Murphy’s nose
Donation protected
Who are we?
Lorna & Nick, who relocated recently from Berkshire back to Ayrshire to enjoy a more relaxing way of living.
We live with Murphy, Molly & Katie our three rescue collie dogs and Sox the cat
Who is Murphy?
Murphy is a member of our family and is approximately 6 years old; we can't be sure of his age as he was rescued via the AHAR animal charity in March 2013 in Ireland from a farmer who we believed had kept him in a dark shed, because Murphy was totally deaf, and was of no use to him as a sheep dog.
What is it for?
To help pay for vet costs to increase his chances of surviving this terrible illness.
What happened?
Late Autumn 2018 Murphy started sneezing a lot, with a constant discharge from his nose.
Our vet refered him to Glasgow University Vet School.
We took him to his initial consultation in January 2019 where he was examined under general anaesthetic and had numerous tests inclucluding a CT scan.
What is the illness?
Murphy contracted Aspergillus in his nose which is a fungal infection which causes symptoms including nasal discharge, bleeding as well as destroying the bones. This type of fungus is commonly found in the environment.
The threat to life?
Murphy’s CT scan showed a large amount of bone loss in his nasal passages as well as thin and/or missing bone with possible lesions in the plate protecting his brain.
This is a major concern for the proposed drug treatment/flushing procedure since the drugs can cause life threatening seizures if they leak into the brain as well as blindness if they leak into the eyes.
The treatment?
The treatment involves boring into the front of Murphy's head, inserting cathers and applying the flush treatment ( a process called trephining) During the process Murphy has to be rotated to give the treatment every chance to get into all the sinuses with extreme care needed to ensure the solution does not leak into any other areas e.g. the larynx as it will burn the tissue.
Three flush sessions are required to target this destructive disease, all administered under general anaesthetic and with futher scans to monitor its progress.
The cost of the treatment?
It will probably require 3 x £2,000 sessions, so the cost of each definitive treatment is approximately £6,000 to have the best chance to win this battle.
We are also treating the fungal disease with tablets to aggressively target the fungal spores at a cost of £180 per month.
Insurance verses shortfall
Estimated total costs of about £9,000
We have an overall benefit limit of £4,000 on Murphy’s pet insurance and the investigations and initial drugs have already cost over £2,100.
We are now in the situation where the limit on Murphy’s insurance is easily going to be reached, We have to contribute £480 against the insurance costs due to a compulsory excess meaning we are already having to try to find money just to meet these fees.
When we need the funding?
Murphy's first trephining treatment starts on Thursday 24th January 2019 . The costs of the initial investigations and first sessions will leave us underfunded and we need additional funds to cover the remaining two sessions and further costs.
We all would appreciate any donations whether it is large or small towards Murphy's veterinary fees.
Additional background history
Murphy has not had the best start in life; he spent time living in the animal shelter in Ireland before being fostered in the UK and finally coming to us, his forever home, in August 2013.
Murphy came to us with many behavioural problems e.g. he was initially fixated on any white light source; he would sleep for about 5minutes then jump up and run around; he did not know how to sleep peacefully and he had poor muscle mass due to lack of exercise and was underweight.
We introduced him to a crate to give him a secure space and somewhere to relax and rest peacefully without the fear of something approaching him from behind. We slowly increased his exercise, introduced him to new environments and used our other two dogs to help with his rehabilitation.
We took him to dog training classes to work on maintaining his attention and focus. Murphy is now like a different dog and lives life to the full. He is happiest when he is out and about and able to run free. Although he was initially our biggest challenge yet, he is very loving and has a great life and deserves every opportunity to enjoy it as long as possible.
Additional medical history
Murphy was diagnosed with a disc problem in 2015 after he was referred to Noel Fitzpatrick Refferals (TV Supervet) as Murphy was lame on his rear leg.
He was diagnosed with a narrow sciatic nerve so was prescribed tablets and underwent a series of epidural steroid injections under general anaesthetic.
We were able at the time, with the support towards his fees from his insurance, to pay his vet fees. As a typical collie Murphy loves to run and we were delighted when we could provide him with the treatment to improve his quality of life.
When we need donations?
It would be nice to get donations in for mid-February as that will be when the 2nd definitive treatment will be expected to be done.
Outcome
Disease stopped in its tracks and in reality saved Murphy’s life and enable us make his life as enjoyable and comfortable for a long as possible. We want to be able to access the best treatment to give Murphy a good quality of life and not to have to curtail his treatment due to our financial constraints. Murphy is a very important part of our familyand we want to keep him living life to the full by running on the beach at least three times a week and going on long walks with his forever family, Molly, Katie, Lorna & me.
Our family would like to thank you for any support that you can give.
We would like to give any donantions over the treatment cost to a local animal charity to help someone else in similar circumstaces.
Nick & Lorna Bye
Our family having fun on the beach
before Murphy’s diagnosis
Lorna & Nick, who relocated recently from Berkshire back to Ayrshire to enjoy a more relaxing way of living.
We live with Murphy, Molly & Katie our three rescue collie dogs and Sox the cat
Who is Murphy?
Murphy is a member of our family and is approximately 6 years old; we can't be sure of his age as he was rescued via the AHAR animal charity in March 2013 in Ireland from a farmer who we believed had kept him in a dark shed, because Murphy was totally deaf, and was of no use to him as a sheep dog.
What is it for?
To help pay for vet costs to increase his chances of surviving this terrible illness.
What happened?
Late Autumn 2018 Murphy started sneezing a lot, with a constant discharge from his nose.
Our vet refered him to Glasgow University Vet School.
We took him to his initial consultation in January 2019 where he was examined under general anaesthetic and had numerous tests inclucluding a CT scan.
What is the illness?
Murphy contracted Aspergillus in his nose which is a fungal infection which causes symptoms including nasal discharge, bleeding as well as destroying the bones. This type of fungus is commonly found in the environment.
The threat to life?
Murphy’s CT scan showed a large amount of bone loss in his nasal passages as well as thin and/or missing bone with possible lesions in the plate protecting his brain.
This is a major concern for the proposed drug treatment/flushing procedure since the drugs can cause life threatening seizures if they leak into the brain as well as blindness if they leak into the eyes.
The treatment?
The treatment involves boring into the front of Murphy's head, inserting cathers and applying the flush treatment ( a process called trephining) During the process Murphy has to be rotated to give the treatment every chance to get into all the sinuses with extreme care needed to ensure the solution does not leak into any other areas e.g. the larynx as it will burn the tissue.
Three flush sessions are required to target this destructive disease, all administered under general anaesthetic and with futher scans to monitor its progress.
The cost of the treatment?
It will probably require 3 x £2,000 sessions, so the cost of each definitive treatment is approximately £6,000 to have the best chance to win this battle.
We are also treating the fungal disease with tablets to aggressively target the fungal spores at a cost of £180 per month.
Insurance verses shortfall
Estimated total costs of about £9,000
We have an overall benefit limit of £4,000 on Murphy’s pet insurance and the investigations and initial drugs have already cost over £2,100.
We are now in the situation where the limit on Murphy’s insurance is easily going to be reached, We have to contribute £480 against the insurance costs due to a compulsory excess meaning we are already having to try to find money just to meet these fees.
When we need the funding?
Murphy's first trephining treatment starts on Thursday 24th January 2019 . The costs of the initial investigations and first sessions will leave us underfunded and we need additional funds to cover the remaining two sessions and further costs.
We all would appreciate any donations whether it is large or small towards Murphy's veterinary fees.
Additional background history
Murphy has not had the best start in life; he spent time living in the animal shelter in Ireland before being fostered in the UK and finally coming to us, his forever home, in August 2013.
Murphy came to us with many behavioural problems e.g. he was initially fixated on any white light source; he would sleep for about 5minutes then jump up and run around; he did not know how to sleep peacefully and he had poor muscle mass due to lack of exercise and was underweight.
We introduced him to a crate to give him a secure space and somewhere to relax and rest peacefully without the fear of something approaching him from behind. We slowly increased his exercise, introduced him to new environments and used our other two dogs to help with his rehabilitation.
We took him to dog training classes to work on maintaining his attention and focus. Murphy is now like a different dog and lives life to the full. He is happiest when he is out and about and able to run free. Although he was initially our biggest challenge yet, he is very loving and has a great life and deserves every opportunity to enjoy it as long as possible.
Additional medical history
Murphy was diagnosed with a disc problem in 2015 after he was referred to Noel Fitzpatrick Refferals (TV Supervet) as Murphy was lame on his rear leg.
He was diagnosed with a narrow sciatic nerve so was prescribed tablets and underwent a series of epidural steroid injections under general anaesthetic.
We were able at the time, with the support towards his fees from his insurance, to pay his vet fees. As a typical collie Murphy loves to run and we were delighted when we could provide him with the treatment to improve his quality of life.
When we need donations?
It would be nice to get donations in for mid-February as that will be when the 2nd definitive treatment will be expected to be done.
Outcome
Disease stopped in its tracks and in reality saved Murphy’s life and enable us make his life as enjoyable and comfortable for a long as possible. We want to be able to access the best treatment to give Murphy a good quality of life and not to have to curtail his treatment due to our financial constraints. Murphy is a very important part of our familyand we want to keep him living life to the full by running on the beach at least three times a week and going on long walks with his forever family, Molly, Katie, Lorna & me.
Our family would like to thank you for any support that you can give.
We would like to give any donantions over the treatment cost to a local animal charity to help someone else in similar circumstaces.
Nick & Lorna Bye
Our family having fun on the beach
before Murphy’s diagnosis
Organiser
Nick Bye
Organiser
