Help Monty Fight Bone Cancer

This is Erin Buell. I had the privilege of meeting Jason Surh at a concert when I saw him dancing in the photo pit while taking professional photos of the band. His infectious positivity, combined with a deep passion for music and community naturally prompted us to exchange professional contact info.

Soon after, Jason was photographing my clients while sharing stories of his girlfriend, Nicki and their beloved dog, Monty. Fast forward a couple of months and a few creative collaborations later, and devastating news hit: Monty was diagnosed with bone cancer.

I'm launching this campaign to rally support for an indispensable community member – to stand behind someone who consistently lends their support to those around them.

Jason & Nicki want to emphasize that Monty's treatment is not contingent on any donations. He'll be getting the best care he can, regardless of the results of this campaign. However, his medical bills are quite steep, so any contributions will help alleviate some of the financial burden. Thank you!

MEET MONTY - The Gentle Giant

by Monty's mom, Nicki

Monty is a 5.5-year-old Anatolian Shepherd who was born on January 12, 2018. Jason and I adopted him from Pasados Safe Haven on September 27, 2022. We know little about his previous home, but we were told his original owner was elderly and no longer able to care for him in the way he deserved.

When I came across Monty, I wasn't even looking to adopt a dog. We already had 3 cats and a fairly successful pet-sitting business, so there was no shortage of fur in our lives! But there I was, browsing PetFinder "for fun” with my filter set to “XL” when he popped up.

As soon as I saw Monty’s profile, I knew we needed to meet him. The rescue wanted to ensure that we were qualified parents before approving us to visit him, but we passed all of the requirements with full disclosure of our lifestyle and the other animals in our home (both residents and visitors). I told Jason that if Monty was even half as amazing as he sounded on paper, he would be coming home with us.

Once we finally saw him in person, he immediately solidified what we already knew - that Monty was absolutely the goodest boy that ever did boy - and he came home with us that day.

We're so lucky to have found him and it's hard to imagine what life was like before he came into our lives. He is such a goofy, fun-loving, gentle giant who will do just about anything for some hooman affection.

DIAGNOSIS

Early June: Monty is a big, clumsy, lanky boy, so when he first started limping, we didn't think much of it. We figured he might have stepped on something, or slept on it wrong, or pulled a muscle, or literally anything/everything but cancer. The limping was intermittent, so we weren't too worried about it and decided to just keep an eye on it.

Early July: The limping worsened over the next couple of weeks and he developed a firm protrusion on the “wrist” of his limping leg. But it still didn’t stop Monty from being Monty!

July 27: Monty saw his vet and she uttered the dreaded c-word. She told us that his symptoms were consistent with Osteosarcoma, a very aggressive form of bone cancer that's common in large breeds. An x-ray of his leg seemed to back up her suspicion. Further x-rays showed it fortunately hadn’t spread to his chest. Still, the vet didn't want to confirm the diagnosis without hearing the radiologist's interpretation. Later that evening, I got an email from the vet. The radiologist had unfortunately agreed with her assessment, and advised us to get him in to see an oncologist as soon as possible.

I spent the following few days desperately contacting all the local animal clinics that offered oncology appointments, in an attempt to get him in as soon as possible. Some places were booked as far as 2 months out, so I was very happy when I was able to get him an appointment in early August.

PROGNOSIS

Aug 4: Monty had his first visit with an oncologist who gave us a lot of really great information on what Osteosarcoma is and what the treatment options (and median survival times) are:

Palliative Care (Pain Control): estimated 4-6 months

Amputation: estimated 3-4 months

Amputation + Chemotherapy: estimated 10-12 months, with 12% alive at 2 years

Amputation + Immunotherapy:

Although there isn’t much data yet, it was clear that amputation + ECI was the most promising option. Unsurprisingly it was also the most expensive, but part of what drove our decision is knowing that Monty can be an additional data point for someone else in this position down the road.

The oncologist got a surgical consult to make sure Monty was a good candidate for amputation, and once we got the thumbs up, we got him scheduled for surgery.

SURGERY

August 15: Monty underwent surgery for amputation of his left front leg. They kept him overnight at the hospital for monitoring, but we were able to see him the next day.

August 16: Monty came home! He was confused and in pain, but he managed to get out of the car and walk through the door all on his own.

From there, we saw improvements every day, and he started to be more and more like himself again. There was still a long road ahead of him - incision healing, suture removal, regaining mobility, and immunotherapy - but we were so incredibly proud at how resilient he was and how quickly he started adapting to his new normal.

CONTINUED TREATMENT

After the surgery, there are two steps to the ECI treatment:

READ ABOUT ECI:

MEDICAL COSTS

The total cost for all of Monty's medical care is going to be about $23,000.

Loyal Family Veterinary Hospital: $1036 (paid)

Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle: $7730 (paid) + $804-1409 (estimated)

ELIAS Animal Health: $2600 (paid) + $5250 (pending)

Blue Pearl Tacoma: $5000-6000 (estimated)

Total: $22,420 - $24,025

In addition, there's also another ~$500 being spent on misc. items for his home life and recovery: shirt to cover his surgical site, carpet treads for the stairs, carpet runners for hard floors, plus lots and lots of treatsies.