The Save Nato Fund

Nato is one of our beloved hounds here at Eglinton and Caledon Hounds, he has a high drive, a lovable personality and is the only male that ECH has from a particularly incredible bloodline. He constantly performs excellently in the field proving his ancestors worth while leading fellow pack mates to create amazing hunting for us all to enjoy. Not only does Nato excel for us here at ECH, he also won the hound of the year trophy last winter at the Palm Beach hounds hunt club.

Upon starting the winter season here at Palm Beach Hounds, Nato wasn't quite himself and after a visit to the vet's office they diagnosed him with a large benign splenic mass in his abdomen. In dogs, splenic masses are typically either benign hemangiomas or malignant hemangiosarcomas (HSA). After extensive diagnostics- including blood work, ultrasound and radiographs-and consultations with 4 veterinarians we are as confidant as possible that Nato has a benign hemangioma.

The good news is that surgery is usually 100% curative for hemangiomas, and if successful, Nato should be able to continue his illustrious hunting career. However, the tumour is large, occupying a significant portion of his abdomen and must be removed soon. interestingly, larger size is actually a good sign as benign hemangiomas tend to grow bigger than their more aggressive counter parts.

Of course, as with anything in medicine, 100% guarantees must be tempered with the realisation that there are no guarantees- but we are very optimistic and doing everything possible to ensure the best outcome for Nato.

We do deeply care about our hounds here at ECH who give us such great sport, however, the surgery and recovery process comes at a cost. The surgery to remove Nato's spleen-an organ dogs can live without, as other organs take over its functions-along with the necessary hospital care, will cost between $5,000-$6,000 USD. So we turn to our members and those who care, to contribute, along with a generous donation from the Palm Beach Hounds, to help save Nato's life. We appreciate any donation that you are able to give and all proceeds will go to covering the cost of his surgery. With your generous donations we hope to reach our goal of $5,000+ CAD so that Nato can enjoy hunting once again!