- E
Last Monday, Luka started to have diarrhea. She has a sensitive stomach and likes to eat weeds in the backyard, so I didn't think much of it. When last Friday rolled around, however, it had become much worse; her stool was black and she was needing to go out every half hour through the night. By this point, I knew something was wrong. When I took her to the vet and they ran panels, my heart hollowed.
Luka barely had any blood in her body.
My vet, bless her, barely charged me anything for my visit and the tests they ran. Instead, she made urgent calls to every ER to get Luka in for a blood transfusion ASAP - and off Luka and I went.
What I found out there was shattering. After reviewing the medications she was on and the numbers that her panels were showing, the doctors were quick to spot that Luka had "azathioprine toxicity."
Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant and a drug that a specialist prescribed to Luka earlier this year. It can suppress bone marrow, and it suppressed hers to the extent that she was no longer making blood cells or platelets. In fact, she had virtually no bone marrow at all. On top of that, her nonexistent platelet count led her to start bleeding internally.
Over that weekend, she received a blood transfusion - this kept her alive and brought her blood levels up enough to come home three days later. But bone marrow can take weeks (if not months) to heal, regenerate, and return to functioning order.
This means that she will continue to need transfusions until (and if) her bone marrow gets back to where it was.
Yesterday, Friday the 8th, she needed another transfusion. One of the wonderful women that works at the ER raced to her parents' house to retrieve their dog - a donor. Once again, Luka's life was saved, and also, once again, we wait.
I've realized that I cannot do this alone. It could take more than a month for her to recover and, at this rate, it's looking like at least one transfusion a week. On top of that, she has to eat Royal Canin's prescription GI wet food (two cans a day at nearly $4 a piece). There will be more prescriptions, more blood panels, and potentially even platelet transfusions.
Luka needs time, and time, in this case, is money. The transfusions buy her time. But, depending on what type of blood she gets (blood bank verses live donor) and how long the ER thinks she needs to be under supervision each time, the cost can range (and has ranged so far) from $1,100 to $2,200 a visit.
I am humbly asking for help. It feels so strange, posting this. I never thought I would encounter this type of an emergency; I never thought I'd be holding my breath, day to day, terrified that any change in Luka's behavior could mean she's out of blood, that she's bleeding internally. What if she suffocates because there aren't enough red blood cells to transport the oxygen? What if I don't recognize the signs?
These are thoughts that haunt me. My biggest fear, though, is the thought that she could need just ONE more transfusion and that I simply will not be able to afford it.
Thank you, truly and sincerely. You have no idea how much this means to me; I am truly indebted to your kindness - and Luka, she definitely says thank you too.
-Kim
Luka barely had any blood in her body.
My vet, bless her, barely charged me anything for my visit and the tests they ran. Instead, she made urgent calls to every ER to get Luka in for a blood transfusion ASAP - and off Luka and I went.
What I found out there was shattering. After reviewing the medications she was on and the numbers that her panels were showing, the doctors were quick to spot that Luka had "azathioprine toxicity."
Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant and a drug that a specialist prescribed to Luka earlier this year. It can suppress bone marrow, and it suppressed hers to the extent that she was no longer making blood cells or platelets. In fact, she had virtually no bone marrow at all. On top of that, her nonexistent platelet count led her to start bleeding internally.
Over that weekend, she received a blood transfusion - this kept her alive and brought her blood levels up enough to come home three days later. But bone marrow can take weeks (if not months) to heal, regenerate, and return to functioning order.
This means that she will continue to need transfusions until (and if) her bone marrow gets back to where it was.
Yesterday, Friday the 8th, she needed another transfusion. One of the wonderful women that works at the ER raced to her parents' house to retrieve their dog - a donor. Once again, Luka's life was saved, and also, once again, we wait.
I've realized that I cannot do this alone. It could take more than a month for her to recover and, at this rate, it's looking like at least one transfusion a week. On top of that, she has to eat Royal Canin's prescription GI wet food (two cans a day at nearly $4 a piece). There will be more prescriptions, more blood panels, and potentially even platelet transfusions.
Luka needs time, and time, in this case, is money. The transfusions buy her time. But, depending on what type of blood she gets (blood bank verses live donor) and how long the ER thinks she needs to be under supervision each time, the cost can range (and has ranged so far) from $1,100 to $2,200 a visit.
I am humbly asking for help. It feels so strange, posting this. I never thought I would encounter this type of an emergency; I never thought I'd be holding my breath, day to day, terrified that any change in Luka's behavior could mean she's out of blood, that she's bleeding internally. What if she suffocates because there aren't enough red blood cells to transport the oxygen? What if I don't recognize the signs?
These are thoughts that haunt me. My biggest fear, though, is the thought that she could need just ONE more transfusion and that I simply will not be able to afford it.
Thank you, truly and sincerely. You have no idea how much this means to me; I am truly indebted to your kindness - and Luka, she definitely says thank you too.
-Kim