Help for Wally

Hi everyone, our names are Charlie & Lauren, and we're Wally's paw parents. We are fundraising to help our poor sweet boy Wally get veterinary care.

Wally has been very sick recently, but his regular vet doesn't know what is wrong with him and has referred him to a specialist. Please read below for more details, but we are fundraising because Wally has received a lot of medical attention, and his bills are racking up. The specialist we have been referred to has a consultation fee of £590 and has provided an estimate of £4000-£6000 for investigation and treatment.

A bit of background on Wally

Wally is a 19-month-old Lurcher who has spent most of his life being sick. When we got Wally, he'd been living outside with his brothers in a cold, concrete enclosure. Wally spent most of his time in his own mess and was underfed and malnourished. From the moment we rescued him, he had repeated issues with upper respiratory infections, a snotty nose, a hacking cough, and trouble breathing through his nose. He saw the vet many times, and every time he was treated with antibiotics that would help him get through the worst of the illness, only for it to crop up a few months later.

Wally had shown general improvements in the last six months, with hardly any visits to the vet. But unfortunately he's sick again, and this time he seems much worse.

Wally's latest illness (and why this time is much worse)

On November 24th Wally visited the vet with a cough, similar to previous bouts of illness. He was given a course of antibiotics to go home with and seemed to respond well to them. But when his antibiotics ran out on December 2nd he took a turn for the worse. Over the following 24 hours he developed a high temperature, shortness of breath, and was very lethargic. He went back to the vet to get more antibiotics, but unfortunately these didn't seem to do the trick.

On December 5th the vet decided to hospitalise Wally. His temperature was spiking at over 41°C, and he was really struggling to breathe (his temperature should be between 38.3°C and 39.2°C!) The vet placed him on an IV drip for fluids, and he was put on a course of two antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. Whilst in the hospital Wally had a CT scan of his lungs and had a tube put into his lungs to take samples to find out what was making him sick.

His CT scan showed a "complex lung pattern" that suggested he may have pneumonia. Unfortunately the samples didn't come back with any positive results.

After spending three days in the hospital the vet decided his temperature was low enough to be released home (though still in the high 39s.) He was sent home with the two antibiotics, the anti-inflammatory, and a treatment for parasites just in case that was the cause. He didn't respond to the antibiotics, and after a couple of days at home the vet prescribed him a third antibiotic, as well as paracetamol to bring down his temperature.

Sadly none of the medicines given to him has had much effect. For the last several days his temperature has fluctuated back and forth between a low of 39°C and up to a high of 41.6°C. His breathing has worsened, he doesn't always want to eat or drink, and he's started getting a snotty discharge out of his nose that sometimes contains blood. The vet doesn't know what else to do, so they have referred him to a specialist hoping that the specialist will be able to find an answer and treatment for Wally's condition. This is where we need your help.

The money problem

As mentioned above, the specialist has quoted £4000-£6000 for investigation and treatment, on top of the £590 consultation fee. Sadly, Wally's hospitalisation, CT scan and tests, and all of his medication, have already cost us almost £5000. Lauren and I are expecting our first child in March, and are in the process of moving house, so we've stretched ourselves to our financial limit. We really need some help and support to ensure Wally can get the treatment he needs to save him.

Please could you consider donating to help Wally. He's such a sweet, gentle boy who brings joy to everyone he meets. If you aren't able to contribute, could you please share this with others through social media so that we can make as many people aware of Wally's plight as possible. We really want Wally to come home healthy and happy so he can get back to living his life and playing with his big (little) brother. Thank you.