“Can you just help make her pain stop”?
Mia, a 10-year-old female yellow Labrador, and her dad David have had a rough road over the last year, but they found a way to weather it together; always together. Little did they know that they would soon be facing one more life-altering challenge.
Mia had begun showing signs of pain and had developed a significant limp. David pulled what funds he had together to get her to a veterinarian to see what was causing her pain. Unfortunately, Mia was quickly diagnosed with Osteosarcoma and it was recommended that her front leg be amputated as soon as possible to help stop the spread of the aggressive cancer. Until this surgery could happen, Mia would continue to be in pain and would need that pain managed on a daily basis.
Retired, David works hard to get by on a fixed income and is often faced with limited access to consistent housing. It took everything he had to get Mia diagnosed; let alone have the resources for pain medication and what was turning out to be quite an extensive surgery. On top of that, veterinary surgical practices across Puget Sound were booked out months in advance. He was at a loss of what to do next.
“Mia is by best friend,” said David. “I was absolutely crushed to learn of her diagnosis and, on top of that, I was at a loss of how I was going to help get her the care she needed. I just didn’t have the funds. I was having to face the impossible choice of letting her go.”
That is where the Rainier Animal Fund, in partnership with Elliott Bay Animal Hospital and MOVES Mobile Veterinary Specialists, stepped in to help.
The first step was to make sure Mia had her pain under control. Rainier Animal Fund was able to work with David to ensure Mia had the medication she needed while we worked to find the best avenue and hospital availability for her surgery. Luckily, specialist Dr. Duane Robinson with MOVES was able to make time in his schedule to perform the actual procedure while Dr. Debra Nicholson secured Elliott Bay Animal Hospital and their team to help support Mia’s care. With all pieces in place, we were ready to go.
Mia’s surgery went without a hitch. In fact, early test results showed that Mia’s cancer had not spread and the team felt that they were able to get all of it by proceeding with the leg amputation. Great news for Mia and her dad!
Mia is now home and recovering quite well. She has adapted quickly to her new “normal” and has returned to being the affable, carefree Mia that David loves so much.
“Mia is now doing great,” shared David. “The runs, plays and gets around very well. I am amazed at her headway in adapting. Also, she seems so happy and out of pain. I can’t thank everyone who helped Mia enough. They saved my best friend.”
Our whole team is so happy about how Mia is doing. Her spirit, and the love of her owner, helped carry her through. Now she can stay by David’s side and they can look to the future together.
And, we cannot thank the team at Elliott Bay Animal Hospital and MOVES enough for coming through for David and Mia!
For more information on the Rainier Animal Fund, their upcoming clinics and to make a donation, please visit rainieranimalfund.org.
