FetchACure

 

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  1. Meet Bella, 2021’s First CIC Recipient

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    Pitbull mix Bella is our first Companions in Crisis recipient of 2021. Sarah, Bella’s mom, tells her story.

    “Bella has been my absolute best friend ever since I adopted her seven years ago. She has helped me through so many hard times and has always been by my side. It’s easy to say that without a doubt I love this dog more than life. A couple months ago I noticed Bella was acting differently. She wasn’t as excited about her favorite things: treats, car rides, walks etc. As time went on, she started going to the bathroom in the house, which is completely out of character.

    “Immediately I took her to the vet, knowing something wasn’t right. After spending about $2,000 between vet visits and running tests, I eventually realized her lymph nodes were swollen. I took her to the vet again and they diagnosed her with lymphoma. So I found an oncologist and talked about our options. I knew right away that I wanted to go with the CHOP protocol. Although it’s the most expensive, it was also likely to be the most effective.

    “Everyone, including my family, called me crazy and said it wasn’t worth it for ‘some dog.’ But Bella isn’t just ‘some dog’ to me – she’s my best friend and I could never imagine giving up on her. We are currently halfway through her treatments, and Bella is reacting very well to the chemo. She is currently in a complete remission.”

    FETCH a Cure is happy to be able to help Bella and her owner pay for the treatment she needs by awarding a Companions in Crisis grant! Bella, a Maryland pup, is receiving treatment at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, D.C.

  2. CIC: Foxy’s Story

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    “I adopted Foxy from a high-kill shelter in rural Illinois where she had come in as a stray in 2011. Originally intended as a foster, Foxy quickly became a foster “failure” when I saw how closely she bonded with Wrigley, the terrier mix I’d rescued the year before. Since then, she’s been a tremendous help with Wrigley, who suffered from separation anxiety prior to Foxy joining our family. Thanks to her, Wrigley is now much more calm and secure.

    “Foxy has been constantly by my side through thick and thin, including during my own lymphoma diagnosis and treatment in 2017. At the age of 29, I was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma – something terrifying to hear. Thankfully, I’m one of the incredibly lucky ones that entered complete remission following an intense treatment regimen. I’m extremely fortunate to have just celebrated my three-year remission in October. I know a lot of what got me through that time was having my husband (then fiancé), Foxy, and Wrigley by my side, supporting me throughout the process. Foxy made sure to stay especially close, always watching out for me. She’s always been attuned to my emotions.

    “Now it’s Foxy’s turn to fight lymphoma, as she was just diagnosed with stage V multicentric lymphoma. We were admittedly shocked when we first learned her diagnosis. Given that her main symptom was increased thirst, with no changes to her normal energy at the time, we naively expected the result to be a mild kidney issue at worst. As soon as we learned her diagnosis, I quickly called multiple DMV oncologists to see who could see her soonest, knowing time was of the essence. Now, just as she stayed by my side during my treatment, we want to stay by her side and do whatever we can to help her through this.

    “Thanks to financial assistance from FETCH a Cure, Foxy is being treated at Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners in Rockville, Md. Ideally her chemotherapy will allow her to enter remission. Above all, we want to make sure she maintains a high quality of life and enjoys whatever remaining time she has, which we sincerely hope will be a long, long time.”

  3. Sometimes CIC Means Cats in Crisis

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    While more of our 2020 CIC recipients are dogs, FETCH a Cure also makes grants for cats in crisis. Meet these three furry felines: Ginter, Sabbath, and Mr. Biscuits.

    Little black cat Ginter came into his dad’s life as a feral neighborhood visitor. When he developed a mass on his ear, a vet visit confirmed that a cancerous tumor was growing in his ear canal. Having lost his wife several years ago to cancer, the senior owner was determined to have a part in saving Ginter, one of his two beloved animal companions. Even though Ginter’s surgery was significant, he can now enjoy his caretaker’s loving care for a while longer.

     

    Sabbath came to her pet parent from a shelter in New York, through a previous owner who brought her to Virginia. “I basically got handed the perfect cat (free to a good home off Craigslist),” says Sabbath’s owner. “Beyond string eating, she has no bad habits, and prefers to be carried around like a baby.” After Sabbath became lethargic, a check-up revealed enlarged lymph nodes, and Sabbath was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. Thanks to a CIC grant, Sabbath is being treated at The Oncology Service Richmond. We hope she is doing a lot of lap cuddling between her chemo treatments.

     

    Mr. Biscuits is a Richmond SPCA cat adopted by a volunteer. “He was the only cat that didn’t hide under the bench during human socialization,” says his owner. “Instead, all he wanted to do was sit in my lap, purr, and lick my face. He came home with me two days later and has been glued to my side ever since.”

    This summer she noticed a small lump on Mr. Biscuits’ right shoulder that didn’t seem to bother him. After a fine-needle aspiration generated inconclusive results, she took Mr. Biscuits to the Blue Pearl/Dogwood Animal Hospital Surgical Center, where they excised his tumor on his first visit. Mr. Biscuits “took it like a champ,” and spent the next two weeks recovering in the bedroom. Pathology indicated that he had a feline injection site sarcoma (FISS). Thanks to a CIC grant, he received radiation at The Oncology Service Richmond.

    FETCH a Cure is always as happy to assist feline companions as canines. Learn more about Companions in Crisis here.

  4. Fall 2020 Virtual Veterinary CE Module

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    Click the links below to view our 2020 Virtual Veterinary CE Modules on VetBloom:

    “Treating Cancer at Light Speed: A Case-Based Discussion of How Radiation Can Help Your Patients,” Dr. Ira Gordon

    “Palliative Radiation in Veterinary Medicine,” Dr. Molly Holmes

    “From Consultation to Treatment: What Your Client Can Expect When Meeting with a Radiation Oncologist,” Dr. Pamela White

  5. Companions in Crisis Feature: Macie Gray

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    Macie Gray is a 4-year-old Cane Corso being treated for lymphoma by Dr. Waite at The Oncology Service – Dogwood. Through FETCH a Cure’s Companions in Crisis program, her family is receiving essential veterinary financial assistance to help pay for Macie Gray’s lifesaving treatments. We are wishing this sweet family and their gorgeous girl all the best as she fights to beat this awful disease!

    Macie Gray’s Arrival

    Funny story and surely fitting for the manner in which our beautiful 100 pound Cane Corso ended up part of our family.  So, I awoke in the middle of the night on this September evening and noticed that my husband was up and acting somewhat suspicious.  I ventured outside for the fresh air that the end of summer beginning of fall brings to Virginia.  My husband, James, comes outside and places this puppy on the wrought iron porch table we have.  A pink and black polka dot collar with a box was securely wrapped around her fluffy, cute, puppy neck.  “Oh my”, I said, followed by a “I told you ‘no’ to a new puppy”.

    You see, you would have to know that for the previous few weeks, James had been prepping me for his plan as he is well aware of my love of animals.  He had been discussing this breed of dog that I had little to no knowledge of and much less knowledge of the responsibility this breed of dog requires. We already had a handsome reddish-brown Sheppard mix named Myles whom we adopted from our local SPCA and two cats, both tabby, one orange and one gray/black named Raja and Maxwell respectively.  Our house was full. We had adopted three four-legged children and had two two-legged biological humans children ages 7 and 9.  Our home had no room for another body or mouth to feed, but this puppy…she smelled so good and was so cute that my heart immediately melted and convincing me to allow her to join our family did not take much effort.

    Macie Gray was the runt of the litter.  She was not expected to live as she was significantly smaller than her siblings.  One side of Macie’s face appeared to be asymmetrical and it was thought that she experienced some sort of nerve damage during her mother’s labor.

    Needless to say, all three of my boys (James, Jaethan, and Kaelib) were in on this secret.  My 7 year old told me that Macie’s collar was purchased to assist in the convincing process which apparently worked.

    When Macie arrived, she maybe weighed 4 pounds and was approximately 6 weeks old.  Macie Gray grew super quickly.  She loved to wrestle and play on the floor with James.  Macie Gray chased the boys around and the boys would giggle and laugh.  She was a mess, certainly the most slobbery dog I had ever met.

    Macie Gray’s birthday is July 3, 2016. She just turned 4.  Our family went away on vacation and left our babysitter/dogsitter (truly more like family) to care for our fur babies whom we were not able to bring due to rules of the condo where we stay.  As normal, I checked on our cats and dogs daily.  No issues were reported, so we returned home as anticipated on Sunday 7/20/20.

    James mentioned that Macie Gray did not quite look right and was acting a little out of character, but was not showing any significant signs or symptoms of illness.  Within two days, it was apparent that Macie Gray was under the weather.  She awoke me in the middle of the night with her whining (this is normal for her) and I let her outside.  When she came back in, I was petting her and felt underneath her neck.  I was surprised to feel what appeared to be lumps.  I woke James up to confirm my concerns and began searching online for answers to what swollen lymph nodes could indicate in my young canine.  Macie Gray was taken to the vet that Thursday and confirmed to have Lymphoma the following Monday which is how we ended up connecting with FETCH a Cure [ for veterinary financial assistance ].

    Macie Gray: Loyal Protector, Slobbery Sweetie, and Momma’s Girl

    Macie Gray is a four year old, beautiful brindle, 100 pound Cane Corso. She is still as playful at four years of age as she was as a puppy.  Macie Gray was the runt of the litter and not expected to survive, but with our love and care, she did.

    Macie Gray’s favorite toy is the Wobble Wag Giggle Ball which we have nicknamed the Wobble Bobble for short.  She knows when we talk about the Wobble Bobble as she gets super excited and perks up when it is discussed.  The Wobble Bobble never stands a chance as she destroys each one to figure out what is making the noise inside.  We are pretty sure she thinks there is some sort of animal inside with the noise the ball makes.

    Macie Gray is a slobbery and messy dog, but is a loyal protector.  She follows her momma around the house and, like clockwork, wakes momma up to go outside between 3 and 4 am.  Macie Gray likes to whine to get attention and her way.  She sometimes barks in your face when she wants attention, not ideal, but that’s our Macie.

    Macie Gray was diagnosed with Lymphoma on 7/27/20.  Her illness came on abruptly and progressed very quickly.  Macie is really young, it seems, to have cancer, but cancer does not discriminate. We are fighting for her because there is not a doubt in my mind that if the tables were turned, she would fight for us. Macie Gray is a special dog.  She is super smart and loving and we are grateful to have her as part of our family whether for a reason, a season, or her lifetime.

    We are so grateful to provide veterinary financial assistance for sweet Macie Gray and her adoring family!