Shadow's Medical Expense Fund
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Last weekend I noticed Shadow was not acting like himself, and not eating his food. I knew something serious must have been wrong when he refused a piece of lunch meat. I took him to the vet on Monday to discover that he has an abscessed upper premolar requiring antibiotics and pulling the tooth once the 14 day course of medication is finished. The vet recommended we also do a geriatric blood panel on him because she said typically dogs don't act that sick from just a tooth. She was right - had a low platelet count, which would not be caused by the tooth. We then had to recheck his platelets the next day - again they were low. The vet explained that she was concerned about cancer and the next step was an abdominal ultrasound. My mom and I took Shadow to WVRC to have the ultrasound through the emergency room as the first ultrasound I could get through a vet's office was a week away. That's when I got the news that he has an extremely large splenic tumor (bigger than the biggest grapefruit you've ever seen).
Splenic tumors in dogs are hemangiosarcomas (very aggressive tumors in the blood vessels) 2/3 of the time. However, 1/3 of the time they are benign. The most horrible part about this tumor is that there is no way to biopsy it with surgical removal. Leaving the tumor alone and inside Shadow isn't an option, as it is so large that it is at risk of rupturing and causing internal bleeding at any moment. Luckily, it isn't bleeding yet. The splenectomy surgery is very expensive, but I have faith that Shadow will come out of this surgery feeling much better and the biopsy will be benign. Unfortunately, as many of you know, Patrick was laid off of work late last year and has been unemployed the past 4 months. There is never a good time for one of your beloved pets to fall seriously ill, but during a financial hardship just makes it that much worse. We originally were leaning towards euthanization due to the cost and our finances, but we just cannot give up on Shadow.
Shadow is scheduled for surgery Monday morning, March 25th at 8 am.
They will be takings xrays of his chest and heart, removing his spleen, and if he remains stable enough during the surgery, they will remove his abscessed tooth as well.
PLEASE pray for Shadow - for his comfort, that he makes it until surgery without internal bleeding, that his tumor is benign, the surgery is a success without complications, and for a speedy and full recovery.
We will be forever grateful for any help you can offer.
Love,
Kristen Maloney
Splenic tumors in dogs are hemangiosarcomas (very aggressive tumors in the blood vessels) 2/3 of the time. However, 1/3 of the time they are benign. The most horrible part about this tumor is that there is no way to biopsy it with surgical removal. Leaving the tumor alone and inside Shadow isn't an option, as it is so large that it is at risk of rupturing and causing internal bleeding at any moment. Luckily, it isn't bleeding yet. The splenectomy surgery is very expensive, but I have faith that Shadow will come out of this surgery feeling much better and the biopsy will be benign. Unfortunately, as many of you know, Patrick was laid off of work late last year and has been unemployed the past 4 months. There is never a good time for one of your beloved pets to fall seriously ill, but during a financial hardship just makes it that much worse. We originally were leaning towards euthanization due to the cost and our finances, but we just cannot give up on Shadow.
Shadow is scheduled for surgery Monday morning, March 25th at 8 am.
They will be takings xrays of his chest and heart, removing his spleen, and if he remains stable enough during the surgery, they will remove his abscessed tooth as well.
PLEASE pray for Shadow - for his comfort, that he makes it until surgery without internal bleeding, that his tumor is benign, the surgery is a success without complications, and for a speedy and full recovery.
We will be forever grateful for any help you can offer.
Love,
Kristen Maloney
Organizer
Kristen Maloney
Organizer
Oconomowoc, WI
