Noodles Needs Your Help

It deeply saddens us to have to do this, but we’re at a point now where we need to ask for help again. 

For over two years we’ve been battling with Noodles’ health, trying our best to give him the life he deserves.

In December 2017, when he was just six months old, he was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus - A condition where extra fluid builds up in the cavities deep within the brain. The fluid puts pressure on the brain and can cause brain damage, which has occurred in Noodles’ case.

In January 2018 Noodles underwent surgery to place a shunt into the brain. Simply speaking, this is a little device with a needle that is placed directly into the area of the brain producing the extra fluid, which then transports the fluid away from the brain, down into the abdomen via a tube.

At first, he responded extremely well to the shunt. His neurological symptoms had decreased significantly and he was able to live without any assistance from medication. Unfortunately just four months later he went downhill suddenly, as the shunt had gotten infected and was causing his body to go septic. He underwent emergency abdominal surgery and surgery to remove the infected shunt. We almost lost him, but our miracle man pulled through. A couple weeks later, a new shunt was placed.

Since his last surgery, he has been feeling well for the most part and enjoying his life, but he still hasn’t been free from illness unfortunately. He was diagnosed with Keratitis in both eyes, has had Aspiration Pneumonia twice and now can’t go for more than a slow 10 minute stroll without coughing, and within the last six months has started having seizures.

His seizures originally occurred once every few weeks, but have recently developed into multiple a day, even while on preventative medication.

We are still in the process of investigating the cause of these and so far don’t have any real answers. Blood tests and bile acid tests have shown elevated ALT levels in the liver, which the vets are looking into. It’s unknown if this could be the cause of the seizures, or an unrelated issue.

He has also shown a bit of a decline neurologically, which has caused concern that something could be going on in the brain. He will be having an MRI done as soon as possible for this.

Across two years we have invested over $45,000 of our own money into him, which doesn’t include the huge amount we raised through GFM for his surgeries back in 2018.

We never wanted to have to do this again and ask for help, but we have had so many set backs, and have now exhausted all other resources. We can’t keep this going on our own, and he still has so much life in him that we’re not ready to give up on him yet, not until he tells us he’s ready to stop fighting. 

He is currently in hospital, having repeat bile acid tests done to check the liver. If the ALT levels are still higher than they should be then further investigation will need to be done into that. He will also be having an MRI within a couple of days to look over the brain. We have already spent $6,300 over the last couple of weeks, which will of course increase as testing continues, and with the treatment involved in treating or managing the problem.

The funds that we receive will go towards his testing, and any procedures he may have to have as a result of these. If we happened to raise more than we need this time around then it will be deposited straight into a savings account for his medical fund, for potential future treatments. Unfortunately in Noodles' case, it is likely that there will be further issues in future. If the worst were to happen and we lost him, then those funds would be donated to a charity, or towards neurological research in animals.

We understand that with the current situation in the world that millions of people have been impacted financially and may not be in a position to give. If you can’t afford to spare a dollar or two, then please consider sharing this for us. We would be eternally grateful.

We adore our little man and as many of you who have been on this journey with us since the start (or joined us along the way) know, we would do absolutely anything for him. He’s such a beautiful, happy and strong boy, he deserves the world and we will always try our best to give it to him. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read his story, and if you can donate, know that words will never be able to describe just how much it means to us.

All our love,
Liz, Rhys, Noodles and Chia

We will be posting updates on here as regularly as possible, but if you want to follow along with his progress then we will be posting on his Instagram as well. @noodlesthedachsie

Watch his story on The Dodo