August 2015: We have updated the fundraising total for poor Gatsby's page, having received the vet bills. Gatsby is at peace now and has found his final resting place and we are very grateful to everyone who has donated to this page. Thank you.

17 July 2015:  We are very sorry to have to let you all know that Gatsby very sadly passed away today. Although the vet had managed to get a good margin around most of his tumour, there was one part where it was not possible to obtain a good margin and the cancer had spread. Due to this and Gatsby having a severe reaction to his surgery, Oldies Club, in agreement with Gatsby's vet and fosterers made the decision to let Gatsby go and run, pain free. A very difficult decision, but one made with love and with Gatsby's best interest at heart.

We are very grateful to all of you who have already donated towards Gatsby's vet bill and will leave this page open should anyone else like to make a donation in his memory.

Gatsby is now reunited with his best doggie friend, Georgie, who sadly passed away due to very poor health after coming into our care. We did our absolute best to help both dogs and everyone at Oldies Club is extremely sad at this time  :-(

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Hi, my name is Gatsby, although I am not feeling so great right now as I have just had an operation, so I am having some help writing this page while I recover from surgery in my lovely foster home and receive lots of TLC.

I am in the care of Oldies Club, a small charity run by volunteers, which specialises in rescuing and rehoming older dogs in the UK. Last week I had a needle aspiration on a lump in my tummy area and very sadly the lump was found to be cancerous and the vet advised it was an aggressive type and wanted to remove it asap.

A few days ago I was taken to the vets, had an x-ray to check things hadn't spread to my chest (thankfully that was clear) and bloods taken. As these results were good, I was placed on a drip to help things go as smoothly as possible and the vet operated to remove my lump. I spent that night at the vets as I was still rather sleepy from the surgery and was collected by my foster family on Wednesday. I have a big wound, but the vet is hopeful they got it all.

I had to go back to the vets again today as I wasn't feeling brilliant. It seems I had an allergic reaction to some medication, so the vet has put me on something different, which apparently may make me sleepy. The vet said the wound itself is looking good though - well as 'good' as a large wound can look!

Oldies Club doesn't have a final total for my vet bill yet, but the charity was advised prior to the surgery that it would be in the region of £1500. We will update the page if that amount changes.

I know this is a lot of money for a small charity to find, alongside all their other vet bills, but Oldies Club always does whatever it can to help the dogs in its care, providing treatment as they would for their own dogs. I hope that you will be able to make a donation today towards my vet bill. Any amount at all would be appreciated, so please don't think your support won't make a difference. It will.

I'd be grateful if you would tell your dog-loving friends and family about me too in the hope that they might consider making a donation. Please keep me in your thoughts too :-) Due to my health issues, I have been placed in the charity's sponsor dog scheme, so I will be remaining in my foster home on a permanent basis with Oldies Club paying my vet bills for the rest of my life.

Please note that should Oldies Club supporters be generous enough to donate more than is needed for my vet bill, any excess money will be directed to the charity’s general fund and used to help other older dogs in its care.

Thank you.

Love, Gatsby x

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