[nagdu] major dilemma

[Bernadetta Pracon]

Hi Everyone:
If you recall, a couple of days ago I introduced myself to the list, 
and I shared with you that my Seeing Eye pup, Kipp, has cancer.
Well, I had a meeting with his oncologist today, and, needless to say, 
I am very worried about the situation. Kipp's cancer is in his mouth, 
and she said that in order to remove it, they would have to perform a 
very difficult surgery. She added that that surgery would not 
necessarily garentee that the cancer would be aborted, in which case, 
they would have to put him through radiation. When she told me this, I 
asked her what his chances of survival were once this was treated. I 
felt she was not being streight with me, so to speak, because she sort 
of avoided the question. she said, "if we do the surgery alone, the 
cancer might show up again in seven months or so. If we do the 
radiation with  the surgery, it might not show itself for about two 
more years." So then I asked her how the cancer would progress if no 
treatment was undertaken, and she would not answer that. The only 
reason I asked her that is because I wanted to find out how dangerous 
Kipp's cancer is to him.
However, my worry is this: I looked at his discharge papers today, and 
I saw the cost of the surgery. Ten thousand dollars in total including 
anesthesia and the hospital stay, etc. , and sixteen thousand dollars 
for radiation. If I was a full-time worker and had a well-paying job, I 
wouldn't mind forking over twenty six grand to cure my best friend in 
the world. Unfortunately, I'm a student and a freelance writer, and 
I've never even owned that much  money at any one time. In addition to 
that, his discharge papers were much more concise than that doctor, and 
it was stated that neither the surgery nor the radiation would give him 
more than a sixty five percent chance of survival. About the surgery, 
it stated that this procedure would consist of removing  part of his 
upper jaw, so he would not be able to eat normally for a long time and 
would  likely  have to adjust to his new life for a while.

My dilemma is this:  If I don't have nearly enough money to pay for his 
surgery, how do I go about financing it? I've looked online for some 
sort of animal foundations where I could get a loan or a donation to 
fund his treatment, and I haven't found anything that caught my eye. 
Does anyone know of any financial resources for ill service animals in 
need of expensive treatment? Of course, I'd use Kipp's pet insurance as 
a basis for this sortof cost, but I know they only cover about four 
thousand of what it would cost to cure him.

Secondly: I know this might come off as a strange thought, but I'm 
wondering, if he really has that many odds against him with this 
disease, is it humane to put him through this sort of suffering if it 
might not help him in the end? I mean, right now, Kipp is still a 
happy, seemingly healthy, energetic boy. He's blissfully unaware of his 
illness, it seems. His cancer  was found by accident, as a matter of 
fact. If not for a routine check-up, I would not have known he was ill 
in the first place.  If I put him through surgery, all of a sudden, 
he'll wake up from his anesthesia not being able to eat, and a part of 
his inner mouth will be missing. Imagine how confused and scared he'll 
be for a long time, while he recovers. They'll have him on IV fluids 
for a while, and then they'll send home injections to use in order to 
nourish him. /Also, it's clear to me that he won't be able to work 
anymore after this surgery. He's still very eager to work, and I've 
been told by the doctor that there's no reason for him to retire unless 
he starts feeling worse, or until the surgery takes place.  It's 
important to mention that he won't be with me anymore after a while, 
because I'm not allowed to keep a retired service animal in my 
apartment, due to the no-pet policy in the building. So he'll be  
moving in with my mother, and I'm concerned that, even though Kipp 
knows and loves her well enough, he might feel even more freaked out if 
I'm not around to take care of him. I've had him for four years, and he 
gets very upset if i'm gone for long periods of time. If I didn't opt 
for the surgery, I could keep him with me longer, and maybe find ways 
to medically ease his pain if the cancer progresses.
I'm really lost as to how to handel this. It's my first guide dog, and 
I've never had to make these sort of decisions for another dog before. 
I'm sure many of you were faced with this sort of situation before. Can 
anyone please give me any advice? Also, has anyone specifically delt 
with a Fibro Sarcoma before, or with a dog who had to have a tumor 
removed from his mouth?

Any thoughts, advice, or information would be greatly apreciated.

Thank you ever so much in advance..
Sincerely,
Bernadetta

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