Moose needs Surgery

My world crumbled yesterday, June 15th at 8:47 in the morning. If anyone has ever had a pet that felt more like their soulmate than animal, then you would understand the gut wrenching pain of being told by a vet that even a good outcome for your animal is going to be difficult.

Moose is my world. Anyone that knows me and him knows the bond we share, but if this is your first introduction to us, hello. I’m Alicyn and this is my dog Moose.

Moose came to me in 2017 around Christmas time as the last dog of an oops litter of 12 puppies to find a home. I was hesitant but as soon as I met him, hiding under an end table in my friends’ home, I knew it was love. He eventually came out and put his paws on my shoulders and nestled his head into my neck. His head would find his way to my neck every night for the next 2 years as he grew into a boisterous, silly, goofy dog. He loves balls more than life and is always down to nap. Moose is the best thing to ever happen to me.

I am 30 now but Moose and I met each other when I was 25. He saw me through some of the darkest moments of my life, his head on mine when I would wake up from nightmares, or laying on me as I grieved the death of my father. I have severe depression, anxiety, and ADHD. His presence in my life is more often than not, the sole reason I get out of bed and keep trying. For someone that has a history of suicide attempts and self harm, Moose has given me somewhere to look when I feel wholly alone in my grief and PTSD.

I work as a teacher’s assistant at a small private school. I don’t make a lot but I make enough to manage as I finish my Psychology degree to hopefully help people the same way Moose has helped me. So I’m asking for your help.

Not long ago, we noticed a mass inside Moose’s mouth. It caused him to develop a hotspot sore on his face and an ear infection so I took him to the vet early yesterday morning. The doctor was lovely but her smile vanished as soon as I opened Moose’s mouth to show her the mass. Until this point, I had assumed it was an infected broken tooth, but she quickly redirected me and shifted tones. She was slower to speak, weighing everything she said as she told me that given her experience, the mass in his mouth is most likely a tumor of some kind. She said the placement of it in his back upper jaw means that regardless of if it is benign or metastatic, there will be no way to surgically get a clean margin on its removal. She said that means there would be no way to remove all cancerous tissue if that’s what it is. She also said a benign tumor has a high likelihood of growing back and thus placing us in a repeating surgical cycle for him.

She was very clear and firm that I should manage my expectations and prepare myself to make some hard decisions. My entire body went numb.

This news was followed by a cleaning of his cheek wound, a round of injections, blood draw, and a set of medications being handed to me with emphasis that he needs to be scheduled for surgery next week.

The surgery is to put him under to get x-rays to see how big the mass is and exactly where it’s located, take a biopsy of the tissue, and remove as much of it as they can for his comfort. Essentially, this means that to even just know our next step for his comfort, Moose has to undergo surgery. A surgery I can’t afford after a vet visit I couldn’t afford either.

It is roughly $2,100 in estimate to treat him fully- just to know what will be the next right thing for us to do for him. I don’t have that kind of money and the surgical estimate doesn’t include any cost of antibiotics, pain medications, surgical follow up appointments, or special food he will need. So I am asking for your help. I’m asking you to help me do the next right thing for the dog that has loved me through the worst. That has given me reason to breathe every day. That deserves comfort and care that I feel ashamed my career path right now does not allow me to provide him on my own.

Moose is the heart of my heart and soul of my soul. For any donations, shares, and support, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If these truly are his final days, please help me give Moose all he deserves.