Support Kayo's Surgery and Recovery

Hi all! Please join me in wrapping our arms around our friend Sarah and her beautiful fur baby Kayo in their time of need. No donation is too small and every good wish for healing is appreciated! Please spread the word if you are able.

Midtown Spirits (her place of employment) will also be hosting a Fundraising event on 12/2! Be sure to come out and show some love! Event is from 3-9pm, tips, donations and part of the food sales will go towards supporting Kayo.

What:

On 10/22, Kayo went to the vet for her annual shots and to have the vet look at an unusual bump that appeared to be growing on one of her back legs. The gumball-sized mass on her knee was evaluated with a fine needle aspiration to collect cell samples and they discovered that it was a Mast Cell Tumor (MTC).

This type of cancer can effectively be removed with a small change of resurgence if it is caught early with a low grade level (Level 1) and low metastatic rate (<10%). However, if the MCT has a higher grading and metastatic rate, the likelihood of surgery alone being effective exponentially drops along with the life expectancy of the animal post op.

The cost of surgery had to be considered only after a complete X-ray and ultrasound imagery of her lymph nodes, vital organs and bone marrow - the places in which this type of cancer tends to spread to first. The scans taken on 11/5 showed that a nearby lymph node was inflamed, but other than that, everything appeared to be within normal size range. A biopsy was taken of the lymph node at that same time.

Cytology confirmed that there was an abnormal cell within the inflamed lymph node and surgery was advised to remove both the tumor and the lymph node as the cells would likely continue to multiply and spread within the lymphatic system if not removed completely.

With holidays coming soon, the dilemma was to either perform the surgery only two days later, or to have to wait at least a month to be on schedule. The former approach was taken and her surgery was performed on 11/7. Surgery went as well as it could have, with limitations for creating wide margins because of the tumors proximity to Kayo’s bones. Also, due the mass being directly in front of her knee and amount of tissue that was taken from the kneecap, Kayo has had difficulty retaining her original stitches and needed to have the wound stitched a second time only four days later.

The cost of surgery and post op treatments turned out to be 23% more expensive than the initial quote and loan taken out to cover Kayo’s vet bills. This, paired with the time off from work taken to watch over Kayo as she recovers, makes the weight of this debt that much more financially unsettling.

A Note From Sarah:

For those of you who know me, you know that it’s been a rough last two years parting ways with a former pet and my childhood home that contained so many memories of my late brother. In short, I’m just not emotionally prepared for yet another goodbye, especially not one like this. Kayo has been with me the majority of the time I’ve lived here. With home being 2,300 miles away, she’s been my immediate family and if surgery is all it takes to keep her happy and healthy for years to come, I’ll do everything I can to make sure she has a chance to pull through.

Thanks for all the well wishes, encouragement and check ins.

It’s truly moving.

XO

Sarah & Kayo