Support Alaska's Recovery

Hey friends,

Most of you probably already know Alaska. For those who don't, she's been my loving, sassy companion for eight years.

This past weekend, I took Alaska to the vet hospital. She had lost her appetite and become lethargic for close to two days- very out of character for her. What we hoped to be a bout of food poisoning turned out to be an enormous tumor on her spleen that had ruptured. The tumor was the size of a basketball and weighed just under four pounds.

The doctor told us it was a 50/50 chance that the tumor was benign. The scans showed no signs of additional growths, and her remaining organs and blood looked remarkably healthy. If the tumor wasn't cancerous, Alaska would go on to live a long, healthy life. I was faced with a decision: proceed with the surgery at a coin flip's odds, or say goodbye to her that night.

Alaska has been with me through a lot, and that night I made the decision to be there for her. She deserved a chance at the rest of her life.

The surgery was a success. She's recovering well at home and eating lots of scrambled eggs. We even went on our first walk today. She is such a resilient pup and I’m so god damn proud of her.

Now, we are waiting for the results of her test to see if the mass they found is cancerous. We should know in about a week and will decide what the next steps are from there.

While making this decision, her well being was my top priority and finances became a secondary factor. If she has a good shot at living a long and happy life, it’s a chance I was willing to take. With that being said, her surgery was expensive and I’ve started a gofundme to help with the costs. If you’re not able to help, please send along some positive, non-cancerous thoughts. If you’d like to visit her let me know; I’m sure she’d appreciate a treat as well

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, offered support and kind words. I’m so grateful for the community and the love I have in my life. I am also beyond lucky that Alaska has a step dog dad as amazing as Phil. He’s been with me every step of the way and together, we have made the best decisions for her. I couldn’t have done this without him.

No matter what happens I believe we made the right decision to do surgery. Our pets trust us with their lives and they deserve the best we can offer them. I am hopeful that Alaska can have a long, healthy life chasing balls into the sunset.

Thank you for reading