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UPDATE: Flea's bill has been reduced to $3979.00
I've never been one to look fondly upon the use of Go Fund Me for veterinary care. I've always believed in carrying your own. I've had some monster bills for my cats and I have always been able to pay them outright. Some of you know about my $6700 bill for Baby, Flea's $3700 bill in 2017, $2500 for Cash's Cardiology.....the countless dollars I've spent to make sure my cats stay healthy. I've paid for the vet care for some rescue kitties so the rescue organization could put the money elsewhere to help another cat. I've had friends needing help, and have made sure their pets received the medical care necessary.
To most of us, our pets are family. In some cases, they are the only family someone has. Our pets are reliant not just on our ability to feed, walk, pet and cuddle them, they also need us to provide preventive medical care to keep them healthy, and emergency/specialized care when they are sick or injured.
There is a cost to veterinary care, which sometimes exceeds what someone can readily afford. Yet, I don't know too many people who wouldn't sell their soul to save their pet's life.
When it comes to providing healthcare for my cats, I don't bat an eyelash. They are my little family and my constant. Without getting too deep into the emotions of it all, some of you know that in 2012, on my worst days, the cats were the sole reason I looked towards another day. They needed me to keep going and look after them. But they also looked after me. They gave me comfort, a sense of calmness within the tornado and a sense of normalcy and control when everything else was so very out of control and so very unknown.
Flea became very ill recently, and in order to save his life, he needed immediate hospitalization. This time things are different. I am not in the position of batting an eyelash at the cost. His bill is $3979, and somehow, it needs to be paid.
Before you decide, before you contribute, or even judge me for selling my soul, below is Flea's story and why he and I, are asking for help.
When Flea was 8 weeks old, he showed signs of being blocked. It appeared to be a urinary blockage, however it is quite rare that a cat that young would suffer a such a blockage. I immediately took him to the ER, where it was discovered that his colon was impacted with hard stool. He was blocked all right.....with a whole lotta hard poop. However, it pressed against his urethra. Flea could neither poop or pee and in order to save his life, it took quick action to decompress the bladder, and then work on moving that stool out.
Why did this happen to a kitten so young? Diagnostics revealed, this little guy was born with a defect of his colon that prevents his colon motility from working properly. Why did this happen? Did the colon not develop properly? Was there a spinal injury at some point? Whatever the reason, we'll never know. What we do know is, the muscles are weak, especially by the pelvic canal, and can't push the poop out as regularly as it needs to. This leads to stool sitting too long in the colon, becoming hard and causing chronic constipation. When it is severe, as it is when he's obstipated, it's a life threatening event.
At 3 weeks old, Flea was found half buried in cold mud. He was starving, hypothermic, and riddled with fleas. What was discovered 5 weeks later during that ER run, suddenly shed light on why this kitten was left to die. The mother cat knew there was something wrong, and not being able to care for him, she left him behind.
Since that ER stay at 8 weeks of age, he's been on special food and medications to keep things moving. When Flea was 10 months old I took him for a surgical consult to discuss fixing the colon. The surgeon remarked Flea was the youngest patient he'd ever had to consult on for this type of surgery. The surgery is called a subtotal colectomy and removes the damaged/nonfunctioning part of the colon. Then the surgeon pieces back together what's left. It's a big surgery, with a long recovery and considerable risks including sepsis. Flea's youth was in his favour, and I was going to risk it, but then a food specially formulated for cats with poor colon motility came out and was the magic bullet. Flea did amazingly well on this food for years.
In 2017 the food stopped working and he became obstipated (meaning the poop is rock hard and stuck). This is a terribly painful, uncomfortable condition. Again, the impacted stool prevented him from being able to pee. A needle was inserted into his bladder to drain it so it didn't rupture and the tedious task of working out the stool began.
Flea had to be hospitalized, sedated, and a nasal gastric tube inserted to deliver a special drip called Go Lightly that slowly softens the impacted stool. The Dr's manually try to break up the pieces of poop into smaller parts by inserting a finger inside his colon and massaging the abdomen to break up the stool and push it down. It's a miserable, laborious ordeal, that can only be done under sedation and heavy pain meds. It requires patience and skilled, careful management so that no tears or rips of the colon occur during manual de-obstipation. On Flea's third day in hospital, I got a call that treatment was not working, and the only other options were surgery or euthanasia. Flea was now 7, and aside from the surgical risks, the recovery would be long and difficult, and after all he would go through, the surgery may not be successful. Flea would be in misery and it would be unfair to allow that. I elected to come by and euthanize him. By the grace of the planets aligning, at the 11th hour, something clicked and before I got to the hospital, the Dr was able to move the impacted pieces of stool down and out...the rest came out in a poop waterfall. Flea came home shortly afterwards and did remarkably well.
This defect can be managed medically quite well for a considerable amount of time. But, there is always risk of obstipation, not if, but when. There's no way of knowing when that might happen again.
We had almost 4 years of great health, then last week, it happened again. Flea was severely obstipated, with a colon full of unmoving hard stool and again unable to pee. 35mls of urine were removed by needle, and the rest he was able to pass on his own. He was admitted to hospital for 4 days. A nasal gastric tube was inserted to deliver the stool softener, he underwent the regular sessions of sedation, manipulation of his abdomen, and attempts of manual deobstipation. On day 4 we thought we hit the wall. Facing another agonizing decision, the Dr. gave it one more college try, and the planets aligned yet again. Hard pieces of stool were removed, and he was able to pass the rest in hospital over the next 24 hours.
It's been a terrible ordeal for him, and for me. Sleepless nights...waiting for the phone to ring with bad news....having to work and trying to focus on the needs of clients and their pets, all the while worried that my cat will not win this time. It's like being hit by a bus that turns around and hits you again.
Flea is now home recovering. He's a little more subdued this time. All that sedation, pain meds, manual massage and pushing/pulling of his insides takes a toll. Day by day he gets stronger, is peeing, pooping and eating. Medications and diet are changed to help prevent this from happening again for as long as possible. Today he actually chased that elusive red dot and plopped himself down for a nap in his favourite spot.
Flea won...again....and he will continue to improve and do great, but the $3979 vet bill weighs on my mind. It carries forward the sleepless nights, stress and worry.
It is a profoundly humbling experience to think you have to ask for help. It does not come easy. I've sat on this for a week, and given it considerable thought. Do I try to manage this alone or do I "out" myself - which is kinda like running naked in front of everyone - and say "hey friends.....I kinda need you right now.....if you can".
I choose the latter because truthfully, it's the only reasonable way I can handle this.
Whatever your decision is, please know I respect it. It's not an easy time for so many right now. If you want to contribute but prefer to contact the veterinary hospital directly, let me know and I will send you the information.
Finally.....while money will pay Flea's bill.....it's not the only important thing. Just knowing that you've read this, "get it" and care.....means even more.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Love Flea & Me.
I've never been one to look fondly upon the use of Go Fund Me for veterinary care. I've always believed in carrying your own. I've had some monster bills for my cats and I have always been able to pay them outright. Some of you know about my $6700 bill for Baby, Flea's $3700 bill in 2017, $2500 for Cash's Cardiology.....the countless dollars I've spent to make sure my cats stay healthy. I've paid for the vet care for some rescue kitties so the rescue organization could put the money elsewhere to help another cat. I've had friends needing help, and have made sure their pets received the medical care necessary.
To most of us, our pets are family. In some cases, they are the only family someone has. Our pets are reliant not just on our ability to feed, walk, pet and cuddle them, they also need us to provide preventive medical care to keep them healthy, and emergency/specialized care when they are sick or injured.
There is a cost to veterinary care, which sometimes exceeds what someone can readily afford. Yet, I don't know too many people who wouldn't sell their soul to save their pet's life.
When it comes to providing healthcare for my cats, I don't bat an eyelash. They are my little family and my constant. Without getting too deep into the emotions of it all, some of you know that in 2012, on my worst days, the cats were the sole reason I looked towards another day. They needed me to keep going and look after them. But they also looked after me. They gave me comfort, a sense of calmness within the tornado and a sense of normalcy and control when everything else was so very out of control and so very unknown.
Flea became very ill recently, and in order to save his life, he needed immediate hospitalization. This time things are different. I am not in the position of batting an eyelash at the cost. His bill is $3979, and somehow, it needs to be paid.
Before you decide, before you contribute, or even judge me for selling my soul, below is Flea's story and why he and I, are asking for help.
When Flea was 8 weeks old, he showed signs of being blocked. It appeared to be a urinary blockage, however it is quite rare that a cat that young would suffer a such a blockage. I immediately took him to the ER, where it was discovered that his colon was impacted with hard stool. He was blocked all right.....with a whole lotta hard poop. However, it pressed against his urethra. Flea could neither poop or pee and in order to save his life, it took quick action to decompress the bladder, and then work on moving that stool out.
Why did this happen to a kitten so young? Diagnostics revealed, this little guy was born with a defect of his colon that prevents his colon motility from working properly. Why did this happen? Did the colon not develop properly? Was there a spinal injury at some point? Whatever the reason, we'll never know. What we do know is, the muscles are weak, especially by the pelvic canal, and can't push the poop out as regularly as it needs to. This leads to stool sitting too long in the colon, becoming hard and causing chronic constipation. When it is severe, as it is when he's obstipated, it's a life threatening event.
At 3 weeks old, Flea was found half buried in cold mud. He was starving, hypothermic, and riddled with fleas. What was discovered 5 weeks later during that ER run, suddenly shed light on why this kitten was left to die. The mother cat knew there was something wrong, and not being able to care for him, she left him behind.
Since that ER stay at 8 weeks of age, he's been on special food and medications to keep things moving. When Flea was 10 months old I took him for a surgical consult to discuss fixing the colon. The surgeon remarked Flea was the youngest patient he'd ever had to consult on for this type of surgery. The surgery is called a subtotal colectomy and removes the damaged/nonfunctioning part of the colon. Then the surgeon pieces back together what's left. It's a big surgery, with a long recovery and considerable risks including sepsis. Flea's youth was in his favour, and I was going to risk it, but then a food specially formulated for cats with poor colon motility came out and was the magic bullet. Flea did amazingly well on this food for years.
In 2017 the food stopped working and he became obstipated (meaning the poop is rock hard and stuck). This is a terribly painful, uncomfortable condition. Again, the impacted stool prevented him from being able to pee. A needle was inserted into his bladder to drain it so it didn't rupture and the tedious task of working out the stool began.
Flea had to be hospitalized, sedated, and a nasal gastric tube inserted to deliver a special drip called Go Lightly that slowly softens the impacted stool. The Dr's manually try to break up the pieces of poop into smaller parts by inserting a finger inside his colon and massaging the abdomen to break up the stool and push it down. It's a miserable, laborious ordeal, that can only be done under sedation and heavy pain meds. It requires patience and skilled, careful management so that no tears or rips of the colon occur during manual de-obstipation. On Flea's third day in hospital, I got a call that treatment was not working, and the only other options were surgery or euthanasia. Flea was now 7, and aside from the surgical risks, the recovery would be long and difficult, and after all he would go through, the surgery may not be successful. Flea would be in misery and it would be unfair to allow that. I elected to come by and euthanize him. By the grace of the planets aligning, at the 11th hour, something clicked and before I got to the hospital, the Dr was able to move the impacted pieces of stool down and out...the rest came out in a poop waterfall. Flea came home shortly afterwards and did remarkably well.
This defect can be managed medically quite well for a considerable amount of time. But, there is always risk of obstipation, not if, but when. There's no way of knowing when that might happen again.
We had almost 4 years of great health, then last week, it happened again. Flea was severely obstipated, with a colon full of unmoving hard stool and again unable to pee. 35mls of urine were removed by needle, and the rest he was able to pass on his own. He was admitted to hospital for 4 days. A nasal gastric tube was inserted to deliver the stool softener, he underwent the regular sessions of sedation, manipulation of his abdomen, and attempts of manual deobstipation. On day 4 we thought we hit the wall. Facing another agonizing decision, the Dr. gave it one more college try, and the planets aligned yet again. Hard pieces of stool were removed, and he was able to pass the rest in hospital over the next 24 hours.
It's been a terrible ordeal for him, and for me. Sleepless nights...waiting for the phone to ring with bad news....having to work and trying to focus on the needs of clients and their pets, all the while worried that my cat will not win this time. It's like being hit by a bus that turns around and hits you again.
Flea is now home recovering. He's a little more subdued this time. All that sedation, pain meds, manual massage and pushing/pulling of his insides takes a toll. Day by day he gets stronger, is peeing, pooping and eating. Medications and diet are changed to help prevent this from happening again for as long as possible. Today he actually chased that elusive red dot and plopped himself down for a nap in his favourite spot.
Flea won...again....and he will continue to improve and do great, but the $3979 vet bill weighs on my mind. It carries forward the sleepless nights, stress and worry.
It is a profoundly humbling experience to think you have to ask for help. It does not come easy. I've sat on this for a week, and given it considerable thought. Do I try to manage this alone or do I "out" myself - which is kinda like running naked in front of everyone - and say "hey friends.....I kinda need you right now.....if you can".
I choose the latter because truthfully, it's the only reasonable way I can handle this.
Whatever your decision is, please know I respect it. It's not an easy time for so many right now. If you want to contribute but prefer to contact the veterinary hospital directly, let me know and I will send you the information.
Finally.....while money will pay Flea's bill.....it's not the only important thing. Just knowing that you've read this, "get it" and care.....means even more.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Love Flea & Me.