Help Buster Beat Lymphoma

This handsome guy is our dear Buster. He's a 10 year old Aussie Shepherd and has been part of our family since he was 3 months. His big personality and sense of mischief brings undeniable laughter and happiness to everyone he meets.

 

Anyone who knows Buster knows he’s a hungry boy. However, recently he hasn’t had much of an appetite. Two weeks ago, he and I drove from California to the east coast where we are going to be living for some time. I took him to the vet for a check-up before we left and they took a biopsy from a lump on his neck. Midway through our cross-country drive, I got a call from his vet. He told me that the biopsy showed that Buster has lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymph nodes—which ultimately leads to a compromised immune system. Lymphoma is an aggressive type of cancer and the average life expectancy is 1-2 months from the date of diagnosis. With much luck, we were able to get an appointment at Peak Veterinary Referral Center the same week that we arrived. The oncologist informed me that Buster has Stage 5 lymphoma and that he needs to start treatment as soon as possible.

 

This week, Buster started chemotherapy, the first of many treatments he'll have to endure weekly for the next 5 months. Lymphoma progresses rapidly but fortunately it is very treatable. His treatments vary week by week, both in terms of drugs and cost, and 5 months worth of weekly chemotherapy treatments will cost us roughly $7500.

 

We know that chemotherapy sounds incredibly scary and that it can cause adverse reactions in humans, but dogs tend to have milder symptoms - and so far, Buster is having none. The oncologist we're seeing says that we don't want the treatment to be worse than the illness itself, and if he were to get sick from any of the medications, we'd take a different approach.

 

Buster is the dog of my dreams (I literally dreamt about him before he came into my life) and I know it's not his time to go. He's a fighter and still has many adventures left in him. We would be forever grateful to anyone willing to help us raise the funds needed to give Buster the best quality of life that he deserves. If you cannot contribute financially, prayers are much appreciated as well as sharing with others to help spread the word. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and for your all of your love and support.