Save Scout from Cancer

When my father died 6 years ago from the cancer that had spread to his brain,  I leaned on Scout for comfort and warmth. Even more than usual, she was there for me with companionship, empathy, and, of course, snuggles.  You'd have to hear it to understand, but she makes the most wonderful soft, low, groaning sounds when she is cuddled up with you. We call them "moos" and they can melt your grief and stress and sadness like nothing else.

In a cruel twist, it is now Scout that has the brain tumor. After a very healthy life with no major medical issues, she had a seizure on April 30th that lasted (with ups and downs) for over three hours. We finally got the seizures stopped, but with no clue why this happened to our 11-year old dog. After taking her to the University of Georgia veterinary school to dig deeper, we got an answer on the MRI - a brain tumor.

Our silver lining: Scout's tumor is very treatable.  The vet said that if you were going to get a brain tumor, this is the one to have.  It responds well to radiation with over 90% survival rates. Plus, the vet has assured us that the radiation treatment is much easier on dogs than people, so we know the treatment isn't putting Scout through unnecessary discomfort.

Now for the touch of gray to go with our silver lining: the price tag.  We are about $5,000 in already just to get to a diagnosis.  The radiation treatment (5 days a week for 4 weeks) is $5,000.  With the treatment being out of town (1.5 hours away), there will be additional boarding costs during the treatment, ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 depending on how well she responds to the anti-seizure medication.  We will fight for Scout as we would for any member of our family, but we have to do it without the luxury of insurance.

Even her rough-and-tumble little brother (our other rescue dog, Atticus) is having severe anxiety without her. Dogs are such social creatures, but Atticus can't be around any other dogs because of the way he was treated before we got him, and Scout is his only outlet. While Scout is no longer a puppy, she just entered her old age and we all want to experience that with her and for her to spend it with us.  We rescued her once as a puppy.  Please help us do it again.  

Any donations we receive over our costs will be donated to the National Canine Cancer Foundation.