Support little Kookie's post-tumor-surgery costs

Odri K. is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

***We STILL NEED YOUR HELP AND ARE THEREFORE KEEPING THE FUNDAISER OPEN.***

Kookie had her surgery on the 20th of September 2023. Turns out the tumor was malignant, but we are taking it day by day.

COSTS SO FAR: Є2.007 ...and GROWING

FURTHER DONATIONS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED as post-surgery costs are still rolling in.

Update bellow and in Updates section.

STORY NOW, SEPTEMBER 2023:

Kookie has successfully made it through the surgery last wednesday (20.9.23).

She is incredibly and admirably brave. The surgeon explained that to remove the tumor without removing the whole ear-flap is not possible nor advisable, because the tumor would appear again, asi the skin-layer and muscle-layer on the ear flap are very thin. Therefore she is now a one eared pirate in boots. This means for now no second surgery is necessary!!!

I tried to focus my energy on positive waves and somehow it worked, Kookie was not shaking, which she ALWAYS does when visiting the vet. I think staying calm helped her stay calm and vice versa.

WHAT HAPPENED SINCE LAST WEEK:

We drove to Germany for 2 hours, the surgery started at noon and at 13:29 I got the much anticipated phone call that she is awake and will be monitored for a few more hours. At 17:00 we picked her up and drove back to the Netherlands. She was so happy to go home.

Everyone at the Dr. Bouassiba Tierarztpraxis vet clinic was so super attentive, caring and professional. The anesthesiologist explained to me that she will fall asleep in his arms and wake up in his arms. He really made the situation warmer and calmer. The surgeon explained everything and wanted to get the surgery done fast and smoothly also due to Kookies heart murmur. She is a cardiac patient and this makes the risks that come from being in anesthesia higher.

Kookie also got a pain-killer to take for 10 days, antibiotics for 8 days and I have been giving her Bach flower essence globuli, to lower stress.

On Friday (22.9.23) we went to the vet clinic in Utrecht to change her bandages, the vet there was also very attentive and said the wound is healing well.

On Monday (25.9.23) we went to the vet in Utrecht to get the bandage removed. The wound continued to heal well and we were given a light cream to keep the wound free of bacteria.

On Tuesday (26.9.23) we had a scare, because one stitch seemed to have gotten loose and some ear-cartilage was visible. I immediately phoned the vet in Utrecht and in Germany. After some processing I concluded to visit the vet in Utrecht again, instead of driving to Germany again. Financially and time-wise I am drained and made the call to not go to Germany.

On Wednesday (27.9.23) I talked to the surgeon in Germany, he gave me a pathology result of the tumor. It turns out it is a malignant mass tumor, grade 3. This is not great news as it is a more aggressive kind than anticipated. The results from the tests before did not show that it was malignant. This means the tumor may appear again. It can also appear in different parts of Kookie's body. For now, she and I are focusing on making sure she heals well and gets enough rest. That is the only thing we can influence at the moment.

Today (28.9.23) we went to the vet in Utrecht, he assured me the wound is healing well and the spot where the cartilage was visible was closed by a scab today. So this turned out to solve itself luckily enough.

On Monday (2.10.23) Kookie will have her stitches removed.

COSTS: Up until now we are at Є2.007 This includes:

2 pre-surgery exams (Є240, Є380)

surgery + meds (Є1.080)

extra meds (Є47)

post-surgery check-ups (Є160)

gas for trip to and from clinic in Germany (Є100)

Therefore I will still keep the GoFundMe open as further donations are very much appreciated.

Thank you, without your help I could not have afforded this with my study loan and an internship (yes even with a decade of experience in architecture and urbanism, in a new country with no dutch getting a job means starting from scratch if one does not yearn to work in the classic burn-out corporate system) and care-giver income at the moment.

Kookie is super perky and happy, is eating well and going on short walks. She was not loopy after surgery and was back to normal almost instantly, which I am so grateful for and all the vet's were amazed by how well she is handling this stressful situation.

So again. BIG THANK YOU to all of you. Look what you made possible!!

***WARNING***I will add some photos so BEWARE for content that might be triggering or traumatic to see.

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STORY AUGUST 2023:

We need your help again.

In general Kookie is doing very well. Thanks to her amazing orthopedic boots that you helped fund and made a surgery obsolete, we have enjoyed many walks! Now she needs ear surgery.

WARNING: image of tumor at the end of the written text!

Currently, Kookie is 13 years old and still a perky lady. Unfortunately, as life happens and bodies get older, she is currently having health problems which have brought me back to the GoFundMe website to ask you and others for help to try and raise funds for this little furry sheep.

WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR LIFE FOR CONTEXT:

I spent the last 11 months studying in the Netherlands, where I made a living doing random and insightful jobs, but also had the opportunity to work on university research. It was a great experience that helped support me and Kookie financially.

I am currently finishing my thesis and looking for a job that is in my field. It has been more challenging than I expected because of the language.

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH KOOKIE?

Kookie has had a lump in her ear since January 2023. Since this week we know it is a benign tumor.

I have visited 3 vets here in the Netherlands and also in the Czech Republic when I went to visit family and friends. All the vets prescribed antibiotics multiple times and took one sample which came back inconclusive.

Kookies last antibiotics were prescribed for 2 weeks and she finished taking them this week. In this same week, we travelled to Germany to see a specialist, since it is more affordable to go to the vet in Germany than it is in the Netherlands and it is just a 2h drive.

The vet was a super badass professional who specialized in ear tumors and other issues concerning animal ears. She made 3 swabs and a cell extraction from the lump in Kookies ear.

She took her time, checked all the vitals and was extremely attentive and caring. Her conclusion from checking the cells under the microscope was that it is a tumor and no medication will have an influence on it. So the only solution is surgery to remove the tumor.

Unfortunately, it is not an option to leave the tumor even if it is a benign one, because fluids are oozing out of it into Kookies internal ear canals causing infections.

COSTS SO FAR:

Kookie is not in pain at the moment but it is something that is bothering her and the infection will get worse. This is why I would want to yet again ask you for your support, as the costs for the surgery are between a whopping €1.500 to €2.300. I kindly asked the vet if she could give me a more defined price, but she said she cannot determine if one or two surgeries will be needed at this point. This is why the price range is so big.

The costs for the vet examination was €279 and the costs in the past months amount to approx. €325. I am reaching my limits financially and it is not in my possibilities to pay for the needed surgery which is scheduled for the 20th of September.

FURTHER PLANS TO RAISE FUNDS:

I am going to make a little massage for a donation fund raiser here in Utrecht, which I hope will generate some money. For this I am searching for a small rent-free space in Utrecht where I could set up my massage table and offer this funky wellness fundraiser event for a few days.

But to get things started asap, here I go asking from the bottom of my Kookie-creature loving heart if you could help us by donating any amount really. I would so appreciate your help.

Thank you for taking the time to even read through this looong text and for further info you can contact me.

Odri and the Kooks

WARNING: one image shows the tumor.

All photos are from the last 3 months.