta was diagnosed with a nasal sarcoma, or adenocarcinoma. He in no way seemed unhealthy or sick until late July when we began to notice his bloody noses. Not being sure of their cause, we were absolutely blindsided by the 3-month median life expectancy.
After some research, we went down the alternative path for nearly a month using a product called neoplasene orally. Once it became clear from the manufacturer of the drug that oral treatment would not allow Kuta to gain much on the median, we decided to take a look at a more aggressive approach which would require an injection directly to the tumour. On October 17th we had a CT scan performed at a local clinic but once the scan was done it was clear the tumour was too large to proceed with the neaoplsene injection. It did however yield an appointment with an amazing veterinary oncologist in Vancouver by the name of Dr. Charney who introduced us to stereotactic radiation therapy: short doses of very concentrated radiation, using extremely advanced technology and equipment usually reserved for rare cases in humans. Unlike conventional radiation therapy, this treatment is so acutely focused on the tumour that the surrounding tissue remains healthy and it produces little to no side effects. We have been given a positive prognosis and have decided to move forward with the treatment.
He will be undertaking the journey to Calgary, and the process will take three days - one to travel there and be examined, one to setup the system and layout the therapy plan, and one for the single 1-hour treatment and return to Vancouver. As you can imagine this is all very expensive and after all is said and done we expect the costs to be around $15,000 and have decided to start this campaign to cover half.
Thanks for coming to our page, and taking time out of your day. Whether you can contribute or not, or whether you agree with our decision to seek treatment for our little buddy, we do appreciate you taking interest and visiting the page to learn more about our story.
Organizer
Andy MacDonald
Organizer
Vancouver, BC