PayPal link for those wanting to donate that way: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/catterinaw Hi there! My name is Cat. In December of 2019, I adopted the best thing that's ever happened to me: a beautiful ex-racing greyhound named Cody. Initially, I was only going to foster him for the Christmas period, but I just knew I was his forever home. He is an incredible, stoic, dorky, stubborn, sweet boy and I have had the best three years with him so far. I love him more than anything, and the only thing that keeps me up at night is how I can make his life better. Cody has had to hurdle a number of obstacles since I adopted him in January of 2024. Firstly, he had to deal with settling into a forever home, and had to learn how to be a dog. Due to how hard he raced, a number of bones in two of his toes splintered into pieces, and Cody had to undergo two major surgeries as a direct result of his racing career. These are known as flexor tendonectomies, where a tendon is snipped to alleviate pressure and pain on a toe or joint. What resulted was a much happier, bouncier boy with two funny-looking toes, and I was overjoyed to know that we had already made him more comfortable. He's also had to go under for a number of dental surgeries, as my toothless boy had a number of dental problems due to the nature of his breed, and because his teeth were damaged during his career. This year, he fractured one of his toes, and had to have the toe amputated. This was really sudden and extremely upsetting, and he has only recently recovered. The toe that had to be amputated was actually one of the toes he had a flexor tendonectomy on, and seemingly walked even better than before, as there were still bone fragments in the toe that may have been causing discomfort from time to time. He also experienced a few seizures, and after a year, Cody was also diagnosed with epilepsy and is now on daily medication for seizures. Yesterday, Cody started limping. This is something I have seen a million times, varying in seriousness. I knew the protocol: wait 24 hours, monitor if he's eating, going to the toilet, sleeping, panting. I waited the 24-hour period and organised a vet appointment to get him checked out. As I walked in, I joked to the vet that "if it was anything more serious than a sprain, I was going to cry". The vet did some physical checks, and then took Cody for an X-ray. When the vet returned, he didn't look happy. He said that he knew I had come in hopeful... but the news he had to deliver was going to break my heart. He did an X-ray of Cody's leg and showed me his left, very healthy leg bones. He then showed me the other leg... and indicated a grey, patchy area on the bone. My baby boy has bone cancer. I am YET to fully process this, and what my options are from now. The healthiest, kindest, and easiest thing for Cody would be to amputate his leg and put him on a course of chemo. Of course, this probably sounds CRAZY. Imagine how hard it hit me! The idea of losing his leg, and putting him through chemo felt insane. The vet answered my ten thousand questions though, and I was able to go home and do some research. Greyhounds who undergo amputation AND chemotherapy in Cody's position have the GREATEST outlook in the long term. "Tripawds" or "pirate pets" are very common names for our three-legged loved ones... and as sad as it may seem, Cody has already had so many problems with that leg in the past, that he minimally carries much weight on it anyway. Chemo is also not as serious in dogs as it is in humans, and most dogs do not show any side effects after each dose. He is incredibly healthy and strong for his age, and the vet has incredible hope for him if we were to go with this option. The other options honestly are so much worse for him... and honestly, I don't want to go into them. We are left in a predicament. The amputation itself would cost a couple of thousand, and the chemo post-surgery would cost a few extra thousand. We also need to move fast, as osteosarcomas commonly travel quickly and can metastasise elsewhere. We also risk letting the bone continue to deteriorate, meaning he is more likely to break and need to amputate the leg anyway. This would also make any sort of recovery harder, and cause him more pain. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME IS HIS HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. After weighing up everything, and after all the articles, case studies, vet communications and tears... this feels like the most ethical, kind, and best thing to do for my baby boy. He is genuinely my best friend in the whole world. If you've met him, you know how sweet, beautiful, dorky, and loving he is. It is simply not his time to say goodbye yet, and I would be so incredibly grateful for any help in funding his care. Please, if you can, consider donating. Cody has been through SO much and seriously deserves the best, and I hate what is happening to him. I am doing absolutely everything I can to ensure he is happy and healthy, and I will never be selfish about his health. I just know that it's not his time, and that he still has so much quality life to live. If you would like to donate directly to me via PayPal or through bank transfer, please message me privately. Thank you. Love, Cat. Xx
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