Donations sought for McKeesport K-9 officer battling cancer

By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com

The McKeesport police K-9 Unit is calling on the community to help cover the costs of medical treatment for Stryker, a K-9 officer suffering from cancer treatment complications.
McKeesport K-9 Unit handler Lt. Bob Eastman revealed Wednesday K-9 Stryker, a Belgian Malinois who will celebrate his 10th birthday later this year, was diagnosed with cancer in March. Stryker is now battling complications from radiation treatment.
Eastman and his fellow handlers created an online gofundme fundraiser and are calling on the community to help with Stryker’s veterinarian bills.
“K9 Stryker was diagnosed with a cancerous sarcoma on his left front leg near his elbow a few months ago,” said Eastman, who has 15 years of handling K-9 officers. “The cancer was removed and radiation was performed to rid him of the cancer.
“Unfortunately, the wound will not heal.”
He said Stryker is currently at home and being treated by Dr. Hope Chisnell of Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center in the North Hills.
“She’s just as depressed as I am because she has been trying everything,” Eastman said, adding that at one point the doctor tried to use fish skin to graft over the wound where the tumor was removed. Chisnell hoped the procedure would encourage Stryker’s blood to flow to the site of the wound, however it didn’t work.
“The poor dog has been in a full-leg bandage from his shoulder to his foot for over three months now while the doctors at PVSEC try to mend his leg,” Eastman said. “They are going to attempt one more surgery before the devastating choice to amputate.”
Eastman said the surgery entails removing a portion of excess skin from Stryker’s chest and grafting it over the radiated tissue on his elbow.
He said it will take two to three weeks for Stryker to recover from the procedure — as long as his body doesn’t reject the skin graft.
“If that happens, then his police career will be over,” Eastman said, adding Stryker’s leg would be amputated and that the K-9 would spend his retirement years at the Eastman family’s home as one of their pets.
The lieutenant said Stryker is a good partner.
“He’s been off work for a good three months,” he said. “I miss having him in my car every day. He’s a good police dog, a hard worker. He has a lot of drive.
“The dog does a lot of good for the community. We need him back on the job.”
Eastman said he knows Stryker, who has worked for McKeesport Police Department since he was 3 years old and previously worked for a police department in Florida, wants to get back to work.
“You can definitely tell that he wants to go to work. When he hears the police radio he goes nuts,’” Eastman said. “He’s like, ‘Come on dad let’s go.’ He is a pure working dog. He’s got, I’d say, a good two years of service in him if we can get him healed.”
The McKeesport K-9 Unit is a nonprofit organization run via donations and fundraisers. Donations are used for veterinarian bills, buying K-9 police vehicles, equipment and food for the dogs, proper training and the purchase of new dogs.
“With the COVID-19 situation it has been extremely difficult to run our usual fund raisers that keep the McKeesport
K-9 Unit comfortably financially stable,” Eastman said.
Eastman said the unit’s veterinarian bills are “outrageous” and that Stryker’s veterinarian bills are currently around $20,000.
“With the COVID-19 stuff we’re missing out on our golf outing, which we are hoping we might be able to reschedule for later in the year but we don’t know, and our Vera Bradly purse bingo, which is our big fundraiser, our account is kind of draining because of the COVID.
“We try to keep the burden off the city so we can keep the budget low and keep the K-9 unit. Usually donations take care of our dogs, but when you get a dog with cancer the vet bills build up pretty quick. So, anything that we can get is a definite bonus and we appreciate,” he said.
Eastman said he will be speaking with Stryker’s doctors today about when he will be undergoing surgery.
To learn how to donate and for updates about Stryker’s condition, visit the McKeesport K-9 Unit Facebook page, or go to gf.me/u/yfppck.
In another attempt to raise money, the K-9 unit and its volunteers will be at Lampert’s Market, 2010 Eden Park Blvd., McKeesport from 3 to 7 p.m. Aug. 1-3, selling the 2020 K-9 Unit T-shirts and sweatshirts. The items are normally sold at International Village, but the annual event is canceled this year due to pandemic restrictions.
Teams selling K-9 Unit shirts and sweatshirts will practice social distancing during the sale, use hand sanitizer and wear face masks. For more information visit the unit’s Facebook page.