Apollo's Fight Against PRCA

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for being here. It really means the world to us.

So, my sweet baby Apollo has been diagnosed with a very rare form of bone marrow disease called Pure Red Cell Aplasia, or PRCA. This is a severe autoimmune disease that is making his body destroy his red blood cells before they can mature and be used in the way that they are intended. It is life-threatening and he has a long fight ahead of him that includes daily high doses of steroids and immunosuppressive therapy and potential blood transfusions to maintain in stable condition.

This all happened so fast and came out of nowhere starting a few weeks ago. I noticed Apollo wasn't himself and was very lethargic, stopped eating, and his tongue and gums were very pale. After a day or so of no improvement, (and freaking myself out by reading Google results), I took him into urgent care to get some answers and figure out how to get him back to normal. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of my world being turned upside down.

The vet immediately noticed the paleness in his mouth and did some bloodwork that resulted in severe anemia which is never a good thing but especially in dogs. In a healthy dog, 35% to 55% of the blood will be red blood cells. Apollo's levels were in the low 20s. The initial thought was that he might have internal bleeding somewhere, most likely the spleen, and would need emergency surgery to remove it. After initial ultrasounds and further testing, any internal bleeding was ruled out. Which I thought was good news. But this only meant that the causes could be more severe.

Apollo has been to the vet more in the last 2 weeks than he has in his whole life. He hates going to the vet but has been an absolute trooper as we've been back and forth pretty much daily. He's had multiple ultrasounds, x-rays, bloodtests, and had to undergo a blood transfusion when his levels dropped to 17% and a bone marrow aspirate to get a definitive answer to this all. I am SO proud of him for enduring all of it thus far.

I've had Apollo since he was 8 weeks old. He looked like a baby possum and to be honest, I tried to give him away the day I met him. I wasn't equipped to be in charge of another life and knew the level of responsibility it takes to own a dog. But we stuck together and figured it out along the way. If you know or have ever met Apollo, then you know he is closer to an actual angel than a dog. He doesn't bark, he doesn't howl, he doesn't complain, and is the most chill dog you will ever meet. He loves hard and brings joy with him everywhere he goes.

He has been by my side every step of life for the last 8 years and has loved me through all the peaks and valleys. We've moved from Texas to Portland to LA and have had many adventures in between. As you can imagine, I've been in shambles over the past few weeks with all the uncertainty and with the signs pointing to the diagnosis being pretty heavy. It's forced me to address the possibility of suddenly having to continue life without him and in that, I've realized just how much I've learned from him.

I don't want this to sound like a eulogy because it's not.

But now that we finally have a diagnosis, even if it's not the one we would've preferred, it's time to fight. I wish I was in a spot to totally cover the cost of medical bills, but with this disease, the treatment plan is intense and the medications and therapy are not cheap. It will also require weekly blood testing and monitoring to ensure his body is responding and his health is not declining.

If you have the means to donate, whatever the amount, Apollo and I would greatly appreciate it. It's going to be a long road ahead but with your help, we can give Apollo every chance to beat this disease.

We are also accepting all prayers, love, thoughts, vibes, and belly scratches.

If you have any questions or want to know more, please don't hesitate to reach out.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

With all the love,

Matt & Apollo