Our sweet Alfie has another health battle to fight. He was born May 2016. I adopted him from an unsafe home in November 2017. We had a carefree couple of years until he was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy in November 2019. With this ER admission, and another in March 2020, Alfie has been taking anti epileptic meds, 8 pills, around the clock every day.

For the past couple of weeks, Alfie’s appetite has been minimal, then he started vomiting, and his abdomen started to swell. Once he started having difficulty breathing, I took him to his primary vet on Tuesday (12/22). They just drew labs, didn’t seem too concerned about his symptoms. On Christmas Eve, I received a message saying his labs were fine. Even though I had concerns, the office had already closed for Christmas. His vet didn’t recognize the signs of a cardiac emergency.

Yesterday (12/26), Andrew took Alfie to an Emergency Vet while I was working my NICU shift. The ER vet was immediately concerned, and did a stat X-Ray. Based on the extent of fluid she saw around his heart, possible lung nodules, and ascites (fluid in his belly), she recommended we urgently take Alfie to a specialized hospital in LA or put him down. I left work, and we drove Alfie to VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital.

Alfie was triaged right away. An ultrasound confirmed pericardial effusion, cardiac tamponade, and right sided heart failure. They performed a pericardiocentesis to drain the fluid around his heart, and also an abdominocentesis for the fluid accumulated in his belly. After both procedures, his heart was able to re-expand. A total of almost 4 liters were removed.

Alfie was monitored by cardiology throughout the night. He was finally able to eat, drink and rest comfortably for the first time in days. This morning, Alfie’s cardiologist performed an echocardiogram. He didn’t see any signs of cancer, which is one of the most common reasons for cardiac tamponade in dogs. He did see abnormal thickening of his pericardium, which is inhibiting the efficiency of his heart.

Another possible diagnosis is coccidioidomycosis. All signs point to valley fever, so once his diagnostic labs result in a few days, Alfie would need surgery to remove his pericardium. This fungal infection would explain why the lining of his heart is so inflamed. Because Alfie is a strong 4 years old, the cardiologist is confident his prognosis with Valley Fever is good. Alfie’s doctors at VCA provided exceptional care and updated us extensively at every step.

With a background as a Neuro telemetry nurse, and Andrew being a Neuro ICU nurse, I’ve always believed that Alfie found us for a reason. This past year has been difficult, but we’ve been able to manage Alfie’s seizures and expenses. Our fluffy boy has been seizure free since March 2020! We love him so much, and if Alfie does indeed have Valley Fever, his team of doctors believe he has a great chance of living a long happy life after surgery and antifungal medication. We picked him up tonight, (12/27), so he can rest comfortably at home while we wait for diagnostics.  Poor baby still kept his tail wagging through all his pain & discomfort.

Alfie’s Valley Fever treatment is estimated to cost around $15,000.

Anything helps! We understand the pandemic has been awful for everyone, so if all you can offer are prayers or a share, we would love those too.


Thank you so much, with love,

Sarah, Andrew & Alfie Fluffybutt