CJ & Apollo's vet bills. RIP our 2 boys

The week of September 19th has been incredibly difficult for me and Chad.

On 9/23/2022 we, unfortunately, had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to our 9-year-old corn snake, Apollo, and our 13-year-old cat, CJ. Both were suffering from different cancers that were inoperable and impacting their quality of life. It's difficult when someone has to go through this with their pet but for it to happen to two pets at the same time...we were unprepared. So we have started this fund for any assistance in paying their last veterinary bills.

Apollo was a beautiful orange okeetee corn snake, which we brought home in November 2018. He was the best first snake we could ask for!

His last story: We noticed earlier this month that he had two lumps which we'd assumed were undigested mice. But after soaking himself in his dish on Monday night (unusual behavior for him) we knew we needed to take him to the vet on Tuesday night. After x-rays, we believed that the lumps were mice and that he was dehydrated. We would be given painkillers, calcium and warm baths were recommended to help him digest. We left him at the vet overnight but the next morning, another vet looked at the x-rays and looked him over. His lumps were too firm and the vet thought it might be cancer (a common issue for cornsnakes). After biopsies, it was confirmed. It was cancer. The masses were too large to operate on and they were preventing him from passing any remaining food, and he was extrememly dehydrated. In this condition, he wasn't strong enough to undergo any radiation to attempt shrinking the masses for future surgery. So on Wednesday night, the vet sent us home without any medication. It would only annoy him. So we decided to take him home and spend a few more days with him before making the call. We realized that his increased activity in his tank was actually him trying to alleviate his discomfort, so we knew it was time. He was humanely euthanized and will be cremated for us.

CJ was the most wonderful orange tabby cat! He was so friendly, affectionate, and vocal! Chad adopted him in 2010 in Grand Junction when he was 1 year old. When we started dating, CJ was fascinated by me! Chad was the perfect package deal! He came with CJ and the cutest chiweenie, Doc Holiday! CJ was obsessed with me...I think it was cuz my lap was comfy and my boobs were the perfect shelf to lay on. He was the perfect cat.

His last story: A week ago, we realized that CJ had not been eating his prescribed kibble and was losing weight. His spine and hip bones were more pronounced too. We tried to give him wet food more often but he was picky and didn't always finish it before it dried out. We also bought him a water fountain since he was always messing with his water bowl when drinking out of it. Since he'd had his canine teeth removed a few years ago, we worried that his mouth was bothering him. Maybe he needed a dental cleaning or a tooth pulled? So when we took Apollo to the vet on Tuesday night, I arranged to drop CJ off on Wednesday morning. The vet called and expressed their concern about CJ. He had lost 2 pounds and was very dehydrated (which was crazy cuz this cat LOVED drinking water always). They did a senior blood panel on him and gave him some food and fluids during his stay. On Wednesday night when we picked up our snake Apollo and CJ, they gave us an appetite stimulant and said they'd call when the blood panel came back. They were worried about his kidneys (a common issue for male cats). On Thursday morning, the vet called me back with the results. His kidney values were elevated and there was bacteria in his urine. They recommended taking him to an ER with 24/7 care. He needed an ultrasound, fluids and antibiotics for kidney disease and possible kidney infection. We left work immediately and took him to an ER. While waiting to speak with a new vet, we saw CJ struggle with his balance more than ever. He was so wobbly :'( The vet admitted him and we put down a deposit for 2 nights and all necessary meds. But at 4 pm, the vet called. The ultrasound showed a mass in one of his kidneys and a few in his intestines. They believed that he had renal lymphoma (cancer) and it had metastasized to his intestines. The prognosis was not good in his current condition. We decided to take him home on Thursday night with painkillers, a steroid for inflammation, and an appetite stimulant. We expected that we'd make the decision for CJ later this weekend. We'd spend time with him, give him all the love and attention he needed. We didn't go to work on Friday. We offered him some wet food on Thursday night and Friday morning and he ate it with gusto! But after breakfast, we found him under the bed, practically unresponsive. He was so uneasy on his feet, so wobbly, his legs weak...he was struggling...he was telling us that it was time. We made the call and gave him and Apollo all the love we had leading up to the appointment and at the very end. CJ will be cremated and returned to us as well.

We are already realizing how much life is going to change without these two boys. Our chiweenie, Doc Holiday, knew something was wrong. He sniffed and gave CJ kisses last night. He has also paid us extra attention and given us kisses too.

This last week saw us making many visits to the vet. The exams and medications have added up. We are very dedicated pet parents and were willing to spend as much as necessary on our boys but the cancers, and our boys made the decision for us. All bills were charged to a CareCredit card which will not accrue interest for 6 months but, roughly $3000 is a lot to pay off in 6 months when we have other bills to pay. If anyone has the means and desire to help us pay these vet bills, we would be extremely grateful. Anything helps.

Thank you so much for your love and support! <3

-Sarah & Chad Larsen