Our family fell quickly in love with "Chunk" while visiting the Humane Society this week. We made the decision to bring him home and love him forever! We thought long and hard about a name, and settled on Okie because he came from a shelter in Oklahoma.
Almost immediately after bringing him home, however, it became clear that our Okie was very sick. After a long night vomiting and extreme weakness, we took him in to our veterinarian who diagnosed him with pneumonia. He was started on oral antibiotics, but has continued to decline. By Friday morning, he was clearly in respiratory distress, so we needed to take him to the emergency vet clinic. Upon examining Okie, he was found to have low oxygen and was very ill. It was recommended that he be admitted to the hospital for a minimum of three days so that he could receive IV antibiotics, fluids, and supplemental oxygen.  The doctor said that his prognosis is "guarded" at this point.
The ballpark estimate for his hospital stay and treatment is between $2-5,000. Unfortunately, the Humane Society is not willing to help out with any of these costs (above $200). They did give us the option of surrendering Okie back to them for possible treatment, but in that case we would not be allowed to readopt him once he was healed/recovered.
We are heartbroken at the thought that Okie might not get the medical treatment that he needs. He is a big, sweet boy who's eyes are filled with both sadness and a spark. Any help to get him on the road to to recovery is greatly appreciated!