Hi, I'm Juliana and I'm fundraising to help pay for our sweet Arrow's treatment.

Our amazing, vibrant boy, Arrow, is going to be 13 in October! He is the love of our lives (along with his 2 y/o brother, River) and if you met him, you wouldn’t believe his age! He is active and lively, and most definitely a happy guy. He loves hiking off-leash, running at the beach, camping, and most of all… food! He lives to eat!! He won his senior hunt title in his day and still participates in scent trials. He’s the best cuddle bug ever and tolerates his younger brother like a champ.

We recently had a growth removed from Arrow’s leg and found out that it is malignant melanoma. It was too close to a blood vessel to be completely removed. We got an ominous email from our vet, and for two days before meeting with a veterinary oncologist, we thought the worst was upon us. It was a tearful, painful time, but we got some good news after the CT scan… no lymph involvement and no metastases!! The scan also revealed an infiltrative lipoma which is growing internally. What we learned is that we can take Arrow for a course of radiation which will slow the growth of both the melanoma and the lipoma. And we can start him on a medication that is like a vaccine which will tell his immune system to attack any future melanoma cells. This news – while we hate to have to put him through any of this – was music to our ears. It sounds like with treatment he can continue to live out a long and happy life without pain or suffering! No chemo, no downtime!! The big negative about all of this (aside from the fact that our oncology team is 3 hours away and we’ll be making at least two trips a week) is the hardship of the cost - over $16,000! We do have pet insurance, thank goodness, but the amount it covers, assuming it will, is only up to 60%. Even with the insurance benefits, the cost is overwhelming. But there is no way we will forego doing everything we can for our sweet boy.

This is where I am completely out of my comfort zone as I ask for help. It was suggested to me that I create a Go Fund Me and reach out to my communities. I cringe to do so, but for Arrow, I will do just about anything! If (and only if) it is not burdensome to you, and you are able to make a small contribution to help us out, it will have a tremendous impact for us and for our beloved Arrow. I also know it’s not always feasible or good timing to contribute to these things, and that is deeply understood.

I never in my life thought I’d be a dog person or have a heart dog… but here we are. Love is powerful