Update (5/22/2023)

Over the past 2-3 weeks, Angela and I experienced the worst-case scenario any parent can face. In the span of two weeks, we lost all three of our dogs.

On May 4th my sweet boy, Cousteau (photo left), suffered a sudden heart attack in his bed at home and passed away instantly at the age of 10. The vet said there was nothing that could've been done and no indication this was coming; the likely cause was an undetected mass on his heart that failed suddenly. This is particularly heartbreaking because I always imagined a handful of good years left with him. Moreoever, his recent annual exam found him to be in great health.

Shortly after that, Lula (photo center) started declining toward heart failure. We rescued Lula four years ago when she was found stray and she's believed to be between 16-18 years old. We always said we're giving her a wonderful retirement. We did everything we could to help her remain comfortable in her final days. Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) staff went above and beyond to help us navigate that week. Watching her struggle to hang in there was too painful for everyone, so we made the compassionate decision to let her go peacefully at the POMDR clinic in Monterey with Angela and me by her side on May 11th.

Then over that following weekend, Zissou (photo right) started declining at the age of 9 years. He went in for his second chemo treatment that Tuesday and we got the bad news: the chemo wasn't working, the cancer had spread, and he was running a high fever. Wednesday he was unable to walk on his own, he had become incredibly picky about food (which is the most uncharacteristic thing about Z), and his eyes expressed great discomfort. Angela and I made the compassionate decision to let him go peacefully at his vet in San Rafael with Angela and me by his side on May 18th.

In total, Angela and I racked up $18,000 in vet bills trying to do everything we could for Cousteau, Lula, and Zissou.. only to lose them all. Without your help it'll take us the remainder of the year to pay those bills down; when we really just need to focus on collecting ourselves, grieving, and trying to adjust our lives without them. If you're inclined, please consider donating.

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Zissou ran a 5k race with Angela on Thanksgiving...and got first place! Pretty impressive for a 9-year old, right? To know Z is to know that he has always been very energetic with a never-ending desire to be in the water, ideally chasing a Chuck It ball. Z and Angela are adventure buddies. They've traveled across the country 6 times together, gone on many adventures together and bonded with so many other dog friends.

In January of this year, however, Zissou slowed way down. There was a lot of rain in January and if you know Z, he HATES the rain. However, even when it was sunny, Zissou still didn't have the same pep in his step.

Zissou was seen by the vet and through x-rays, saw that he had mild arthritis. The radiologist also noted that his spleen was enlarged but that it was likely due to the stress of being at the vet. He was put on medications and crate rest for 2 weeks but there was no improvement. His bloodwork at his recheck appointment indicated that he had pancreatitis though. He was put on a very bland, ultra low fat diet. After a few days of this diet, he perked up a lot more but still hadn't bounced back. Angela had a feeling in her gut there was something else going on though.

Over the weekend (April 16), Angela took him to an emergency vet with an in-house internal medicine specialist. Thankfully he was seen right away. He had a very high fever and very low blood sugar. After running tests on him they confirmed that he has masses in his spleen and enlarged lymph nodes and liver. Unfortunately, Zissou has Stage 4 lymphoma.

Angela elected to try a chemotherapy treatment (Elspar) to help his liver and therefore reduce his fever. He got his first dose which seemed to work tremendously well for him already; his fever and blood sugar levels have stabilized after treatment. He received 2 days/nights of around-the-clock care and got to return home to Angela on April 18th.

As all pet parents know, you'll do whatever you can to help your pet when faced with a medical ordeal. Angela has done the same for Z but it of course comes at a cost. He has accrued $10k in vet bills already, with certainty that more will come. Presently, Angela is considering continuing care options and taking things day by day. Zissou is eating well, hanging out with Cousteau & Lula, going on short walks, enjoying peanut butter Kongs and CBD treats, and being loved on by Angela every waking minute. Every donation gives Angela more minutes with Zissou. Please help. Without treatment, his survival is limited to about a month. She's considering treatment options (ballpark total cost btwn $5000 to $8000) that could extend his survival to the end of the year.