Roger the Vizsla Fights Cancer
Donativo protegido
Our snuggly, affectionate Vizsla Roger was diagnosed with lymphoma on Tuesday July 9, 2019. In a few short days, this awful disease took a hold of his health, and left him without any desire to move and change position, eat or drink on his own, or go outside. It is heartbreaking to see him like this. Roger is family. We believe in him and started chemotherapy treatments to give Roger a second chance to return to his joyful life. All donations will be used to pay for Roger’s first round of chemotherapy (est. $8,500). We were informed multiple rounds may be necessary, and we want to give Roger the best chance to live his life. Join us on Roger's healing journey. #VizslaStrong
Roger's Story
On Friday July 5, 2019, my wife and I expected to come home to our tail wagging, toy flaunting, 3-year old Viszla Roger. He is known for waiting for us in the window, grabbing the dish towel, and showering us with jumps and love when we walk through the door. What we found was a sulking, sad Roger who could barely wag his tail. Something was not right. Over the next 12 hours, we rushed to 3 emergency veterinarians. The news was heartbreaking. At the end of our emergency room sessions, we learned that Roger had dangerously low platelet levels and a mass on his heart. The veterinarians sent us home with 3 different medications, a follow-up appointment with an oncologist and internal medicine specialist, and a very sick dog.
We had to wait until Tuesday's appointment to know the definitive diagnosis of Roger's condition. He was initially diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and we were told that the mass may or may not be related to the symptoms he was presenting. We needed to meet with the specialists to know for sure. From Friday to Tuesday, we prayed, cried, and shared the news and worry with our close family and friends. We tried to be optimistic, but Roger's symptoms only got worse as the days passed.
On Tuesday, we met with an amazing veterinarian at Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital in Eden Prairie, MN. She and her team gently lifted Roger onto a doggie stretcher and wheeled him to the back room for the tests that would lead to his diagnosis. She returned to our waiting room to inform us that Roger has the fastest growing type of cancer, Lymphoma, and that the cancer cells are in his bloodstream.
She shared her story with us. Her dog had the same diagnosis and with chemotherapy, and she lived well for 2.5 more years. She educated us about what to expect with chemo for dogs, sharing that there is no cure, but with treatment the dogs can return to their previous lifestyle. Our biggest take-away was that Roger should not suffer or be sick from chemo, like people tend to be. Chemo is the only treatment option Blue Pearl offers, because 90% of dogs will go into remission.
The veterinarian offered to give us private time to make the decision. We didn't need the private time. We both said, 'Move forward with chemo. Today. Move forward with the most effective treatment, do whatever you would do if it was your dog.'
Life with Roger
Flashback to May 2016. On an idle Tuesday night, I told my fiancé I found the puppy I wanted to get. There was no lack of researching on my part, this decision took months, and I even had some previously purchased puppy supplies just waiting for the right dog to come along. Although it took months to make the decision, once I saw him I knew that he was perfect. I decided I would drive 8 hours to Bismarck, ND to pick him up the next day. My fiancé was surprised to hear the news, but at the drop of a hat we both took the next day off of work to drive to Bismarck and pick up 'Roger'.
For the first 6 months of Roger's life, it was just me and Roger. Oh and my parents, and the occasional visit from my fiancé. Roger was even the star of our engagement photos! Roger and I lived together at my parent’s place until my wife and I got married and we all became roommates.
Roger and I did everything together. He slept in my bed, came to my volleyball matches, was the talk of the neighborhood, visited the local dog parks, went to Home Depot, Lowes, and anywhere that accepted Roger. He was gentle from the start and extremely careful with my young nieces and nephews. When we visited the dog parks, he would play with the other dogs for a couple minutes, then “check back” with me.
We were told that living with a Vizsla in an apartment would be a bad decision. Too high of energy they said. While Roger did have a lot of energy, he didn’t mind snoozing in the apartment as long as we got him out and about after work. He made friends with all the maintenance workers on his daily morning potty break and coffee run. There was even a time when he mistook the worker’s blueberry muffin for a treat, which only made the worker love him more and bring him treats each morning!
Then one day, Roger found his true calling being king of the farm! We moved out of the apartment and onto a small hobby farm where he had room to roam and other pets to look out for. He loved having “free rein” of the farm, running across the fields, chasing birds, and keeping a watchful eye on his kitties and horses. He loves the cats, and they love him right back. On the first day he was sick one of our cats curled up next to him and licked his face. His doggy friend is his next door neighbor Sophie. She is a 9-year-old heeler mix who comes over daily to see Roger. If he doesn’t see Sophie, he will go onto the hill, sit and look at her house. If she doesn’t see him, she will bark until he comes out of the house.
Roger is like a child to us. Each year he has a birthday party, where all his friends (dog and human) come to celebrate him. He opens his own gifts on Christmas, and is at every holiday event. His favorite place to sleep is under the covers in the bed. At 65 lbs, he thinks he is a lap dog and loves to sit on my lap.
Roger has given us all his love and wonderful memories. Our hope is for the chemotherapy treatment to borrow us some time and give Roger the pain-free, joyful life he deserves. Thank you for reading his story. #VizslaStrong
Roger's Story
On Friday July 5, 2019, my wife and I expected to come home to our tail wagging, toy flaunting, 3-year old Viszla Roger. He is known for waiting for us in the window, grabbing the dish towel, and showering us with jumps and love when we walk through the door. What we found was a sulking, sad Roger who could barely wag his tail. Something was not right. Over the next 12 hours, we rushed to 3 emergency veterinarians. The news was heartbreaking. At the end of our emergency room sessions, we learned that Roger had dangerously low platelet levels and a mass on his heart. The veterinarians sent us home with 3 different medications, a follow-up appointment with an oncologist and internal medicine specialist, and a very sick dog.
We had to wait until Tuesday's appointment to know the definitive diagnosis of Roger's condition. He was initially diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and we were told that the mass may or may not be related to the symptoms he was presenting. We needed to meet with the specialists to know for sure. From Friday to Tuesday, we prayed, cried, and shared the news and worry with our close family and friends. We tried to be optimistic, but Roger's symptoms only got worse as the days passed.
On Tuesday, we met with an amazing veterinarian at Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital in Eden Prairie, MN. She and her team gently lifted Roger onto a doggie stretcher and wheeled him to the back room for the tests that would lead to his diagnosis. She returned to our waiting room to inform us that Roger has the fastest growing type of cancer, Lymphoma, and that the cancer cells are in his bloodstream.
She shared her story with us. Her dog had the same diagnosis and with chemotherapy, and she lived well for 2.5 more years. She educated us about what to expect with chemo for dogs, sharing that there is no cure, but with treatment the dogs can return to their previous lifestyle. Our biggest take-away was that Roger should not suffer or be sick from chemo, like people tend to be. Chemo is the only treatment option Blue Pearl offers, because 90% of dogs will go into remission.
The veterinarian offered to give us private time to make the decision. We didn't need the private time. We both said, 'Move forward with chemo. Today. Move forward with the most effective treatment, do whatever you would do if it was your dog.'
Life with Roger
Flashback to May 2016. On an idle Tuesday night, I told my fiancé I found the puppy I wanted to get. There was no lack of researching on my part, this decision took months, and I even had some previously purchased puppy supplies just waiting for the right dog to come along. Although it took months to make the decision, once I saw him I knew that he was perfect. I decided I would drive 8 hours to Bismarck, ND to pick him up the next day. My fiancé was surprised to hear the news, but at the drop of a hat we both took the next day off of work to drive to Bismarck and pick up 'Roger'.
For the first 6 months of Roger's life, it was just me and Roger. Oh and my parents, and the occasional visit from my fiancé. Roger was even the star of our engagement photos! Roger and I lived together at my parent’s place until my wife and I got married and we all became roommates.
Roger and I did everything together. He slept in my bed, came to my volleyball matches, was the talk of the neighborhood, visited the local dog parks, went to Home Depot, Lowes, and anywhere that accepted Roger. He was gentle from the start and extremely careful with my young nieces and nephews. When we visited the dog parks, he would play with the other dogs for a couple minutes, then “check back” with me.
We were told that living with a Vizsla in an apartment would be a bad decision. Too high of energy they said. While Roger did have a lot of energy, he didn’t mind snoozing in the apartment as long as we got him out and about after work. He made friends with all the maintenance workers on his daily morning potty break and coffee run. There was even a time when he mistook the worker’s blueberry muffin for a treat, which only made the worker love him more and bring him treats each morning!
Then one day, Roger found his true calling being king of the farm! We moved out of the apartment and onto a small hobby farm where he had room to roam and other pets to look out for. He loved having “free rein” of the farm, running across the fields, chasing birds, and keeping a watchful eye on his kitties and horses. He loves the cats, and they love him right back. On the first day he was sick one of our cats curled up next to him and licked his face. His doggy friend is his next door neighbor Sophie. She is a 9-year-old heeler mix who comes over daily to see Roger. If he doesn’t see Sophie, he will go onto the hill, sit and look at her house. If she doesn’t see him, she will bark until he comes out of the house.
Roger is like a child to us. Each year he has a birthday party, where all his friends (dog and human) come to celebrate him. He opens his own gifts on Christmas, and is at every holiday event. His favorite place to sleep is under the covers in the bed. At 65 lbs, he thinks he is a lap dog and loves to sit on my lap.
Roger has given us all his love and wonderful memories. Our hope is for the chemotherapy treatment to borrow us some time and give Roger the pain-free, joyful life he deserves. Thank you for reading his story. #VizslaStrong
Coorganizadores (4)
Steve Mickelson
Organizador
Greenfield, MN
Annie Mickelson
Coorganizador
Molly Mickelson Weidinger
Coorganizador
Susan Mickelson
Coorganizador