Supporting Cooper
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If you know us- you know Cooper. He has been a center point in our life for the last eight years. He was here for me in 2016 when my dad died. He was here for us when our house burned down in the summer of 2020. The very next year he was there for us when Nell was diagnosed with HIE and spent her first days in the NICU. He has been by my side during every tour that Nick has been on. He means so much to us and we are fighting to keep him here with us as long as we can. He is so sick right now and it is heart wrenching to watch.
After several unresolved vet appointments in the weeks leading up, we had to rush him to the ER on July 5th. They did an ultrasound and found nodules filling his spleen, stomach, and chest along with swollen lymph nodes. They were certain it was an advanced cancer, but we asked for the aspiration and second opinion anyway. We weren’t sure if he was going to make it through the night, but they allowed us to take him home and have him a steroid pill to try out. The results came back negative for any kind of cancer. They did more tests- all negative. He was still sick, but he seemed to be improving with steroids. Our specialist asked several other doctors to consult on the case, but they couldn’t find the cause. Genuinely stumped.
By his august appointment the spleen was completely free of nodules and everything else was decreasing. This is amazing! Did we figure it out? Nope. Fast forward to October and he is having more bad days than good. Bloody stool and vomiting have become more frequent. He went to his comprehensive exam, and although he wasn’t eating much, his blood work appeared fine. They sent him back home with good marks and the suggestion of helping him lose some weight. (I blame the steroids!)
On November 20th I was home alone with Nell and Cooper when he threw up an immense amount. I knew by the look in his eyes that I had to drop everything and take him back to the ER. Our specialist wasn’t there, but again the ER doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with blood work and her exam. She gave him anti nausea medicine and told us to call our specialist in the morning. Luckily, that specialist made room for us that afternoon before he left for his holiday vacation. He did another ultrasound and here are his findings: “We evaluated Cooper today for his recent onset of a decreased appetite and progressive lethargy. From today's diagnostic evaluation of Cooper, we unfortunately noted ultrasound evidence of relapse of his significant abdominal lymph node enlargement and splenic nodule development. Also, we noted the presence of some free fluid (ascites) in his caudal cavity - we cannot readilv explain the source of this fluid for Cooper now. We also see that a focal segment of Cooper's small intestines is thickened again. I am discouraged with today's ultrasound findings and how poorly he has been feeling lately.”
It is our specialist’s recommendation that we have his spleen removed and biopsied. We need to figure out what is plaguing Cooper before we can properly treat it. This is a major surgery, and something that we do not take lightly. It will cost $4,800.
We have had some major life things hit us the last three years, and while we didn’t want it to get to this point- we are asking fir your help. With the other tragedies and the vet bills that have already stacked up we can’t do it on our own. It’s unbelievably difficult seeing someone you love so much struggle like this. We owe it to him to do everything in our power to heal him, or at the very least- figure out what is wrong.
After several unresolved vet appointments in the weeks leading up, we had to rush him to the ER on July 5th. They did an ultrasound and found nodules filling his spleen, stomach, and chest along with swollen lymph nodes. They were certain it was an advanced cancer, but we asked for the aspiration and second opinion anyway. We weren’t sure if he was going to make it through the night, but they allowed us to take him home and have him a steroid pill to try out. The results came back negative for any kind of cancer. They did more tests- all negative. He was still sick, but he seemed to be improving with steroids. Our specialist asked several other doctors to consult on the case, but they couldn’t find the cause. Genuinely stumped.
By his august appointment the spleen was completely free of nodules and everything else was decreasing. This is amazing! Did we figure it out? Nope. Fast forward to October and he is having more bad days than good. Bloody stool and vomiting have become more frequent. He went to his comprehensive exam, and although he wasn’t eating much, his blood work appeared fine. They sent him back home with good marks and the suggestion of helping him lose some weight. (I blame the steroids!)
On November 20th I was home alone with Nell and Cooper when he threw up an immense amount. I knew by the look in his eyes that I had to drop everything and take him back to the ER. Our specialist wasn’t there, but again the ER doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with blood work and her exam. She gave him anti nausea medicine and told us to call our specialist in the morning. Luckily, that specialist made room for us that afternoon before he left for his holiday vacation. He did another ultrasound and here are his findings: “We evaluated Cooper today for his recent onset of a decreased appetite and progressive lethargy. From today's diagnostic evaluation of Cooper, we unfortunately noted ultrasound evidence of relapse of his significant abdominal lymph node enlargement and splenic nodule development. Also, we noted the presence of some free fluid (ascites) in his caudal cavity - we cannot readilv explain the source of this fluid for Cooper now. We also see that a focal segment of Cooper's small intestines is thickened again. I am discouraged with today's ultrasound findings and how poorly he has been feeling lately.”
It is our specialist’s recommendation that we have his spleen removed and biopsied. We need to figure out what is plaguing Cooper before we can properly treat it. This is a major surgery, and something that we do not take lightly. It will cost $4,800.
We have had some major life things hit us the last three years, and while we didn’t want it to get to this point- we are asking fir your help. With the other tragedies and the vet bills that have already stacked up we can’t do it on our own. It’s unbelievably difficult seeing someone you love so much struggle like this. We owe it to him to do everything in our power to heal him, or at the very least- figure out what is wrong.
Organizer
Tyler Sainato
Organizer
Lakewood, TN