Her Pitbull Inspired Her To Be A Dog Trainer And Now That Her Dog Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer, She’s Fighting To Save Her
If you’re like me, then growing up you’ve had a pet or two. I’ve had several dogs, cats, and even some fish. One thing that I’m never prepared for is the loss or illness of one of those pets.
Kasey, a dog trainer, unfortunately, received such news about her 6-year-old Blue Nose Pitbull. Her dog’s name is Kaia.
“Wagging her tail and smiling up at me she had no idea the journey we were about to take together,” Kasey wrote on a GoFundMe page.
“I guess the beauty in all of this is Kaia will never know or understand that she will be fighting for her life from here on out…but I am going to do the fighting for her.”
Kaia came into Kasey’s life at a time when her family lost everything.
When you’re in your 20’s you’re supposed to experience new things. Experimenting with stuff you normally wouldn’t do as you grow up.
You would never expect to lose your childhood home or to experience other negative situations you never thought would happen.
One bright light in all this darkness was Kaia. Though Kaia is an amazing emotional support dog, she started to develop behavior issues.
GoFundMe; pictured above are Kasey and Kaia
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“Kaia was the first powerful breed I have ever owned and I wasn’t aware of the importance of training, structure, and socialization at a young age,” Kasey explained.
“Kaia became severely dog reactive, which I thought was aggression. I was devastated, I couldn’t fail her. LITTLE DID I KNOW, this was going to be the best thing that ever happened to us.”
“I sought out a trainer for Kaia, who brought an entire pack of dogs to show me that aggression was not the problem, but a relationship/behavioral problem.”
This was the moment Kasey found that she wanted to dedicate her life to helping dogs.
Skip forward 5 years, and Kasey has a thriving dog training business. Kaia has been the greatest teacher when it comes to behavior issues. She has even been promoted to assistant when Kasey has training sessions with other dogs.
As someone that has had a pet my entire life, I can tell you that some of the most lasting lessons have been taught to me by animals.
Patience, trust, consistency, and living in the moment. And of course, the simple joy that comes with a pet’s excitement at seeing their people.
What was supposed to be a regular check-up for Kaia’s knee turned into the worst news someone could here about their pet. Kaia was diagnosed with Lymphoma, an inoperable and aggressive cancer that fights the immune system.
“With Lymphoma you are given two options: Option 1: Steroids for the swollen lymph nodes – possible 1-3 month lifespan,” Kasey said.
“Option 2: Chemotherapy- possible 1-5 years remission time before cancer can come back. After hours of research, oncologist appointments, endless phone calls with people who are going or have gone through this, I chose Chemotherapy for Kaia.”
“We are also treating her holistically as well through diet, supplements, and cannabis. 95% of dogs do not have side effects to chemo, unlike humans.”
Overall Kaia will need 4 rounds of chemo and each round is not cheap. The total amount of money for the chemo, testing, and other expenses round out to be between $17,000 to $18,000. Kasey is willing to pay any amount of money so she doesn’t have to say goodbye to her best friend.
Kasey goes on to thank people that know Kaia and how important she is to her. Saying that it gives her strength knowing how many people care for her and her best friend.
“Many of you have asked to help financially and one of my dear clients even said “You have dedicated yourself to helping our dogs, now let us help yours.” I never thought I made that much an impact on others and their relationship with their companions,” she continued.
“Kaia is my why. She is why I kept going when I was at rock bottom, why I found my passion in dog training, why I am able to help so many dogs, and why I know that no matter what I go through, I know I will be okay. Now I owe it to her as she worked so hard for me, I have to fight that much harder for her.”
Kaia’s first round of chemo was on Monday, May 23rd at 4 PM. Kasey says she will keep everyone updated as they continue with treatment.
True to word Kasey updated us. Saying that their oncologist is at Veterinary Cancer Group in Woodland Hills, CA.
Scans showed that the cancer had not moved to Kaia’s chest, and that there was not a secondary infection found. And that the type of lymphoma Kaia has is B CELL, which is the less aggressive form.
Kasey also included the spreadsheet of procedures and the amount each one costs.
If you want to read the original post or donate to Kaia, here is the GoFundMe page for her.
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