Meet Zoey...
Zoey is a 7 year old spayed female. I've had her for 5 years. I rescued her off the side of the road when she was 2 years old and just skin and bones.
Meet Sloane...
I am a first year veterinary student and when practicing basic physical exams I found a mass on her left forelimb below the elbow. Zoey has been a true light in my life since I found her. She was a rescue but dogs have a special way of rescuing their owners too! Zoey is part of everything I do from days at the beach, travelling home to see family in Virginia to late night study sessions. Finding the mass immediately caused me concern and fear.
What Happened Next...
I brought her to the vet and after several tests we confirmed that the mass was a mast cell tumor but it was too large for them to feel comfortable removing it without amputating the entire leg.
Full Due Diligence Done....
We did aspirates of several lymph nodes, the liver, and spleen and all of our results came back clean. The decision to amputate Zoey's front leg was a very difficult one but with the test results in hand and careful consideration, it was decided that amputation was her best option.
Heart Breaking Turn of Events...
We went through with the amputation and when the pathology results came back we found that despite our previous results that the cancer had spread to her lymph node as well as a small growth on her right side.
Zoey is now recovering well from her amputation. She is as happy and loving as ever. The prognosis without further treatment right now is 4-6 months, which means I will have amputated her leg and made her spend her last months on this earth recovering from a surgery that didn't improve her lifespan.
Zoey's Only Hope...
The veterinarians at University of Florida's Veterinary School are confident that with chemotherapy and removing the new small growth on her right side we can improve her life expectancy. We will also be incorporating some alternative thearpies including:
CBD Oil and
Why We Need Your Help...
However, I am a veterinary student who has just finished 4 years of undergraduate schooling and a tremendous amount of student debt. After spending $3,500 on staging and the amputation there is no way I can afford to do anything else.
Chemotherapy is around $600 per treatment and the veterinarians have suggested 3 rounds of chemo. Unlike human treatments, dogs tend to respond much better to this treatment and the veterinarian oncologists are hopeful for Zoey.
We currently have covered all the initial costs (almost $4000) and the cost of the alternative treatments we will be adding (about $1000). We still have the follow ups and the Chemotherapy to pay for. Then once Zoey has beat her cancer completely we may want to get her a dog prosthetic to help her get around more comfortably.
Please help us raise money for this procedure, she is such a ray of sunshine and she has brought so much joy to everyone she meets.
Thank you everyone who has been by our side through this especially my mom and thank all of you who jump in to help Zoey and I have many more happy, healthy days together!
Watch for updates and THANK YOU for your help!