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Fundraiser for Puzzles' Specialist Treatment

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Summary
I adopted Puzzles ~7 weeks ago and have fallen in love with him. Unfortunately, Puzzles is struggling to fight an ongoing and severe ear infection. After multiple vet consultations from different doctors, we've learned that Puzzles likely has an underlying structural deformity (such as polyps) inside his ear. This can only be managed with a specialist procedure, such as a video otoscopy or rhinoscopy. Over the last few weeks I have spent about $1,500 on his ear and, unfortunately, his vet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. Regretfully,  I cannot afford this treatment on my own, but I'm not ready to give up on him. And so, I'd be extremely grateful if you could help us reach our fundraising goal of $2,500 to cover half of the cost of the procedure, so that Puzzles no longer has to live in pain and discomfort.


Please see below for pictures and more details :)


What Happened to Puzzles

I adopted Puzzles on September 19, 2020. During my meet-and-greet a week prior, I was told that Puzzles had a minor ear infection, but that it would be clear by the time I picked him up and took him home. However, at his first vet check-up two weeks later, I was told by the doctor that his ear was way worse than anticipated. He required cleaning, a steroid injection, an antibiotic injection, and the doctor also found a large abscess behind his ear. For the next week, I flushed his ear once a day and then brought him back to the vet. They said that the abscess had gone down significantly and that it was time to start ear drops to clear the infection inside of his ear. Despite giving him a week of drops treatment, the gunk inside his ear and the liquid discharge persistently returned. It was then that I took him back to the vet to get a bacterial culture performed. While I awaited the results, we got Puzzles started on an oral antibiotic called Zeniquin. The culture results revealed two important findings: (1) Zeniquin should help fight the specific bacteria found in Puzzles' ear, and (2) Neomycin, the antibiotic we were originally using, should have also fought and cleared the bacteria in his ear.

It's this last point about the Neomycin not working, when it should have, that raises a red flag for an underlying and/or structural issue inside of Puzzles' ear.



What the Funds Will Be Used For
Your donations will be used to get Puzzles the specialist treatment he needs to remove suspect ear (aural) polyps that are causing this nasty infection.

I have spoken to 3 doctors in the last week (Dr. Regalado from Banfield in Cary, NC; Dr. Pike from Bear Creek in Albemarle, NC; and Dr. Maus from North Westchester Vet in Cortlandt Manor, NY) and they all suspect that Puzzles has some form of ear polyps that is causing this persistent ear infection. To clear the polyps inside of Puzzles' ear, he needs to see a specialist and either get an otoscopy or a rhinoscopy performed. These procedures can cost anywhere from $3.0k–$4.0k.

I have already put ~$1.5k into Puzzles' ear and, unfortunately, cannot afford this treatment on my own. I'm asking for your help to raise approximately half of the funds for Puzzles' specialist treatment, so that we can give this one last shot. 

I have pet insurance, but this is considered a pre-existing condition and is, unfortunately, not covered by the insurance company. I have also inquired about returning Puzzles to the adoption agency, but they are unsure if they could raise the necessary funds for his treatment and it may be months before he could receive the treatment. Thus, I would like to try and raise the money on my own for his treatment before resulting to giving him back.


Timeline of Fundraiser

The earliest we could be seen for Puzzles' treatment is the week of November 23 and, therefore, I'm trying to reach our goal of $2,500 by then.

I'm still working with two specialty hospitals to schedule an appointment (Southeast Dermatology in Charlotte, NC and Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Cary, NC). This will, hopefully, be finalized the week of November 9.

What Puzzles Means To Me
I know that it has only been 7 weeks since I adopted Puzzles, but he means the world to me. He gives me his very best every single day, despite how much pain his ear is causing him and living with a cone around his head 23/7. I want to be able to say that I've given him my very best, as well. That's why I'm giving it one more chance before returning him to his adoption agency. I'm giving this specialist treatment a chance to clear his ear infection and rid Puzzles of his pain and discomfort.

Being in North Carolina on my own is extremely difficult, but having Puzzles makes it so much better. He's something that I look forward to coming home to each and every day. He gets up and greets me at the door, and loves to play and get belly rubs! He truly is the perfect cat for me, and that is why I'm trying so hard to keep him.

Please help Puzzles receive the specialist treatment he needs to get better.



How Grateful I Would Be For Your Help
I would be extremely grateful for your help in getting Puzzles the treatment he needs to get better. When thinking about giving Puzzles back, I imagined how amazing it would be for this treatment to work and for it to cure Puzzles — it would all have been worth it.

I'm sorry that I cannot afford this on my own, but I'm willing to put in all that I can to get him this specialist treatment.

Please help me raise $2,500, which is half of the funds he'll need for this treatment.

Thank you so much <3

Donations 

  • Tika Persaud
    • $100
    • 4 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $100
    • 4 yrs
  • Iwona Zarzecka
    • $10
    • 4 yrs
  • Sharo Bondarchuk
    • $250
    • 4 yrs
  • Gena Amodeo
    • $30
    • 4 yrs

Organizer

Andrew Persaud
Organizer
Raleigh, NC

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