Help Jango beat cancer!

You’d be forgiven if, when hearing Hayley and Andy talk about him, you made the mistake of thinking that Jango was their much-loved human child. And to them he really is one of their children, albeit a bit furrier than the average human and with two extra legs. Anyone with pets will agree that they're like a member of the family.

So, when Hayley and Andy found a suspicious looking growth in Jango’s mouth on his lower jaw, they were absolutely devastated to discover that this growth was a Mast Cell tumour – the most common form of cancer in dogs, but also the most aggressive (even more so when found in or around the mouth).

The only surgical option was to shorten Jango’s lower jaw, however this came with many risks and would have had a huge effect on his quality of life, including his ability to eat. Without surgery, Jango was given 2-4 weeks to live.

Another option to try and extend Jango’s life was to trial Palladia, a drug that targets the blood cells to the tumour in an effort to shrink it. Only 7% of dogs trialled overseas had shrinkage and it had never been used for palliative care in NZ before, but Hayley and Andy were willing to give anything a go.

Miraculously, Jango has defied all the odds! Since he was started on Palladia, the tumour has shrunk to an almost unnoticeable size. More than 3 months on since Jango was given 2-4 weeks to live and he’s still going strong. Palladia is keeping him alive.

But it comes at a price. The cost of Palladia, including the regular necessary blood tests, is nearly $1000 a month, and it is recommended that Jango is kept on these drugs for the duration of his life.

We’ve set up this page to help Hayley and Andy cover the cost of the Palladia and the ongoing vet bills. But most of all, we’ve set up this page so they don’t have to make the decision to let Jango die because they can no longer afford the drug that is keeping him alive.