I don't even know how to make this post, and I hope that it's not innapropriate, but I need your help and I feel that the people here on this board, are my best chances for it.

Our pooch was diagnosed with Ostiosarcoma, which is an aggressive bone cancer, about the worst kind there is. Within the past 6 weeks, a lump on his rib has grown from nothing to larger than a softball. We dropped him off this morning for a cat scan to see on the inside of his rib cage, to see how far in it goes. Right now if they can remove it, they will need to remove 3-4 of his ribs, and then reconstruct that area with a surgical mesh to replace where the ribs were.

This procedure is going to cost close to $4000. After this, they suggested chemotherapy which is going to cost another $5-7k for a dog of his size. At this point I'm just concerned with the surgical procedure.

I am asking for peoples help, both with donations and with prayers. If anyone would be willing to help financailly, please contact me at Powersurgeperf@aol.com, with the subject line of the e-mail as "Copper". I have already had some of my customers offer to help, and I thank all those in advance who will help me.

For those who'd like to know about who they are helping, his name is Copper. He is a 7 year old red male Doberman. Until this, he was in perfect health. He is very friendly, great with kids, and has an almost human like personality. Some people here have met him here at my house. He's like my best friend. Below is a picture:



Thanks to all who can help us.

 

Sal,

I don't know if there is such thing as a "pre-existing condition" with this, but you may want to give these folks a call and maybe talk to Copper's vet and see what you can work out as far as a payment schedule. My experience with our often sick cat is they are usually very flexible and understanding. Best of luck with Copper.

http://www.petinsurance.com/

Steve

 

Sal
My prayers go out to you, Copper, and the family. I am sure the rest of the Lightning family feels the same way, and wishes you all the best.

It is tough when a pet gets sick, since they don't understand whats going on. Our family had a similar situation with our dog who also had cancer. We tried a operation and then the chemotherapy, and nothing worked. We ended up putting the dog to sleep. It was a sad time for our family, but we got through it, and am sure you will too.



I hope every thing works out for you

Don

 

Sal,

I understand...
Casper, Blazer and I will say a prayer.


Spike

Blazer @ 10 months, Bogie's ghost , Casper @ 4 months

 

Very sorry to hear about your buddy, Sal.

We've got 3 dogs and they're a big part of the family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

 

Sal - both you and Copper are in our prayers


link didn't work

 

Hi Sal,

This makes my eyes water just hearing your story and seeing Copper laying there. I am so very, very sorry to hear this, believe me. I know EXACTLY what you are going through because we had this exact same situation with our Blue Merle Sheltie, back in 1996. He developed Osteosarcoma in the exact same spot (right side ribs). I found it on Mother's Day weekend, 1996, when it was about the size of a golf ball. Within a couple weeks it was the size of a softball so we took him to the vet. Within 6 weeks it had grown to the size of nearly a soccer ball (I'm not kidding), it was that aggressive.

We took him to several vets, even to Oklahoma State University Vet School (one of the top in the country), and even to a Holistic medicine vet. We also received the exact same diagnosis from the vets: they could try massive reconstructive surgery by removing 4 ribs and replacing them with some type of bio-mesh to maintain the dog's body cavity followed by aggressive chemotherapy. However, the vets strongly advised against these procedures because none of the vets saw a reasonable chance of success (or a good quality of life for Indy after the procedure). I also consulted one of my best friends who is a vet and his diagnosis was similar. Further, my vet friend said that the rate of growth (metastasization) on Osteosarcomas is incredible, and unless you are absolutely sure you get ALL of it (unlikely when it is so large) then it will return very quickly and even more aggressively (i.e. making all of the time, money, and pain spent by you and your companion worth naught).

We tried until the very end to comfort him and find a way to save him. Unfortunately, Indy didn't make it and we had to put him down a couple of weeks later. My wife and I bawled our eyes out for days. And we thought it was over...

...4 months later we noticed our other Sheltie Nikki has a swelling bulge on his back right leg. We took him to the vet immediately where they found and removed a bunch of necrotic tissue and diagnosed him also with Osteosarcoma. 2 months later we had to also put Nikki down. I swear we thought we were going insane. Both of our dogs down and out due to cancer within 6 months of each other...and they were each 2.5 years old. We now have a total passionate hatred for any kind of cancer.

I tell you this history because I understand your agony and I hope I can help you (and Copper) to ease your pain. Please forgive me for saying this, but I do it for you and for Copper...please be prepared for the likelihood of putting Copper to sleep. I am so sorry, and I know it is not what you want to hear, but I've lived through it twice and it simply is not a forgiving ailment. If you think it is bad now...Christ, please, don’t wait too long like we did. We thought we were doing the right thing by consulting dozens of vets and doing research on the Web and trying holistic medicines for a miracle cure. Unfortunately, every day and night that we waited was excruciating agony for Indy and Nikki. That really sucks because now some of our most vivid memories of our dogs are during those traumatic times when they were howling from the pain and looking miserable from their eyes. That’s not how we wanted to remember them.

Again, I am so terribly sorry to hear your family is going through this, and I’m sorry I don’t have better advice. I hope I can just help ease your pain some and help you to have better memories of Copper than we do now of Nikki and Indy.

We will be praying hard for you, Copper, and you too, Sal. Please feel free to e-mail me if you want to discuss this further (and/or I can call you if you want).

 

It's very hard to do but try and keep in mind what will be best for the pooch. As much as you want to do anything possible to prolong it's life. Make sure what kind of life you will be extending. Nothing worse than seeing an animal in constant pain or extended suffering. We have had to make very tough decisions on pets in the past. Never once was the cost even considered. Our out look has been and still is to do the procedure if the animal will survive and not suffer once it is done. Sometimes the best decision is the hardest choice to make.

 

Thank you all so far for the support. All the posts are helpful to me, even the ones that are not so optimistic. Copper is under the knife right now. I am awaiting the call after the procedure is complete. I did consider what is best for him, and I did consider what his life will be like after the surgery. I would not have done it if I felt he would be suffering. That fact is that he is not in any pain, and he does not seem to be even bothered by it. He even lays on that side when he sleeps. But the doctors said if we didn't remove it, it would grow to the point where it would crack his ribs. They did the cat scan today and THANK GOD they said there was no other signs of it in his chest cavity. So I gave the okay to remove what was there now, and I am going to hope for the best as far as it coming back in the future. If he was older, or had other problems, or his quality of life was going to suffer, I may have made the other chioce, but at this point, I don't see it fair to him to not do what I can to make him better. He's never let me down, and I won't let him down.

 

Dear Sal,

Personally, I think it's among the best posts you've ever made, and I hope you'll take that the "right" way, as I truly mean it.

Being an animal lover, I understand & share what you're going thru. We are leaving for SEMA in the morning, and we must leave our almost 14 yr. old ****er spaniel behind, in the care of my father-in-law (heck of a guy). That's nothing compared to what you & your animal are going thru, I don't mean it that way of course. My wife & I have no children, so "Snydley" (yes, as in "Whiplash") is basically our "child". We spend more on his health care than our own it seems like sometimes. Between the anti-senility medicine & all his other medications, vitamins, special foods, etc. his costs would probably be hard to justify to anyone who does not understand the unconditional love that our animals give us. Like you, our animal still has very good quality of life, despite being close to deaf and his eyesight isn't the best. He still runs & plays and does very well for the most part, is very happy and is our ever-faithful companion who, as you so aptly described, has never let us down, not once. He doesn't know how to.

I'll be sending you an email shortly with Copper in the subject line, just as soon as we get settled back in Sal.

Hang in there, best of luck & our love to your pal under the knife,

 

We hope all will be fine.....JL

 

Well since my pic refuses to link, here is the pic that I tried before.

This is my doggy, the biggest pain in the butt dog I've ever had, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Sal, sorry to hear about Copper being ill, hope this prayer helps ease your pain and help Copper get well...

Take care,
DL


Heavenly Father, our human ties with our friends of other species is a wonderful and special gift from You. We now ask You to grant our special animal companions your Fatherly care and healing power to take away any suffering they have. Give us, their human friends, new understanding of our responsibilities to these creatures of Yours. They have trust in us as we have in You; our souls and theirs are on this earth together to give one another friendship, affection, and caring. Take our heartfelt prayers and fill Your ill or suffering animals with healing Light and strength to overcome whatever weakness of body they have.

 

Sal,

I'm sorry to hear of Copper's illness. My thoughts and prayers go out to you, Lisa and Copper. God bless.

Very nice post DL.

Jake...

 

Sounds very encouraging. Copper, we're pulling for you.