Hello...I am new to this and am sick myself so I am going to do the best I can. My Golden Mojo is 8, he is the light of my life, my constant companion and best friend, and we are inseparable. My Mojo has been slowing down the past few weeks (he is quite heavy from seizure meds and lack of exercise, it is so hot here in SW Florida that he can barely stand walks, even at night), especially since one walk two weeks ago at night, he just sat down and that was that, we went home. He woke up with a nosebleed this morning, this has never happened before, but now I am realizing that his lack of speed when rising/laying down, along with a little moan when he finally is "spread out", may be something worse than just getting older?? I can't bear the thought of it, he is my entire universe, and I am unemployed due to illness and I am panicking about not being able to pay a huge vet bill. Does anyone know of any clinics in Sarasota/Fort Myers area that will allow someone to make payments?? I know I need to get him to the vet today, I just don't have any way to pay for it and he deserves better than this. He has saved my life before and I need to save his!!! I am desperate for any advice anyone can give me, I need to do something quick for him. If it meant surrendering him to a rescue I would do it, although I honestly don't think he would make it, he freaks out when I go check the mail or shut the bathroom door without him right by my side. I have a seizure disorder and he never ever wants to leave me (he has one too), and I never want to leave him either, any advice or direction would help. THANK YOU!!!
MaryLovesMojo
Sorry, I am no help, but I just wanted to say my thoughts and prayers are with you and Mojo, and that you can find the help and answers you need.
I am sorry, I am from Chicago and don't have any advice but I wanted to say I was sorry for what you are going through and I hope Mojo is ok.....
Can you get care credit through your vet? That way they get paid and you can make payments. And in most cases if you pay off before the limit (like 12 months), you aren't paying any interest.
You need to get him in for an exam today (just pay the exam fee) and go from there. Because it's so serious, I would want as good and honest a vet as possible looking at my dog.
All my best.
You need to get him in for an exam today (just pay the exam fee) and go from there. Because it's so serious, I would want as good and honest a vet as possible looking at my dog.
All my best.
I know how hard it is to not be able to afford the big vet bills. I would just go to the vet and find out what it is and go from there. The regular exam shouldn't cost too much and then at least you would know for sure what's going on.
Thank you all for your good wishes. I started reading through these threads after googling dog nosebleeds and omg I am having a complete breakdown. He is the epitome of a perfect golden, dog, and friend. Everyone always says that if I could clone him I'd be a millionaire, even though knowing me I wouldn't part with any of them!!! I just love him so much, and he has been so well even despite the seizures that I just wasnt prepared for this, I guess no one is. I am so glad I found this site, because I can't stand people telling me "it is just a dog". NO Golden is "just a dog". Ever.
The other weird thing is he is constantly licking the carpet or his front paws; I have put clean towels underneath him to try and keep him from doing it but he is resourceful and pushes them out of the way. I lost my beloved Golden, Dallas, to liver cancer 8 years ago, at age 11, and it was so heartbreaking, that my heart goes out to all of you who have also lost their precious Golden babies. Reading these posts, it is just amazing that such well cared for and seemingly healthy Goldens are constantly succumbing to this terrible disease, I just can't get over it. Anyway, thank you again for your info/advice, I am just going to take him as soon as my husband gets home and see what happens. Prayers, prayers, prayers...
Try these people, if they cannot help maybe they know someone who can:
Animal Rescue Coalition
Sarasota FL
941-957-1955
Web: www.animalrescuecoalition.org
Low cost s/n for residents of Sarasota County.
Animal Rescue Coalition
Sarasota FL
941-957-1955
Web: www.animalrescuecoalition.org
Low cost s/n for residents of Sarasota County.
Here is a thread with some places that might be able to help you. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...y-physiology-breed-standard/17429-grants-financial-aid-medical-issues-vets.html
My heart goes out to you with what you are going thru. With getting his weight down maybe you can lower his food and give him some green beans in his food. Give him a big kiss from me.
My heart goes out to you with what you are going thru. With getting his weight down maybe you can lower his food and give him some green beans in his food. Give him a big kiss from me.
MarylovesMojo
MaryLovesMojo
My heart is going out to Mojo and you. I will pray for all of you when your Husband comes home and you all go to the vet. Some times when a dog keeps licking it is because they are in pain.
MaryLovesMojo
My heart is going out to Mojo and you. I will pray for all of you when your Husband comes home and you all go to the vet. Some times when a dog keeps licking it is because they are in pain.
Im so sorry to read about your sweet boy, Mojo. I hope you were able to take him to the vet, Please let us know what you found out.
Sending healing thoughts to your boy and I hope you are able to find a sympathic vet soon who will help.
No adivce, just tons of good wishes for your mojo and you. I am so lucky my vet allows dependable people to pay over time. When we go in, even for just a little check up, i am asked if i want to pay or if i want to be billed.
My vet teases me that i paid for one of his $15,000 heated ice units oer the years (knee surgeries on one of my goldens, tumor surgeries, dentals, for 4 dogs, etc. What i do is either have a cridt or i owe. Most i have had in cridit wa a little over $200 (have $21 now), and most i have owed was $2300 (8 days in icu, expenisve meds, untra soundsm, tons of lab works, etc.)
i hope you can find a vet like mine. And prayers for your swee mojo, and your are right, they are not "just dogs", they are family emembers.
My vet teases me that i paid for one of his $15,000 heated ice units oer the years (knee surgeries on one of my goldens, tumor surgeries, dentals, for 4 dogs, etc. What i do is either have a cridt or i owe. Most i have had in cridit wa a little over $200 (have $21 now), and most i have owed was $2300 (8 days in icu, expenisve meds, untra soundsm, tons of lab works, etc.)
i hope you can find a vet like mine. And prayers for your swee mojo, and your are right, they are not "just dogs", they are family emembers.
Update: Heartbroken
Hi everyone....my worst fears...my very nice vet thinks he has lymphoma. I can't even breathe writing this. We got xrays done, ect and there was a large mass near his heart, and one near his colon. She thinks they are lymphoma but isn't 100 percent sure. She did do a needle aspiration of the chest and got some suspicious cells, and tried again and got blood so she stopped. She referred me to an oncologist about 40 minutes from here (I have a seizure disorder, just like my special boy Mojo, so driving there is going to be impossible, I was lucky I got to the vet), for further tests if I want to try chemo. I am so overwhelmed with info, I have been up researching and applying for grants for two days/nights straight, I don't qualify for care credit and I am losing my mind. I can't bear the thought of losing my boy, he is my whole life and my whole heart, I am never ever more than five feet from him and she stares in my face when and if I do sleep. He brings in the groceries, he smiles at me ear to ear when I need it the most, he carries my purse and steals my shoes so I won't leave without him (seriously, if he sees me putting makeup on, he runs and steals my shoes because he knows that means I am leaving), he has sat right by my side through 4 strokes, wouldn't even leave me to pee or eat or anything, he is the most loyal being God ever created. He was horribly abused before I adopted him, was skin and bones and black and blue. He had a seizure disorder from the brain injuries (his vet then made them surrender him or risk prosecution, so they did, and he picked me as his new Mom!!! The happiest day of my life!!!) so he was going to be hard to place (this was before I was sick), and boy we were just a perfect fit!!!! I have him on 60 mg prednisone (2 and a half times a day) now while i try to come up with the funds to take him to the oncologist for a more definitive diagnosis and hopefully treatment plan, but with those two masses I am terrified that they can't do anything. His spleen looked ok, but he is so chubby that it is hard to tell exactly what is going on, other than those two large spots don't belong there. The prednisone is already making him incontinent, although I bring him outside literally every twenty to thirty minutes, he still is having accidents as soon as he comes in (he has NEVER EVER had an accident, ever, in the house except when he has had a seizure, so this is horrible for him I know it)....I just don't know what to do. Is it mean to keep him alive for ME? Is it mean to put him to sleep without trying everything first??? I don't have anyone to talk to about this, I am losing it my heart literally hurts, the grief is unbearable, and that is only going to upset him more. I can't let him go I just can't live without him, I don't know what to do?????
Hi everyone....my worst fears...my very nice vet thinks he has lymphoma. I can't even breathe writing this. We got xrays done, ect and there was a large mass near his heart, and one near his colon. She thinks they are lymphoma but isn't 100 percent sure. She did do a needle aspiration of the chest and got some suspicious cells, and tried again and got blood so she stopped. She referred me to an oncologist about 40 minutes from here (I have a seizure disorder, just like my special boy Mojo, so driving there is going to be impossible, I was lucky I got to the vet), for further tests if I want to try chemo. I am so overwhelmed with info, I have been up researching and applying for grants for two days/nights straight, I don't qualify for care credit and I am losing my mind. I can't bear the thought of losing my boy, he is my whole life and my whole heart, I am never ever more than five feet from him and she stares in my face when and if I do sleep. He brings in the groceries, he smiles at me ear to ear when I need it the most, he carries my purse and steals my shoes so I won't leave without him (seriously, if he sees me putting makeup on, he runs and steals my shoes because he knows that means I am leaving), he has sat right by my side through 4 strokes, wouldn't even leave me to pee or eat or anything, he is the most loyal being God ever created. He was horribly abused before I adopted him, was skin and bones and black and blue. He had a seizure disorder from the brain injuries (his vet then made them surrender him or risk prosecution, so they did, and he picked me as his new Mom!!! The happiest day of my life!!!) so he was going to be hard to place (this was before I was sick), and boy we were just a perfect fit!!!! I have him on 60 mg prednisone (2 and a half times a day) now while i try to come up with the funds to take him to the oncologist for a more definitive diagnosis and hopefully treatment plan, but with those two masses I am terrified that they can't do anything. His spleen looked ok, but he is so chubby that it is hard to tell exactly what is going on, other than those two large spots don't belong there. The prednisone is already making him incontinent, although I bring him outside literally every twenty to thirty minutes, he still is having accidents as soon as he comes in (he has NEVER EVER had an accident, ever, in the house except when he has had a seizure, so this is horrible for him I know it)....I just don't know what to do. Is it mean to keep him alive for ME? Is it mean to put him to sleep without trying everything first??? I don't have anyone to talk to about this, I am losing it my heart literally hurts, the grief is unbearable, and that is only going to upset him more. I can't let him go I just can't live without him, I don't know what to do?????
I'm so sorry for the diagnosis and for what you're going through. First, the prednisone issue with incontinence will get better with time. Second, everything seems so overwhelming now, but ultimately you will find your way and know what's right to do for your doggie. From experience I know how hard this is for you. Trust yourself and trust Mojo. You are in my thoughts.
Do you have any friends or family members that could drive you to the oncologist? I'm sorry you weren't able to qualify for Care Credit, that's the only help I could think of. This is a very hard situation for you and my heart goes out to you and Mojo. I'm sorry.
Thank you...I don't have anyone here, I moved to Florida 7 years ago for work, and now that Im sick and not able to work, I am home pretty much 24/7, and the friends you have then tend to be fair weather friends, unlike dogs. Especially my sweet boy. All of my family is in NY, and my sister has cancer (stage IV, third recurrence, with three small children, so I feel terrible even crying over my dog when she is suffering so much too. She has an amazing support system up there tho, thank God), and my parents (My Mom is also a cancer survivor) are taking care of my 30 year old brother who has a traumatic brain injury from a car accident (he wasn't driving, was the victim of an fool), so they can't help, if anything I should be helping them. I would have never adopted him then if I knew how much things would change and I wouldn't be able to give him the care he needs when he needs it the most!!!!!! That is killing me. He is so precious to me, he is my whole heart, it's hard to stop crying long enough to try and make a plan. Thank you for listening, you would all love him and he would love you, he cries and goes bananas when he sees other Goldens, even on tv!! Or if you say "Oh look at the Golden Retriever!!!", which I do every time I see one, he goes just crazy trying to go play with them!!! Thanks for giving me a chance to smile...yesterday after I left the vet (he wasn't cooperating with me there, he wouldn't leave my side, so they made me leave)...apparently they opted to keep him tied to a leash in the hallway of the offices while they were waiting to aspirate him (he wouldn't leave the doorway that I walked out of), he waited for them to turn around and he unhooked his leash from the latch and literally tore off down the hallway and out the door!! The same dog that was laying on his side, moaning and panting when we got there. I had to come back, they had to put him on a gurney just to get him to go into the xray room without me. He just knows something is wrong, is trying not to show it, and wants his Mom. I feel like I am letting him down. I am trying to research chemo for dogs with lymphoma, survival rates, ect and even at an early stage it seems like they live a year or so, which is fine with me I will take every second I can get!!! I am online now applying for Magic Bullet, wish me luck, I need this to happen for my special angel. He makes everything worthwhile, is beautiful and loving and loyal and way too young to go. Sometimes I wish I was one of the "its just a dog" people, because this is heartbreaking. Literally. My chest feels like its going to explode. I am so sorry for all of you who have had to lose their beautiful babies to the rainbow bridge, how did you do it???I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Please say a prayer for my baby, the most important thing to me in the world isn't my grief but his happiness and peace and his love.
I feel like I am letting him down. I am trying to research chemo for dogs with lymphoma, survival rates, ect and even at an early stage it seems like they live a year or so, which is fine with me I will take every second I can get!!! I am online now applying for Magic Bullet, wish me luck, I need this to happen for my special angel. He makes everything worthwhile, is beautiful and loving and loyal and way too young to go. Sometimes I wish I was one of the "its just a dog" people, because this is heartbreaking. Literally. My chest feels like its going to explode. I am so sorry for all of you who have had to lose their beautiful babies to the rainbow bridge, how did you do it???I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Please say a prayer for my baby, the most important thing to me in the world isn't my grief but his happiness and peace and his love.
Do you live close enough to Gainesville to take Mojo to the University of Florida Veterinary Hospital? As a public teaching hospital they may be amenable to payment arrangements, particularly for oncology patients. In addition, they may have some kind of trial study going that could greatly reduce the costs of treatment. Here's their website:
Veterinary Specialists & Outpatient Animal Care | UF Veterinary Hospitals
Veterinary Specialists & Outpatient Animal Care | UF Veterinary Hospitals
I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I know the vet referred you to an oncologist 40 mins. away but is it possible there is one closer to you?
I'm so sorry..... we lost two goldens to cancer, but they were old and even before they became sick we had plenty of time (months and years) to gently say goodbye and prepare ourselves for whatever would take our old angels away. Lymphoma scares the heck out of me because it happens so much to younger dogs.
Mary - from the sounds of it, you have given him a very happy life and I hope have stored up all of those special moments and joys that you guys have shared together. Because he's only 8, I would definitely get a second opinion and try to see what you can do to help him right now. There are members of GRF who have been through lymphoma with their dogs, I really hope they can get with you with advice.
All my best and prayers for you.
Mary - from the sounds of it, you have given him a very happy life and I hope have stored up all of those special moments and joys that you guys have shared together. Because he's only 8, I would definitely get a second opinion and try to see what you can do to help him right now. There are members of GRF who have been through lymphoma with their dogs, I really hope they can get with you with advice.
All my best and prayers for you.
Awww Mary, I am so sorry to read this. I know the pain is awful..it is equal to the love you feel for him and is our payment for knowing this special golden love. Try to cling to your good memories and times with him and the knowledge you gave him the best life could offer even if it was later in his life. I hope you have friends nearby or some family who can help you emotionally; either way please do keep posting to this board and let us know how you are doing. Hugs to you both, Kimberly
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