Riley's Life-Saving Surgery

Riley, my sweet, stink-breath boy with the biggest personality in all of the PNW, and a smile destined to melt all he comes in contact with, was diagnosed with a rare mouth tumor back in July of this year.

The condition is called acanthomatous ameloblastoma (or AA, for short).

These tumors are infrequently diagnosed, and are not cancerous, but are highly invasive and life-threatening, arising from the ligament that anchors the teeth into the jaw bone. Without treatment, the growth can spread into the surrounding tissue and bones, causing serious bone damage, pain, tooth loss, potential sepsis, and, eventually, lead to death. A truly miraculous fact of AA, however, is that they rarely spread to other areas of the dog's body (a blessing!).

Our veterinary surgeon recommends the complete surgical removal of the tumor, which she says is "typically curative". Until we find out more information about how large his tumor is (which we will discover after he goes in for a CT scan), our surgical options are either a mandibulectomy (the removal of a large portion of his lower jaw, and is the most common surgery), or alveolar ridge resection (leaving the bottom part of the jaw intact to help prevent mandibular drift, or a wonky jaw).

If the portion of the bone is removed around the tooth that the tumor is stemming from, the rate of regrowth is only about 10%. This means my Riley boy has a very, very high chance at living out a normal (to long) lifespan. ❤️

Unfortunately, his treatment plan is out-of-this-world expensive.

In order to be sure we remove the right amount of tissue and bone, Riley will need a CT scan. The CT scan alone is just under $4,000, with the surgery running anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000, depending on if he needs a blood transfusion (which the surgeon told me is quite common for mouth surgery, due to the blood vessels in the area).

Being completely frank, after the year-and-a-half of loss me and my family have gone through, this is quite nearly my emotional breaking point. I never thought a vet bill would lead me to GoFundMe, but this Ri-Guy is my world. He's been my source of comfort, personal comedian, messy roommate (along with sister cat, Romy), and, of course, my baby.

After my grandma, Joanne, unexpectedly passed in January of 2023, Riley (her then absolutely-beloved dog), needed a home, and I knew in a second I wanted him to come home to Oregon with me. I watched her raise him and spoil him, spent our weekly Monday night dates watching bad reality tv and drinking her boozed-up margaritas, and spending just as much time with Riley. He exudes her essence, spent his entire life in her home, and now brings me so much joy to call him "my boy" and hold on to a piece of my grandma's heart.

I am not sure where this GoFundMe journey will take me, but I am here in my most vulnerable state, feeling quite awkward, and asking for financial assistance to save my baby's life, and give him a healthy, comfortable, LONG future. Anything you have to offer is something I will hold with immense appreciation.

With endless gratitude and love,

Chelsea