Cancer Treatment for Gatsby

Our golden ray of sunshine, Gatsby, just turned six years old in mid January. This dopey, fun-loving, always-up-for-an-adventure, stinky boy never fails to brighten the room up with his carefree and unconditionally loving demeanor. Spend two minutes with him if you are down or sad, and he will quickly change that. Aside from the little extra bit of junk in his trunk, Gatsby has had a perfect bill of health up to this point in his youthful life.

This all abruptly changed on January 28th... when, out of nowhere, Gatsby had a full body, grand mal seizure. He was rushed to the ER and following some bloodwork and a physical exam, he was cleared from having any acute health issues and was discharged home.

Unfortunately, five days later on February 2nd, Gatsby had another seizure. The concern was now even greater than the first time, and again, was taken to the ER. This time, the doctor shared in having increased concern due to frequency of the seizures in what was (an otherwise) perfectly healthy dog.

At this stage, it was recommended to keep Gatsby in the ER overnight for observation and more thorough diagnostic testing which included: bloodwork, ultrasound of his abdomen, CT scan of his chest, full neurological exam (MRI). It wasn't a question, we knew this needed to be done so we could figure out what was going on with our sweet boy.

February 3rd... we got the update call from the neurologist following the MRI. They were those devastating words that nobody ever dreams of hearing, “I was hoping we wouldn’t find anything but we did see a mass... I'm so sorry for this diagnosis”

We were numb.

Our worst fears came true... they had found a mass that originated in the nasal canal and was pushing through to (and on) his brain causing frequent and violent seizures. The next step was taking a biopsy of the mass to determine what was going on with him and determine the content of the mass.

One week later, it was confirmed.

Gatsby had the one thing we were all hoping it wasn’t: cancer.

To say this felt unfair for such a sweet angel with so much life left to live would be an understatement. We were devastated... but also willing to do anything we could to give Gatsby the best chance to survive this nightmare.

We were fortunate enough to quickly get Gatsby in for an appointment at UW Vet Oncology clinic for a consult on March 2nd. After spending a long day in Madison, the oncology vet determined he was a good candidate for radiation treatments. This is a more aggressive treatment with the intent to shrink the tumor and possibly relieve him of having additional seizures moving forward.

It wasn’t a question in our minds, we needed to give him this chance for more life. Gatsby just doesn't deserve this.

If you know us at all, then it should be evident in the first few seconds of meeting us that our dogs are the absolute lights of our lives. They are an integral part of our family, and there has never been any question to give them everything and anything they need. Unfortunately, this has come at a tremendous cost... as we are staring down the barrel of a 5 figure vet bill (before treatment) for this setback.

We've been overwhelmed with the love and support for Gatsby and his family throughout this whole ordeal. You people are truly amazing and kind souls. We've been frequently encouraged to start this page to help tell Gatsby's story (for him) and keep everyone updated on his progress moving forward as he fights like hell to beat this.

Additionally, any financial help or donations towards Gatsby's treatment and recovery are absolutely so appreciated (mainly by Gatsby...)

The posted amount is the cost to cover radiation planning consultations, his 10 radiation treatments, and boarding/care costs while he stays at UW for treatment for two weeks (we've been calling this "cancer camp" so it isn't so scary for him... he's not buying into it as much as we hoped...)

By no means are we expecting anyone make donations nor do we expect to be able to cover these costs in full. Please... it is important to Gatsby that nobody go beyond their means to donate towards his treatment. The outpouring of support for him has been quite inspiring, and is more than enough to keep spirits up and truck forward however we can with the resources that we have.

Gatsby’s siblings (Zero, Penny, and Princeton) also want to say they are so thankful for any gifts that will hopefully lead to more time with their furry, golden brother. They too, are not ready to lose their sweet dopey Gap.

We love and appreciate you all, and look forward to sharing positive progress news with everyone in the coming weeks and months.