Ziggy's Osteosarcoma Battle

Hello, my name is Lisa and I have the privilege of being Ziggy's "Ma". I rescued Ziggy when he was 8 years old, and we have had 3.5 beautiful years together. Many of you know Ziggy through Instagram, where I share his happy walkies, love for humans, zest for life and love of all things pastry.

In March this year, Ziggy was diagnosed with osteosarcoma after he fractured his right hind leg. He had undergone dental surgery (to remove 7 teeth) two days before his leg fractured - we suspect he suffered a micro fracture during his dental surgery that exacerbated over the following few days. Within the space of a few days, Ziggy had suffered a pathological fracture to his femur and was in horrific pain.

During his CT scan, the oncologist confirmed the pathological fracture, and also located a tumour in his adrenal gland which is impinging on a major artery. The CT scan showed a "lesion" on his front left shoulder, which could have been arthritis or it could have been cancer - he had not been showing any signs of pain in the front shoulder - but the only way to know would be to take a fine needle biopsy.

As Ziggy had been under anaesthesia for some time when I received the call, I had only minutes to make a decision - say goodbye to my boy while he was asleep, or agree to him being taken straight into amputation surgery. The surgery was riskier than normal because of the adrenal tumour and because of how high his fracture was - they also had to disarticulate his hip joint. I made the best decision I could for Ziggy, knowing that he still had so much zest for life and, other than the few days beforehand, had been happy and walking 4+ KMs every day. He was still acting like a puppy despite being 11yo and showed no signs of slowing down.

When I made this decision, I did so knowing that I didn't have pet insurance to cover the costs. However, I had no real way to know the full impact of the hospital, surgery and ongoing vet fees and I made the best decision I could with the information known. I didn't have pet insurance for Ziggy because being a senior hound at the time I rescued him, the premiums were exorbitant and with a lot of exclusions listed, it didn't seem like the best decision for me and Ziggy. I'm also a single dog Mum, so it has been financially tough without pet insurance to cover his cancer treatment expenses.

Two days after the amputation surgery, the biosopy of his front left leg taken during surgery confirmed it was also osteosarcoma. Treatment options were limited, with traditional chemotherapy unlikely to give Ziggy the best chance of success. Thankfully, Ziggy was eligible and chosen to take part in a drug trial using nanotechnology as a form of immunotherapy, as an alternative to traditional chemotherapy. At the time I made the decision to participate in the drug trial, there was also no way to know the true costs involved.

The drug trial involves treatment twice a week in hospital, and each "course" of treatment lasts 6-8 weeks. After the first course, we were required to do further CT scans to see whether or not the treatment was working. Unfortunately, the CT scans showed that Ziggy's cancer was the same - it hadn't metastasised, but it was still in his front left shoulder, still in his adrenal gland, and he also had a new nodule of cancer in his amputation site, likely seeded from when the cancer riddle bone fractured.

We were recommended to continue with the drug trial for a second course, and we are currently in the middle of that course of treatment. At the end of this second course, we will need to do a third CT scan to find out whether it is working, and it is possible that a third course of the drug trial treatment will be required (with a fourth CT scan after that).

Ziggy's vet bills from his dental surgery and cancer treatment since 1 March are approximately $25,000. Without pet insurance, this has been challenging for me to cover by myself and my credit card debt is increasing as I didn't have any savings to cover these bills.

Originally I didn't want to ask for financial help from this wonderful community because that's not why I started Ziggy's Instagram account - I just wanted to share this beautiful soul with the world. I was also hesitant to ask because there is no guarantee that any of this will "work" - Ziggy may not be here for much longer, we just don't know. I also know how hard everyone has it financially at the moment and the cost of living is out of control.

Having said that, so many lovely people have reached out to me asking if there is any way they can help, and the cost of Ziggy's treatment is continuing to rise.

I also know how fortunate I am that Ziggy is participating in this drug trial - it has the potential to pave the way for groundbreaking cancer treatments for both canines and humans alike - so he's part of something very special.

So here I am, asking for help. If you can spare even the smallest amount, a few dollars, to help us continue with Ziggy's treatment, it would mean the world to us - and I'm happy to answer any questions along the way.

Thanks for reading our story, and thank you to this beautiful community for all of the love and support during this difficult time. We couldn't have done it without you.

Big love, from Lisa and Ziggy x