Molly's Lump Surgery Fund
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The Tale of Two Bad Dogs & Miss Molly's Lump
These are the Two Bad Dogs. If you know us, you've either met them, heard of them (the whole street has heard them!) or seen them on Fi's Instagram. Pippin (a Norfolk Terrier) is at the top and Molly (a Nearly-Norfolk Terrier) is below.
Little Miss Molly needs some serious surgery and we are stuggling to fund it.
This is the story of the Two Bad Dogs and Miss Molly's Lump...
Once upon a time (in 2012) Fi was tickling Molly's tummy and felt a funny soft lump on her side. It was about the size of a walnut and squishy. Fi said, "Hey John, Molly's got a lump on her side!" We thought maybe she'd bruised herself running around, jumping up, hunting mice, standing CatWatch, or doing any of the other busy doggy things she does in a day. We thought it might go down on its own.
It didn't go down. It got bigger. So we went to our lovely local vets at Beech House . They monitored the Lump (now capitalised) for a while but it was still growing, so in 2013 (when she was just five years old) Molly had nearly £400 worth of surgery to have the Lump removed and biopsied. She was a well-behaved patient and didn't even need to wear the cone of shame afterwards!
Meanwhile, the biopsy results came back as an infiltrative lipoma, a fatty tumour which is not cancerous, but is difficult to remove completely. The Lump was also very close to her diaphram and our vet was cautious of causing internal damage in surgery, but we hoped that would be that would be the end of it.
Unfortunately Molly's Lump had other ideas. Like the proverbial cat, it came back.
Since her last surgery, the Lump has not only returned, but returned with a vengeance. Now, in 2015, it is the size of two fists together, encompasses part of her side and belly, and has three separate lobes to it. It probably weighs a couple of pounds at least (on a dog who weighs around 20 lbs herself).
Unlike the more common form of lipoma, Molly's tumour is not discrete - tentacles of tumour growth infiltrate the layers of skin, muscle and other tissues in her abominal wall, making it difficult to remove – yet if it isn't removed, it will continue to grow becoming bigger, heavier and more cumbersome to her. Already she doesn't like to be touched on that side, nor does she lie down with it underneath. But she's still only 7 years old, just half way through her doggy life span. And we love her very much.
(If you're thinking, "It's just a dog!", thanks for reading this far and best wishes for the future. She might be just a dog to you, but she is our younger child and the fact that she's canine makes no difference.)
Our local vets have referred Molly to a specialist veterinary centre for further treatment since the Lump is so challenging (and stubborn).
The vets at Avonvale believe they can not just debulk the tumour but also give a good chance of removing it altogether with some radical surgery involving mesh to replace part of her abdominal wall, constructing a skin flap (because it's stuck to her skin) and temporary drains while she heals. It will be uncomfortable for her and she will need extra care from us when she comes home, but it's a chance for her to be cured rather than have to face debulking, regrowth and debulking again.
The first specialist centre quoted £3000-£4000 for treatment. Avonvale are suggesting it will cost in the region of £1500-£2000 for the surgery and aftercare.
Unfortunately, we just don't have that money available. We would gladly pay it if we did, but the longer we leave it, the harder it will be to treat Molly effectively. She's not an old dog and she's otherwise very healthy; it's horrible to think of her becoming disabled because we couldn't afford her treatment. She's the cuddliest, naughtiest, liveliest little dog who gives us so much joy and affection; her tail never stops wagging and she deserves the best we can do for her.
Please would you help us fund Molly's surgery to rid her of this Troublesome Lump once and for all? We would be so very grateful for any donations, no matter how small, to help with the costs.
(PS. To friends and family: we've never asked for wedding or christening presents or for years of Christmas gifts for children, but the Two Bad Dogs are our family. We love them and not being able to help them is a dreadful feeling.)
Fi & John
These are the Two Bad Dogs. If you know us, you've either met them, heard of them (the whole street has heard them!) or seen them on Fi's Instagram. Pippin (a Norfolk Terrier) is at the top and Molly (a Nearly-Norfolk Terrier) is below.
Little Miss Molly needs some serious surgery and we are stuggling to fund it.
This is the story of the Two Bad Dogs and Miss Molly's Lump...
Once upon a time (in 2012) Fi was tickling Molly's tummy and felt a funny soft lump on her side. It was about the size of a walnut and squishy. Fi said, "Hey John, Molly's got a lump on her side!" We thought maybe she'd bruised herself running around, jumping up, hunting mice, standing CatWatch, or doing any of the other busy doggy things she does in a day. We thought it might go down on its own.
It didn't go down. It got bigger. So we went to our lovely local vets at Beech House . They monitored the Lump (now capitalised) for a while but it was still growing, so in 2013 (when she was just five years old) Molly had nearly £400 worth of surgery to have the Lump removed and biopsied. She was a well-behaved patient and didn't even need to wear the cone of shame afterwards!
Meanwhile, the biopsy results came back as an infiltrative lipoma, a fatty tumour which is not cancerous, but is difficult to remove completely. The Lump was also very close to her diaphram and our vet was cautious of causing internal damage in surgery, but we hoped that would be that would be the end of it.
Unfortunately Molly's Lump had other ideas. Like the proverbial cat, it came back.
Since her last surgery, the Lump has not only returned, but returned with a vengeance. Now, in 2015, it is the size of two fists together, encompasses part of her side and belly, and has three separate lobes to it. It probably weighs a couple of pounds at least (on a dog who weighs around 20 lbs herself).
Unlike the more common form of lipoma, Molly's tumour is not discrete - tentacles of tumour growth infiltrate the layers of skin, muscle and other tissues in her abominal wall, making it difficult to remove – yet if it isn't removed, it will continue to grow becoming bigger, heavier and more cumbersome to her. Already she doesn't like to be touched on that side, nor does she lie down with it underneath. But she's still only 7 years old, just half way through her doggy life span. And we love her very much.
(If you're thinking, "It's just a dog!", thanks for reading this far and best wishes for the future. She might be just a dog to you, but she is our younger child and the fact that she's canine makes no difference.)
Our local vets have referred Molly to a specialist veterinary centre for further treatment since the Lump is so challenging (and stubborn).
The vets at Avonvale believe they can not just debulk the tumour but also give a good chance of removing it altogether with some radical surgery involving mesh to replace part of her abdominal wall, constructing a skin flap (because it's stuck to her skin) and temporary drains while she heals. It will be uncomfortable for her and she will need extra care from us when she comes home, but it's a chance for her to be cured rather than have to face debulking, regrowth and debulking again.
The first specialist centre quoted £3000-£4000 for treatment. Avonvale are suggesting it will cost in the region of £1500-£2000 for the surgery and aftercare.
Unfortunately, we just don't have that money available. We would gladly pay it if we did, but the longer we leave it, the harder it will be to treat Molly effectively. She's not an old dog and she's otherwise very healthy; it's horrible to think of her becoming disabled because we couldn't afford her treatment. She's the cuddliest, naughtiest, liveliest little dog who gives us so much joy and affection; her tail never stops wagging and she deserves the best we can do for her.
Please would you help us fund Molly's surgery to rid her of this Troublesome Lump once and for all? We would be so very grateful for any donations, no matter how small, to help with the costs.
(PS. To friends and family: we've never asked for wedding or christening presents or for years of Christmas gifts for children, but the Two Bad Dogs are our family. We love them and not being able to help them is a dreadful feeling.)
Fi & John
Organizer
Fi Bowman
Organizer