Care for Casa

Hi, my name is Connie Cookson and I am asking for your help to save my sweet girl Casa.

Casa is an 8 year old lab/golden retriever cross who has spent her life in the service of others. She was originally trained as a mobility service dog with COPE service dogs and due to her intelligence and calm demeanor she was chosen to become a breeder dog for the organization. Casa gave birth to 10 puppies in 2016 and all of those puppies have careers as service dogs!

Casa continues to help students in the Canines in the Classroom program as well as therapy visits to seniors and group homes. She helped me get through the grief of moving my daughter into an assisted living facility and is by my side every day. Her gentle nature and loving spirit has impacted so many people; everyone she meets benefits from her calming energy.

Sadly Casa fell ill last week, and after several tests, we have discovered she has a mast cell tumour in her ear. Our veterinarian is running tests and scans to grade the tumour. If it's low grade, meaning it hasn't spread to lymph and/or organs, she will have surgery to remove her ear, and her prognosis is good for a regular lifespan. If more severe or the margins aren't clean, she may require some radiation/chemo after surgery.

We had a good result today with a clear chest x-ray and lymph node test - both were CLEAR!!!

She is having an abdominal ultrasound on Saturday, and if everything is clear, we will proceed with surgery.

So far, the vet bills are up to $1200. The estimated cost for everything, including surgery, is $6,000-$7,000. With clear scans and good margins, that is all we will need to do. And Casa can recover and continue to provide healing therapy to people for years to come.

I know times are tough for everyone right now, but if you are able to donate something to help us pay for this surgery, I'd forever be grateful. Any amount will help, and I know we can come together to save this sweet girl who is so deserving of our support.

Casa came into my life when I was experiencing significant life challenges, and she saved me from going into a very dark place. Now I need to do everything I can to save her.

Thank you for your support.

Connie