Nala’s Cancer Treatment

Nala was adopted from the animal shelter in October of 2018. She was 4 years old and had been in the pound for a few years. She was fostered and returned and waiting for her forever home. When I adopted her I was 18 and did not know how expensive a pet can be. I didn’t know pet insurance existed. And of course we never expected to be in this boat.

In January of this year, we noticed that Nala had a mass growing on her gums. We had it surgically removed and biopsied. It was found to be cancer. Specifically, Canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma (CAA). This is a very common oral cancer found in medium to large breed dogs. It is a locally aggressive form of cancer. Meaning, it’s not expected to spread to other parts of her body but it will continue growing quite aggressively in her mouth.

Treatment for this type of cancer is surgery. She will need all cancerous tissue removed including parts of her lower jawbone. The prognosis for this form of treatment is really good. They expect she would live out the rest of her life with no issues.

On the other hand, the prognosis with no treatment is not good. The tumor is growing very rapidly and will eventually overtake her mouth. As of now she is eating and drinking normally. Her energy levels have not changed. And frankly, if it weren’t directly in her mouth we wouldn’t have known a thing. While Nala is on the older side at 11 years old, she is overall very healthy and has no other health concerns. Her heart, kidneys, liver lab results have come back unremarkable. She has had no musculoskeletal issues.

The total cost for treatment is not set just yet as imaging has yet to be completed. This will tell us how involved the cancer is and thus how much will have to be removed. But as you can guess it is expected to be very expensive. As of now the total for her treatment (including imaging, labs, surgery, and all other costs) is between $18,000-$23,000. No matter how you slice it, this amount of money hurts. Especially when you weren’t prepared for it. Quite honestly…. Any amount helps. We are incredibly grateful for our community and the support we have and will continue to receive. Thank you all very very much!

Gabi, Geli, and Nala

Please enjoy some of our favorite Nala highlights over the years. And if you can, please add some of your own Nala pics! We’d love to see them!

This is a photo of the tumor before it was first removed and biopsied.

The estimates were given to us in 3 parts.

1.) $3079.09-$3235.65

this is the for the staging procedures to determine if/where else it has spread. It includes an ultrasound of her abdomen, x ray of her chest, lab work, and all other miscellaneous things that come with.

2.) $5,033.01-$5,756.77

This is to see how involved the cancer is in the area it’s at now. How much of her jaw is affected. It includes a CT of her head and neck. It is more expensive because she will have to be sedated to keep still for the procedure.

3.) $10,395.74-$13,703.08

This is the surgery. Because it is a major surgery she will need to stay over night. The price varies so much depending on how extensive the surgery will need to be. This number is dependent on step 1 and 2.