Luke’s Melanoma Fund

Luke is my 6 year old Border Terrier and the best friend I’ve ever had. He’s been with me since he was 11 weeks old and I can’t imagine life without him by my side. He received the diagnosis of malignant oral melanoma on 9/16/21 after having a painful growth on his inner lip removed and biopsied.

 

His prognosis for now is good as the tumor was excised entirely, however the margins were narrow (wide margins are preferred.) His oncologist has recommended a combination treatment plan of radiation and the melanoma vaccine. He needs to receive a CT scan first to determine if the cancer has metastasized which will happen on 10/6/21. While the cancer is most likely terminal, we hope the treatment will extend his life for another 2.5-5 years, more if we’re lucky. Without treatment, his prognosis is extremely poor.

 

Luke received his first melanoma vaccine on 10/1/21 and will receive a total of four vaccines initially with boosters at 6 and 12 months. Unfortunately, I do not have insurance for Luke and will be paying entirely out of pocket for his treatment. This is the cost breakdown so far: 

1st vaccine + bloodwork: $1080
CT scan + lymph node cytology: $2800
Remaining vaccines (3): $2400 - these are $810 each 
Radiation therapy: $2500 estimate. This could be $5000 all by itself. 

Luke is such a special dog. I may be biased, but he steals the heart of everyone he meets with his infectious smile, ridiculously sophisticated beard, and happy-go-lucky demeanor. He’s still brimming with life and I know he wants to fight. Any and all help for my Little Brown Dog is greatly appreciated!