Lyra's Thyroid Treatment
Donation protected
In 2003 I was walking down a busy street in Savannah, GA with my best friend, Jacqui, when we heard a tiny yet mighty cry. We followed the sound until we found a wee little fur baby tucked away under thorny bushes.
When we picked her up, we could see that she was flee-ridden, emaciated, scared out of her mind, and badly injured. She had a nub of a tail, broken whiskers, a busted lip, and a leg that was too hurt to put weight on. At that time I did not plan to have any pets, but she was different. She was special.
It took a little time for her to warm up to having a human roommate. She was so timid she even opted to camp out in the wall of my bedroom for 3 days. But she came around eventually. We became the best of friends. Lyra would fetch toys, sneak attack unsuspecting ribbons, and she developed an affinity for licking plastic bags. She enjoys naps, snuggles, and nose boops just as much as me. Now here we are, 14 years later, and we are still thick as thieves.
Two years ago, Lyra became very sick. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Gone untreated, she would die. The vet prescribed her a compounded medication. The medicine didn't help. So I decided to try something different. I started cooking her meals, applying homeopathic drops to her food, and monitoring her weight.
Within a month she had calmed, put on weight, and started to resemble her happy self again. She was still sick, but at least she seemed to plateau instead of decline further.
I didn't realize that there was an option to completely cure her until a year later. It was through my best friend that I learned about radioactive iodine treatment, also known as I-131. By the time I learned about this treatment I feared too much damage had been done to her other organs for her to be a candidate and I was not in a stable enough situation to afford it. So we continued with the special diet and drops.
Two weeks ago Lyra took a turn for the worst. She was bleeding, yowling, and in so much pain her fragile hindquarters would quiver. I feared she had gone into renal failure. But instead of the fears coming to life, we learned that Lyra is a prime candidate for the I-131 treatment! This is a relatively pain-free procedure with a 98% success rate of curing my cat of hyperthyroidism!
I am much more stable now than I was a year ago, but I am still working to make ends meet. The cost of the procedure is $1,500. I do not have the money to help my sweet girl at this time and my credit score is too low for Care Credit. I understand that these are troubled times we live in and that everyone has something they are enduring, but I feel that if I don't try to get Lyra this treatment then I will have failed her.
We thank you for any help you might be able to give, even if positive thoughts are all you have to offer. With full hearts, we thank you for taking the time to read and share our story.
When we picked her up, we could see that she was flee-ridden, emaciated, scared out of her mind, and badly injured. She had a nub of a tail, broken whiskers, a busted lip, and a leg that was too hurt to put weight on. At that time I did not plan to have any pets, but she was different. She was special.
It took a little time for her to warm up to having a human roommate. She was so timid she even opted to camp out in the wall of my bedroom for 3 days. But she came around eventually. We became the best of friends. Lyra would fetch toys, sneak attack unsuspecting ribbons, and she developed an affinity for licking plastic bags. She enjoys naps, snuggles, and nose boops just as much as me. Now here we are, 14 years later, and we are still thick as thieves.
Two years ago, Lyra became very sick. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Gone untreated, she would die. The vet prescribed her a compounded medication. The medicine didn't help. So I decided to try something different. I started cooking her meals, applying homeopathic drops to her food, and monitoring her weight.
Within a month she had calmed, put on weight, and started to resemble her happy self again. She was still sick, but at least she seemed to plateau instead of decline further.
I didn't realize that there was an option to completely cure her until a year later. It was through my best friend that I learned about radioactive iodine treatment, also known as I-131. By the time I learned about this treatment I feared too much damage had been done to her other organs for her to be a candidate and I was not in a stable enough situation to afford it. So we continued with the special diet and drops.
Two weeks ago Lyra took a turn for the worst. She was bleeding, yowling, and in so much pain her fragile hindquarters would quiver. I feared she had gone into renal failure. But instead of the fears coming to life, we learned that Lyra is a prime candidate for the I-131 treatment! This is a relatively pain-free procedure with a 98% success rate of curing my cat of hyperthyroidism!
I am much more stable now than I was a year ago, but I am still working to make ends meet. The cost of the procedure is $1,500. I do not have the money to help my sweet girl at this time and my credit score is too low for Care Credit. I understand that these are troubled times we live in and that everyone has something they are enduring, but I feel that if I don't try to get Lyra this treatment then I will have failed her.
We thank you for any help you might be able to give, even if positive thoughts are all you have to offer. With full hearts, we thank you for taking the time to read and share our story.
Organizer
Tana Rae Tanner
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
