Helping Hart.

Let me tell you about Hart...

Hart is your typical happy, healthy, two-year-old, border collie mix. He loves going for hikes and exploring, he loves playing with toys, getting cuddles, giving kisses, and genuinely enjoys his life.

On June 22, Hart devolved a mild cough which I assumed may be a case of canine kennel cough, a common sickness for dogs this time of year. I decided to monitor him through the night and see if anything changed.

On June 23 his cough became worse and he was brining up spots of blood. His breathing seemed off and I decided to bring him into the emergency vets for evaluation.

At the vets Hart received an ultrasound of his chest which showed that he had something strange going on with his lung. They recommended chest x-rays which then showed that Hart had a possibly twisted right lung and he needed a CT scan of his chest. CT scan was done and unfortunately showed the sad news that Hart had a large mass inside of his chest which has compressed and collapsed part of his lung and he needed immediate and emergency surgery to remove the mass and damaged segment of lung lobe. Hart underwent surgery and the surgeons were able to remove a large portion of his mass and he was on the road to recovery.

We sent the samples away for evaluation since it was so strange for such a young, healthy, dog to become sick so suddenly and to have such a large mass inside of him and we wanted to know why. Unfortunately, the results have come back as canine lymphoma. This is heartbreaking news but there is still hope for him. Hart has been referred to one of the best animal oncology specialist in area and due to his age his is a great candidate for chemotherapy.

Hart is such a big part of my life and other peoples that I want to make sure that he can continue to have the best life possible. He is such an active dog who loves to climb mountains and run through fields and swim in lakes and rivers. He was a special blood donor and saved some lives. He has so much love to give that the least I can do is try to give him some time.

Harts emergency surgery was costly and I am trying to pay off the final bill as much of it as I can so that Hart can start his treatment quickly. For the next 4-6 months Hart will be receiving chemotherapy, chest x-rays, bloodwork, and exams to monitor how his lymphoma is either spreading or improving. With hopes, Hart will be able to go into remission and will have some extra time to be the best boy.

Thank you for considering helping Hart!