Help Save Ronnie - Surgery for Cancerous Sarcomas

Hi everybody - my name is Jordan and Ronnie has been my saving grace for the last seven years. He was recently diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma on his spine, a cancerous tumor.

I adopted Ronnie as a fresh eighteen year old when he was just a baby. We both were. I drove several hours to go see “the puppy with the one blue eye” off of a Craigslist ad, and if it weren’t for being an impulsive teenager I wouldn’t have ever met my best bud.

Ronnie has been by my side throughout so many chapters in my life, and I can honestly say that if it weren’t for him there is a good chance that I wouldn’t have made it to where I am today. He’s been my rock. Licking my face and being the best cuddle bug and the largest lap dog through all of the panic attacks and the heartbreaks that your early 20’s brings you.

About six months ago I noticed a lump growing on Ronnie’s spine. I assumed it was a lipoma as they are pretty common in labs as they get older and I thought nothing of it. Before I knew it the growth had went from an unconcerning “lipoma”, to a massive hump on his back. I finally took Ronnie to the vet. They had confirmed that this was not a lipoma, nor just a build up of liquid. They had taken a sample and sent them into the oncologist. Yesterday I went to the oncologist regarding said results.

The oncologist told me that Ronnie has a soft tissue sarcoma on his spine. Mind you, this is not the only growth on his body at this time, but it is the most concerning one and the only one that we had ran tests on. She had also informed me that Ronnie has a heart murmur, and in order for removal of the mass to even be considered he will need an echocardiogram.

To put it as simply as I can: Ronnie needs a CT scan to determine if all of his tumors are cancerous, how deep rooted they are, if they have affected any other organs yet, and an echocardiogram to see if he is at all a candidate for surgery. This initial testing alone will cost $3745. If Ronnie is able to get the surgery, the removal of the tumor on his spine will cost another $4-5k. If Ronnie cannot get the surgery, radiation treatment ($8-10k) is an option, as well as electrochemotherapy ($3600), or six doses of chemotherapy ($800-$1000 a dose).

Hearing all of these numbers and knowing the risk of fatality due to how rapid and large the tumor has grown, my heart sunk. Knowing that I can in no way afford to save my boy breaks my heart. I’m going to be completely honest, I have no idea what route I am going to take or what his treatment plan is going to look like yet. All that I know is that I’d love to get the initial tests done and at least debulk the tumor to have more information so that I can do my absolute best to give him the best quality of life during his time left with me.

Asking for help is hard and something that I have always struggled with, but the discomfort is a slight sacrifice to potentially save my best friend.

All funds raised will be going toward Ronnie’s medical bills. Any donation is so greatly appreciated as I help this sweet boy through his journey. Thank you