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I was very hesitant in starting a crowdfunding post at first, since there are some negativity towards it, but I am open to many options to help Leah. So here I am.
I first want to apologize for the long post and I thank you for taking the time to read it. I appreciate your support in anyway. I am going to introduce to you my dog Leah, what she has, provide a little bit of knowledge, and what possibly needs to be done to help her.
Leah is my first dog ever. One year in highschool(April 2006), my parents finally allowed me to have a dog. Not quite... what really happened was that I was searching on classified ads one saturday morning. I came across an ad for golden retriever puppies and they were local (in San Francisco). I told my mom the infamous line "let's just go take a look".
Back in September 2015, I noticed a growth on her gums by her lower left canines. It grew to twice the size of a marble in a matter of weeks. Her upper canine had dug into the tumor. I was hopping it was nothing more than inflammation. The doctor I worked for at the time had removed a big portion of it and sent it to the lab. The results came back as Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma. My plan after was to keep an eye on it.
Now fast fowarding 4 months..... Of course, it does grow back, its a squamous cell carcinoma. It is locally invasive to surrounding tissue and into the jaw bone. It has a very low chance of spread but if it does, it is usually to lymph nodes or lungs. The tumor has grown back next to where the previous one was. Her chin also feels swollen now and there is a small lump growing under her toungue. She eats just fine and she acts normal still like a puppy. I took Leah to California Veterinary Specialist in Ontario to see what my options were. The oncologist, Dr. Ogilvie, gave me a few options of keeping her comfortable, or trying to treat the carcinoma. Keeping her comfortable means putting her on some pain medication and anti cancer medication to hopefully slow the growth, and/or small dose of radiation(about 4 or 5 days). The other 2 option is rostral mandibulectomy (removing part of her jaw) or a longer treatment of radiation (about 15 days). Even after being in the veterinary field for 3 years, it is a tough decision to make for my own pet. Inevitably, finances does play a big role in decision making for me. I am leaning more towards the longer treatment of radiation since sugery to remove part of her jaw seems a bit extreme.
The Doctor said that in some cases, both may need to be done. With treatment, prognosis is good for Leah and she has many more years to go, but I should not wait too long... so please!!! Help and donate what you can for her so we can help Leah beat this cancer!
In the mean time, I have her on Algal DHA supplements (suggested by CVS), immune tabs by Ramaekersnutrition.com (suggested by Dr. Burgermeister), and a change of diet. I have cut back on her carbohydrates intake (what cancer cells like to feed on).
Here on GoFund me, I am only asking for the rest I will need. I am using as much resources I have to help with my case. I will be running bloodwork as well as taking x-rays at my own work since I have a discount. This will knock out $400 already. In terms of my own finances, I have already applied for care credit and was approved for alittle over $1,000. I will be using this amount towards her bill. I will also be actively seeking help and applying for different pet foundations for donations. If I have any extra donations available, I will push for her getting a CT scan as well to check for margins of the tumor. This will cost another $550.
I first want to apologize for the long post and I thank you for taking the time to read it. I appreciate your support in anyway. I am going to introduce to you my dog Leah, what she has, provide a little bit of knowledge, and what possibly needs to be done to help her.
Leah is my first dog ever. One year in highschool(April 2006), my parents finally allowed me to have a dog. Not quite... what really happened was that I was searching on classified ads one saturday morning. I came across an ad for golden retriever puppies and they were local (in San Francisco). I told my mom the infamous line "let's just go take a look".
Back in September 2015, I noticed a growth on her gums by her lower left canines. It grew to twice the size of a marble in a matter of weeks. Her upper canine had dug into the tumor. I was hopping it was nothing more than inflammation. The doctor I worked for at the time had removed a big portion of it and sent it to the lab. The results came back as Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma. My plan after was to keep an eye on it.
Now fast fowarding 4 months..... Of course, it does grow back, its a squamous cell carcinoma. It is locally invasive to surrounding tissue and into the jaw bone. It has a very low chance of spread but if it does, it is usually to lymph nodes or lungs. The tumor has grown back next to where the previous one was. Her chin also feels swollen now and there is a small lump growing under her toungue. She eats just fine and she acts normal still like a puppy. I took Leah to California Veterinary Specialist in Ontario to see what my options were. The oncologist, Dr. Ogilvie, gave me a few options of keeping her comfortable, or trying to treat the carcinoma. Keeping her comfortable means putting her on some pain medication and anti cancer medication to hopefully slow the growth, and/or small dose of radiation(about 4 or 5 days). The other 2 option is rostral mandibulectomy (removing part of her jaw) or a longer treatment of radiation (about 15 days). Even after being in the veterinary field for 3 years, it is a tough decision to make for my own pet. Inevitably, finances does play a big role in decision making for me. I am leaning more towards the longer treatment of radiation since sugery to remove part of her jaw seems a bit extreme.
The Doctor said that in some cases, both may need to be done. With treatment, prognosis is good for Leah and she has many more years to go, but I should not wait too long... so please!!! Help and donate what you can for her so we can help Leah beat this cancer!
In the mean time, I have her on Algal DHA supplements (suggested by CVS), immune tabs by Ramaekersnutrition.com (suggested by Dr. Burgermeister), and a change of diet. I have cut back on her carbohydrates intake (what cancer cells like to feed on).
Here on GoFund me, I am only asking for the rest I will need. I am using as much resources I have to help with my case. I will be running bloodwork as well as taking x-rays at my own work since I have a discount. This will knock out $400 already. In terms of my own finances, I have already applied for care credit and was approved for alittle over $1,000. I will be using this amount towards her bill. I will also be actively seeking help and applying for different pet foundations for donations. If I have any extra donations available, I will push for her getting a CT scan as well to check for margins of the tumor. This will cost another $550.