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In November of 2016, I took my sweet Puggle, Cinnamon, to our regular veterinary clinic for what I thought was a bug bite on her leg.  The veterinarian put her on Benadryl to no avail.  We returned to the clinic and the doctor examined the swelling again and I was told that because Cinnamon did not have any negative reaction to examination (no whimpering, no apparent pain, no licking, no limping, etc.) we should not worry about the swelling.  Despite wellness visits as well as a teeth cleaning in addition to removal of moles, the swelling was never discussed again other than to discuss what we were previously told. 

8 months later, in early July 2017 a different doctor at the clinic saw the swelling and insisted we immediatly have some cells removed and examined.  We did this and discovered the swelling to be a malignant mast cell tumor.  The doctor immediately suggested amputation.  Considering that this clinic failed to diagnose our dog properly for 8 long months, we decided to seek out a second opinion at another clinic.

We found the most highly recommended clinic in town and were seen the next day.  This new clinic understood all our concerns and referred us immediately to a specialty animal hospital believing they would be able to save Cinnamon's leg.  We were able to get into the specialty hospital on the next Monday and have since been given several options for saving Cinnamon's leg.

We believe the safest option for saving Cinnamon's leg is to have a surgeon remove as much of the tumor as possible.  After a few weeks of healing, we will then follow up with radiation therapy to kill any remaining tumor they cannot get due to the location of the tumor on her leg and a nice size boundry around it to keep it from coming back at that location.  IF the cancer has already spread thanks to the delayed diagnosis, she will need chemotherapy as well.  The hospital has an excellent success rate with this treatment approach and we are confident it will work.  Unfortunately it comes with a large commitment from the family not only time wise but financially as well.

Cinnamon will have surgery and remain in the hospital for 1 - 2 days after then need several weeks of being kept quiet at home.  Telling her that is difficult at best.  After she recovers fully I (Mama) will have to commit to taking her to her radiation appointments for up to 30 days, 30 min from the house where she stays for up to 3 or 4 hours.  I can stay there or go back and pick her up.  I'll have to figure that all out when the time comes. 

The estimation from the veterinary hospital for her treatment has come in at $5,966 - $7,714.  This is for radiation and surgery.  They have not given me an estimate for chemotherapy yet because they are hoping it has not spread.  Additionally, if i need help with transporting her, this does not include that cost. 

This t-shirt campaign is to help pay for her treatment and transportation.  Not one dime will be used for anything else  Please understand that we have to pay taxes on every dime we raise. If, by the grace of God, we somehow raise extra funds and cover our taxes, we will give the extra money to another doggie at the same hospital also fighting cancer. 

Thank you so much for your help.  All kinds of cancer is terrible.  We hope and pray you never have to fight it with someone you love.