- Name: Biscuit
- Age: 10 years
- Sex: Male
- Location: Essex
23rd November 2024
Well Biscuit stole your hearts with his many trips to the vets, his surgery, waiting for the test results and just being, well Biscuit.
Biscuit will never be fully well, and we know that our time with him is limited. We don’t know and cannot say how limited; if love and fun could heal him then he would be with us forever because he is so very loved, and is having so much fun!
Biscuit will always be on medication to help him with pain and to manage the lump in his bottom. This is something we will never be able to stop.
He absolutly adores his foster siblings, and his foster daddy, well when he goes out, even if it’s just to have a bath Biscuit is not a happy boy and he has no qualms in letting his foster mum know she is the “spare human”.
Biscuit really does need his humans around him. He can mis-judge when he needs to go outside for the toilet so we have sent many puppy pads and belly bands to his foster family, some donated to us (thank you very much) and some we have purchased with donations for Biscuit.
Although Biscuit has only been with his foster family since July he’s slotted right in; although his ailments mean that Biscuit can be hard work, his foster family know he’s worth every second of mopping and cuddling (well no one likes not making it to the toilet do they?) we’ve all decided moving Biscuit to another family just would not be fair on him, or his foster family who have fallen head over heels for him…..so of course he’s staying!
As you will know, any hound on palative care remains our financial and moral responsibility, but every basset needs an official family so we are pleased to share with you all Biscuit has officially been adopted by his foster family.
We will continue to ensure that Biscuit gets everything he needs medically and will support his foster family in every way that we can.
Congratulations Biscuit, makes a cold stormy evening all warm and cozy!
Thank you to all of Biscuit’s supporters,volunteers and everyone who sent good wishes – look at the happy ending you’ve made possible.
8th September 2024
Well we have amazing news about Biscuit. If you read below you will see we were told the lump up his bottom could not be removed and the worst news possible was that the specialist thought it was cancer. Put that together with Biscuit not doing so well, all the flags were waving towards it being cancer and sadly it spreading through his poor body.
Biscuit came home with the understanding of us all that it would be bad news, to keep him happy and ride the road with him which would be bumpy.
Well! The best news ever came through late this week. IT’S NOT CANCER! Whooohoooooooooo! We are so so pleased.
However, yes there is always a but; the lump taken from his neck is all clear and is healy nicely. The lump up his bottom is a non cancerous polyp and one which would need massive, huge, invasive surgery which could put him at serious risk of his stomach being flooded with the contents of his bowels, which would be life threatening; or potentially the surgery would involve having to break thorugh his pelvis.
The alternative is medication including steriods to keep Biscuit happy and pain free. We are sure you all agree that the surgery is not an option so we are going down the medication route, which the vet and specialist agree is the best way forward for Biscuit.
Over the last few weeks since his surgery he is gaining weight, he is playful, happy and being an absolute darling to be around.
So we are sure you will agree and support our decision to keep Biscuit happy without going through the awful surgery which could actually end his life.
Enjoy the photos of him loving life and thank you so much for all of your support.
The wonderful lett from the vet explaining everything is also below.
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22nd August
BISCUIT IS HOME!
We are so pleased to say Biscuit was allowed home today
He’s doing really well and was so ready to be back home with his family, both two legged and four legged (the Bromance continues!).
We are waiting for the biopsies and we will of course update you further.
His neck wound is very clean and we are certain this will heal well.
He’s on a lot of pain killers and medication, but he is just so happy to be home with his family and we are so so pleased he is.
There’s a little wish list below for a few treats for Biscuit. He is still very bloody when he poops which is understandable, so we have added some pet friendly cleaner as he either doesn’t manage to get outside or manages to get to the patio. We need to keep everything as clean as possible for him and his foster brothers. If you are able to donate we will be grateful. If you can’t just send all your love and healing for him.
The toys will help keep him occupied when he is recovering, and the treats, well he’s worth every treat!
His update from yesterday is below for anyone who missed it.
Thank you as always, you are all amazing
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21st August we received some, sadly some devastating news on our lovely boy.
So Biscuit had the big lump from his neck area removed today and that went well.
Sadly however what was thought to be a polyp in his bottom, is actually bigger than originally thought. It’s 4cm by 10 cm and thought to be an aggressive form of cancer. As such, the vet was unable to remove it, they just couldn’t get to it well enough to do anything. (We won’t go into details as to what they have done to him, but trust us, poor Biscuit will not be a happy boy, but he is in the right place)
The specialist have taken biopsies from his bottom, which will be tested and we hope to have the results early next week.
The fear is the cancer, if it is cancer, has spread. This could well explain why Biscuit is so slight and sleeps so much. We will not be able to make any decisions on Biscuit until we know what we are dealing with.
Whatever decisions are made will be made with the vet and his foster family.We are hopeful that Biscuit will be able to come home tomorrow, but that is dependant on his pain level and his healing tonight.
Whatever the results, whatever the outcome Biscuit will be coming home to spend whatever time, (which we hope is a long time) he has left with his wonderful foster family who are besides themselves.
They hope to visit Biscuit tomorrow if he is not allowed to come home. Please keep Biscuit in your thoughts and hearts. He really does need his army right now.
We are all heartbroken for Biscuit and his foster family, be strong little man, we will get you home as soon as we can.
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18th August 2024
Biscuit as you may recall, joined us 5 weeks ago, and he’s had quite a rough time of it.
Biscuit is the happiest Hound you will ever meet, but he really does have some medical issues which we and his wonderful foster family are working hard to over come.
Upon Biscuit’s arrival his stools were heavy with blood, he was taken immediately to an emergency vet. It was Saturday and we didn’t want to wait until Monday. He was very nervous on arrival, we didn’t know if this was due to being scared or unwell, his body condition also was concerning considering the blood being present. The emergency vet also noted that he was arthritic, he had a lump on his neck and head which they noted would need to be investigated. He was put on antibiotics, and ProKolin with a follow up appointment with the normal vets to follow later that week.
Biscuit was very funny around food and only wanted to eat roast chicken, whilst this is a very nice treat, we needed to get some nourishing food into him to help his tummy get better. It was also recommended that he puts some weight on which eating only chicken wouldn’t do.
The antibiotics worked well and his stools improved, he was very unsettled the first few nights, although was very happy to snuggle up with the resident bassets and really enjoyed his walks, albeit they were kept short initially to help him gain some strength and not to overwhelm him.
Biscuit’s follow up appointment went well, he had the lumps aspirated; his bloods taken; his nails trimmed; his teeth checked, a tiny lump was noted in his mouth; his ears were noted to be a little waxy; but he had managed to put on 0.9 of a kilo in the week following his arrival. His stools had also improved massively.
Thankfully the blood results came back all clear, but then Biscuit seemed to go downhill again. Although he’s an older gent, he seemed to be very tired, sleeping all day and his stools became very runny and bloody again. It was pretty much black which is a sign there’s blood internally somewhere. Understandably his foster parents as well as ourselves were very worried for Biscuit, so he was taken back to the vets with a rather nasty poo sample. He was prescribed Gabapentin which is quite a strong pain killer for dogs. The vets upon an internal examination discovered a 5cm polyp and/or tumour up his bottom which they believe was causing a lot of pain and also the blood. Biscuit was referred for a colonoscopy/CT scan and was recommended to have strict gastro diet food which we immediately ordered for him.
Despite all of this, Biscuit was just such a happy, cuddly boy. He even visited Woodstock for a Game Fair / camping trip which he loved. Being surrounded by hounds and humans who he loves.
In these two short weeks, the real Biscuit started shining through, a happy, settled boy. We just needed to get his medical issues sorted out for him. Biscuit has really bonded with his Foster Dad, a true Bromance in the making, as well as the resident hound Basil!
Just to add to Biscuit’s drama, he was very distressed during the one night, when his foster parents went to him they discovered what appeared to be an abscess which had burst. Poor boy was beside himself with fear. He’d messed in the house as well, but that’s fine, a clean up session of both the house and of his abscess, together with a lot of love and snuggles put Biscuit back at ease and a peaceful night resumed for all.
Biscuit has since celebrated his 11th birthday. He celebrated by going to to vets for a checkup. Sadly due to his on going stomach issues no cake was on the menu, but lots of birthday snuggles and kisses. He had also managed to put on 1kg within the 4 weeks from his arrival, which is brilliant for him. He’s definitely getting stronger by the day which is needed for his specialist visit which has been arranged for the lump on his chest to be removed as well as the polyp to be removed.
The results from his needle biopsies are below. Thankfully they are nothing nasty, but as one is quite large and left un-treated the cells can turn into something nasty he will be having this removed.
Biscuit’s surgery is booked in for Tuesday 20th August. He must have this done as the polyp in his bottom is causing him pain. It causes him to strain when pooping and he is just so uncomfortable. We can only imagine the pain of going to the toilet and we certainly do not want him in pain or becoming scared to go to the toilet as that will just cause psychological issues as well as more physical trauma for Biscuit. We also can’t risk this bursting, we don’t want to think about the outcome of that happening.
To date Biscuit’s vet bills have been in the region of £1,500.00. Biscuit’s surgery on Tuesday has been estimated at £5,051.76 (estimate is also below).
We will ensure Biscuit gets the treatment he needs so he is pain free. We will always ensure that our Hounds get what they need.
If you would like to donate to Biscuit’s surgery the link to do so is below. Or you can buy a raffle ticket to be in with the chance of winning up to £200.00 Amazon vouchers. You may not think that a £5.00 raffle ticket will make a difference to Biscuit’s surgery costs, but honestly it really does.
Every penny donated for any of our hounds, goes to the care and needs of those hounds and only the hounds in our care. The link for the raffle is also below. It ends on Wednesday 21st August 2024.
We must also use this opportunity to thank Biscuit’s foster parents. They are monitoring Biscuit so well, they are noticing changes in him and acting on those changes. Be that contacting us to discuss, taking him back to the vets, or just reassuring him that he’s not in trouble for messing in the house. They are being brilliant with him, taking time off work to be with him and take him to the hospital on Tuesday. Big thank you to them, we know Biscuit is getting the best care and love he needs.
Now to ensure he gets the medical treatment he so desperately needs.
Thank you so much for reading Biscuit’s journey with us so far and being part of his recovery.
https://brngb.org/support-brngb/donate
https://brngb.org/blog/fundraising-time
14th July 2024
Biscuit arrived within the BRNGB family yesterday, one of three hounds who arrived from seperate families., Biscuit was the oldest of the 2 and will be celebrating his 11th birthday next month!
Biscuit is under assessment at present, he is not avaliable for adoption and any applications for him will go unanswered.
Biscuit has already been to the vet as upon arrival yesterday there were signs of blood in his stools. Biscuit was diagnosed with Gastroenteritis, he has a course of antibiotics together with antibiotics and pro kolin and he will be checked again in the week.
Biscuit does have some lumps and bumps which is understandable in a hound of his age, these will be checked once we have soothed his tummy troubles.
Understandably Biscuit was quite a worried lad on his transport yesterday. He settled well on route, and has been very well mannered in meeting his foster siblings. He’s investigated the house and garden and settled down to have a nice long snooze.
We find that most hounds take a move in their stride, Biscuit is doing really well in settling, a little worried but that is to be expected. Everything is taken at the hounds speed so there’s no rush, we are sure Biscuit will be fully settled and enjoy his foster family in no time at all.
Biscuit at this stage doesn’t need a wish list, if that changes we will let you know. However if you would like to donate towards Biscuit’s care when he is with us we have a link below for donations.
Massive thank you to his transporters who took great care of Biscuit and his cooked chicken (yes he had his very own roast chicken provided for his first dinner) on his journey. He was quite happy in their company and settled perfectly.
Support BRNGB
You can donate to Biscuit’s care here.
https://brngb.org/support-brngb/donate
