Saving Charlie!
Anyone who knows our Charlie knows what a beloved and loving dog he is and how unique his cuteness is. For those of you who don’t know him, we’ll tell you that as owners of 4 dogs and as people working with dog on a daily bases, and have owned many more dogs in the past, Charlie is without a doubt one of the dogs with the greatest joy of life, who loves and gets along with humans, children and animals alike, that we’ve ever met.
He loves people so much that sometimes they may think he’s unhappy at home because he just begs for the attention of every person he meets, plays with every dog he sees and communicates with every cat that happens to be in his way. He cares for and cleans any dog that has a problem (eyes/ ears), treats kittens and puppies we bring home and quietly tolerates the energies of our daughter Emma.
For us Charlie is a family member, so our responsibility for his health and well-being does not end when it is difficult or when it’s expensive. Our commitment to him is full for better or worse and lately is has been worse.
Last May Charlie began to show slight signs of imbalance. At the same time, we noticed he had a paralysis on the right side of his face. He also showed difficulty eating hard foods and expressed pain when he tried.
After thorough check up which lasted half a year, a CT scan revealed that there was a tumor in 7th nerve of his brain. Unfortunately, the tumer can not be removed surgically and according to all the neurologists who examined the case, it turns out that chemotherapy is not effective in such cases. The only possible treatment option is radiation, which currently does not exist in Israel.
After many inquiries, a clinic which specializes in radiation therapy was found near Paris. After much effort, we received a special permit to fly Charlie to Paris (this permit was necessary as he did not meet all the criteria for exporting animals to the EU).
On Monday 13/12/21, Charlie and Amir boarded a flight to Paris and drove to the clinic directly from the airport, where Charlie underwent a series of tests - some new and some repeated to verify that there are no metastases in his body and that the cancer is not responding to radiation. After undergoing 4 days of testing, Charlie was referred to radiation therapy. It will include 15 radiation cycles which will take place 3 times a week for 5 weeks.
Like everyone who meets Charlie, the clinic staff fell in love with him so they showered him with lots of love and take him on 4 walks a day. Even Amir\'s two lovely cousins, took it upon themselves to take turns and come visit him daily to walk him and spend time him.
This is the place to point out that these treatments do not prolong Charlie's suffering but are supposed to stop it completely or at least postpone it for a year or two. If this is the outcome, it will be possible to repeat the treatment one last time, if pain and symptoms return. We are not going to let Charlie suffer. Whenever therapy fails and we see Charlie is suffering, we will send him on his way, knowing we did every thing we could to give him a few more quality and sufferless years.
The trip and the medical treatment cost about 7500-8000 euros. This is an estimate, because during the treatment further imaging may be needed, to examine the progress and success of the therapy. There also may be additional costs for a return cargo flight in case Amir is unable to go and bring him back, due to Covid limitations. All of these do not include the costs of thest, unquiries and preperations in Israel befor leaving for France or the loss of working days due to travel and isolation that follows. They also do not include an additional radiotherapy setion (if possible and worthwhile), in which case the price would double.
The importance of the projects success lies not only in saving Charlie's . It will prove to other dog and cat owners, that if ever they will come to a similar situation, that it is possible, even if you do not have the necessary financial means and that everything must be done to save our animal as long as it's possible form a medical point of view.
Please share the link to this fundraising campaign on Facebook and WhatsApp so that we can reach as many people as possible and increase its chances of success.
It is important for us to note that surplus funds, if and when they’ll exist, will in turn be donated to the welfare and rescue of other animals.
We need all the financial help we can get. We will do our best to live up to our commitment to our beloved Charlie and will greatly appreciate your help.
Please, help us save Charlie!
