Pinot Noir

Hi, My name is Douglas Schooley. I am the lucky owner of Pinot Noir, my 7-year-old french bulldog. Eighteen months ago we almost lost Pinot. But after a week in ICU Level 3 in Cornell University Specialists in Stamford, CT, he was able to come home to recover.

Since then, he has had severe anxiety, probably due to his trauma. In May, he had a large bump appear above his left eye. At first, it was thought to be the reaction to a bug bite. With the help of medicine, it seemed to go away. Weeks later, it reappeared. We saw the dermatologist and determined it was a mast cell tumor.

On September 14th, he had surgery to remove the tumor. Unfortunately, since it was so close to his left eye, they needed to remove his eye to get clear margins. The surgery was a great success with no completions. Complications came after the surgery when he went into respiratory distress. He spent three additional days in ICU Level 3 on a ventilator. On September 18th, it was discussed that it would be best to sedate Pinot to get him home to recover.

The funds raised will go towards the cost of this surgery. The bill is $13,000. I have had pet insurance for Pinot, but they pay a max of $7,500 per year. Before this surgery, they had already paid out $7,000. So this complete expense has pretty much come out of pocket.