For the Love of Pig
Donation protected
What am I doing tonight? I am sitting here watching my best friend sleeping on the living room rug. I am also watching as the bones in his forehead and muzzle are slowly growing outward. In fact, he has even developed a small gap in his top front teeth that was not there a mere few months ago. I am watching as his internal organs are growing larger than what they should, giving him a pot-belly. I am watching as the bones in his feet are growing larger, giving them a slight clubbed appearance. I am watching as those very same organs I talked about before are being ravaged by glucose toxicity from a diabetes so unpredictable that it cannot easily be regulated. My best friend is almost eleven and should have been full grown years ago, but someone forgot to tell him that. Pig, my best friend, has gigantism. He won’t stop growing.
The Beginning
I met Pig almost eleven years ago on a Friday the 13th. In that one special moment, I fell in love. It was then that I devoted my life to this scrawny little black kitten and he gave his life to me. For eleven years Pig has always been there. For eleven years we have been inseparable. Through moves and relationships, the good and the bad. Pig has helped me through some things so hard that it is difficult to imagine. I have gotten angry, I have gotten sad, and I have completely lost it on occasion. That never phased him. He has always been right there. He is the one constant thing in my life. Words cannot say how much his love has helped me and now more than ever, it is my turn to return the favor. Pig is my very best friend and absolutely the love of my life.
The Diagnosis
A few months back, after a long shift at work, I was sitting in my bed working on school. Pig was relaxing on the floor beside the bed. He suddenly started acting very strange. He was going from place to place trying to pee, but never could. Then it happened. All of a sudden bloody urine started to just gush out of him. It was horrifying. I quickly went to him and made a call for help. We rushed Pig to an emergency vet clinic where they ran some diagnostic tests. As it turns out, as odd for a male cat as this is, Pig had somehow contracted a very severe bladder infection. He was also diabetic. This news came as a shock to me. I never saw it coming.
They treated him for the bladder infection and sent him home. I was in contact with Pig’s vet the very next day. We developed a plan to treat and manage his diabetes. First we attempted diet alone and that did not work. His glucose levels were still very high. It was time to start him on insulin. We started him on a very low dose, which saw some reduction in his numbers. However, by the end of the week he was losing that response and seeing higher sugar numbers once again. We moved to a higher dose. The exact same thing happened again. Then higher. Same thing. He started at 1 unit of insulin two times a day. He is now on 20 units of insulin twice a day with no hint of regulation! This is an extremely large amount of insulin for a feline and, in fact, it is because of another underlying condition. Pig has acromegaly, better known as gigantism.
Think Tony Robbins or Andrea the Giant. Sure, they were famous. Sure they were fascinating, but what they did not tell you about this disease is just how much havoc it wreaks on the body. It is not a very gentle disease. Surprised that a cat can have this diagnosis? Yeah, me too. In fact, this disease, once thought rare, is becoming somewhat of an epidemic in the feline world. It is underdiagnosed and misunderstood. It must be stopped.
The Plea
I am asking for help now, not for me, but for my friend. He needs Stereotactic Radio Surgery to kill the pituitary tumor that is over secreting Growth Hormone. You see, all of this is caused by one very tiny little tumor. SRT uses a highly focused ‘shot’ of radiation to the tumor to stop it in its tracks, with very little surrounding damage. It is highly effective and, honestly, the only viable treatment for this disease. The problem is that SRT treatment for felines is expensive and that is why I am screaming out for help now. I have invested, and plan to invest a lot more, into his treatment, but I am afraid I cannot do it all on my own. I refuse to watch as one tiny speck of a tumor lays waste to such an amazing legend. All of this is happening very slowly and there is still time. The waves that Pig has already sent into the world are far worth the treatment. I am his warrior now and it is up to me to save his life. Please, help me help him and, hopefully in turn, spread awareness about this underdiagnosed monster. Please.
The Beginning
I met Pig almost eleven years ago on a Friday the 13th. In that one special moment, I fell in love. It was then that I devoted my life to this scrawny little black kitten and he gave his life to me. For eleven years Pig has always been there. For eleven years we have been inseparable. Through moves and relationships, the good and the bad. Pig has helped me through some things so hard that it is difficult to imagine. I have gotten angry, I have gotten sad, and I have completely lost it on occasion. That never phased him. He has always been right there. He is the one constant thing in my life. Words cannot say how much his love has helped me and now more than ever, it is my turn to return the favor. Pig is my very best friend and absolutely the love of my life.
The Diagnosis
A few months back, after a long shift at work, I was sitting in my bed working on school. Pig was relaxing on the floor beside the bed. He suddenly started acting very strange. He was going from place to place trying to pee, but never could. Then it happened. All of a sudden bloody urine started to just gush out of him. It was horrifying. I quickly went to him and made a call for help. We rushed Pig to an emergency vet clinic where they ran some diagnostic tests. As it turns out, as odd for a male cat as this is, Pig had somehow contracted a very severe bladder infection. He was also diabetic. This news came as a shock to me. I never saw it coming.
They treated him for the bladder infection and sent him home. I was in contact with Pig’s vet the very next day. We developed a plan to treat and manage his diabetes. First we attempted diet alone and that did not work. His glucose levels were still very high. It was time to start him on insulin. We started him on a very low dose, which saw some reduction in his numbers. However, by the end of the week he was losing that response and seeing higher sugar numbers once again. We moved to a higher dose. The exact same thing happened again. Then higher. Same thing. He started at 1 unit of insulin two times a day. He is now on 20 units of insulin twice a day with no hint of regulation! This is an extremely large amount of insulin for a feline and, in fact, it is because of another underlying condition. Pig has acromegaly, better known as gigantism.
Think Tony Robbins or Andrea the Giant. Sure, they were famous. Sure they were fascinating, but what they did not tell you about this disease is just how much havoc it wreaks on the body. It is not a very gentle disease. Surprised that a cat can have this diagnosis? Yeah, me too. In fact, this disease, once thought rare, is becoming somewhat of an epidemic in the feline world. It is underdiagnosed and misunderstood. It must be stopped.
The Plea
I am asking for help now, not for me, but for my friend. He needs Stereotactic Radio Surgery to kill the pituitary tumor that is over secreting Growth Hormone. You see, all of this is caused by one very tiny little tumor. SRT uses a highly focused ‘shot’ of radiation to the tumor to stop it in its tracks, with very little surrounding damage. It is highly effective and, honestly, the only viable treatment for this disease. The problem is that SRT treatment for felines is expensive and that is why I am screaming out for help now. I have invested, and plan to invest a lot more, into his treatment, but I am afraid I cannot do it all on my own. I refuse to watch as one tiny speck of a tumor lays waste to such an amazing legend. All of this is happening very slowly and there is still time. The waves that Pig has already sent into the world are far worth the treatment. I am his warrior now and it is up to me to save his life. Please, help me help him and, hopefully in turn, spread awareness about this underdiagnosed monster. Please.
Organizer
Sarah Osborne
Organizer
Westville, OK
