Support Roger's Journey to Health

Hiya Everyone,

Meet Roger ! Roger is a 12lb 9 month old Brussels Griffon who lives with me in Vermont. Roger is in need of an intense medical surgery to fix a birth defect that is causing him pain and discomfort. Roger has an ectopic ureter that needs to be corrected in order for him to live a happy and healthy life. I am a self-employed artist based in Burlington, VT and the $9000 estimate for his surgery is far beyond what I can afford. Roger is wonderful, playful, and smart. I fear what will happen to him if I return him to the breeder- and I cannot bring him to a shelter. So I am reaching out to my community to help save Roger. Any amount, no matter how small, would be much appreciated. To get to know him more check [email redacted]er.thedog on instagram.

Why does Roger need surgery to correct this?

You might ask why spend the money, why do an invasive surgery? Can't he just wear diapers the rest of his life? Roger is 9 months old, he has already been treated for 3 UTIs, all of which required 2 weeks of amoxicillin each. Not only is it incredibly uncomfortable for him, but this consistent use of antibiotics will lead to resistance to the effectiveness of these drugs leading to more serious issues down the line. He is experiencing belly issues from not being able to maintain a good gut biome and is having a hard time keeping on weight. He already has pee scalding around his back legs and this will continue to get worse over time.

Why University of Montreal?

They are one of two Veterinary Hospitals within driving distance that have the appropriate equipment to do all diagnostics and surgery needed at the same time on the same day. This means Roger will only have to be put under anesthesia 1 time instead of the potential multiple times. He will hopefully be in and out in 1 to 2 days and will only need 1 recovery time instead of potentially multiple. This also means we won't have to repeat tests done in different locations by different doctors. What is an Ectopic Ureter you might ask? Well, the ureter is the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. We have two kidneys and therefore two ureters. If your Ureter is Ectopic this means that it is not attached to its normal location in the bladder. We believe one of Roger's ureters is ectopic. This results in some of his pee missing his bladder and dripping right out of his urethra.

The Back Story:

I adopted Roger as a rescue from a breeder in June. The breeder expressed that he was in good health, provided medical records to show and explained that it was simply too much for her to keep the sweet boy any longer with her 9 other adult dogs. So excited, I jumped on the opportunity to give a good pup a good home. When I met Roger I fell in love. After bringing Roger home, cleaning him up and getting to know him a bit more we realized he was leaving a drip trail of pee everywhere he went.

I brought him to Malletts Bay Veterinary thinking Roger may have a UTI causing him trouble. His vet ran a series of tests that indicated, yes he did have another UTI, but also that this may be a result of a much larger issue. From there I brought Roger to a specialist at PEAK Diagnostics for more testing and consultation. They explained that Roger most likely has a rare anatomical birth defect called an Ectopic Ureter. Because he is a small & male, the internists will need specialized equipment. From PEAK Roger was referred to the internal medicine department at The University of Montreal.

After phone consultations with the internists in Montreal we were able to get a care plan in place for Roger. The University of Montreal has all the necessary equipment and knowledge to perform this procedure. We were able to get on a waitlist and have a surgery spot at the end of September. Roger's scanning and surgery is quoted to cost $9000. This is not a cost I am financially able to take on all by myself.

About Roger:

Roger is a sweet snuggler. He loves playing in the grass and plucking raspberries right from the bush in the backyard. He loves getting his paws wet in the river and the lake and is a sucker for a ball. He has already gotten the hang of so much! He can sit, stay, fetch, lay down. We are working on paw. He LOVES playing with other dogs including is Auntie Joplin, uncle Soldier, and cousin Saukee. He loves his kittykat sister B and is very interested in how she spends her time. He is learning how to be slow and gentle around her so she is comfortable. He will look you directly in the eye for extended periods of time and likes to rest his chin on anything and everything. When he is frustrated he sounds like a wookie from starwars which is ironic because he looks like an ewok instead. If you talk to him he tilts his head cause he wants to know what you are saying. He gets the zoomies in the backyard because it's his favorite place. His favorite treat is cheese, his favorite toy is corn (not real corn, don't come for me). He loves being a studio doggie and has a blast being my companion while I work. I love Roger and he deserves to live a long and healthy life. But he needs help, he is just a baby, he doesn't have any money . You can get to know Roger on Instagram [email redacted]er.thedog for pictures and videos of his cuteness. Let's help him get healthy!