Help Apollo Get Treatment

We are Hayden McGhee and Ray Morris and we need your help. Apollo, our sweet, little guy was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, muscular atrophy, and osteoarthritis at his recent senior wellness checkup.  Before I dive into what his diagnoses mean for his health and future, I would like to tell you more about Apollo himself. We adopted Apollo in August of 2017 when he was 9 years old. He had been with one family most of his life. His former family adopted another, younger, cat that did not get along with Apollo so they gave him up - despite the fact that older cats are far less likely to get adopted and are usually higher on the list of euthanization than dogs or younger cats [Humane Society, ASPCA]. When we saw him in the bottom row of cages at the SPCA, he looked so sad and dejected - but there was a twinkle of hope and love in his eyes. We knew right then that we had to bring him home. Adopting Apollo was the best decision of our lives. His warm personality and loving nature helped us through an incredibly difficult time in our lives. In return for his companionship, we have done everything in our power to keep him happy, healthy, and comfortable.  However, despite our best efforts, old age has taken its natural toll. We have spent thousands these last three years in maintaining his well-being. He had a minor back injury due to a clumsy fall which led to a urinary tract blockage (the effort of pushing to pee hurt too badly) that could have been fatal if left unchecked for even one day longer. The following year, he had issues with continuous vomiting (unlike the typical vomiting normal to cats). With a temporary medication to quell the vomiting and a dietary change, he was able to get past this stage. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this was the first sign of his hyperthyroidism. In recent months, we noticed a slight slowing in his movements due to what we could only guess was arthritis developed from his older age. After significant research and taking into consideration the negative side effects of prolonged use of certain pharmaceuticals in cats, we started him on CBD oil for the pain and inflammation caused by his arthritis. There was a noticeable difference within the first day. This brings us to last week. He was due for his rabies shot, feline distemper shot, and his bi-annual senior wellness check up (~$415). He had blood drawn, a urinalysis, and a general physical. Despite his age, he was visibly in good health despite the doctor noting that his gait is slightly off due to muscular atrophy in his lower back which has led to osteoarthritis in his hips. We agreed to continue using CBD oil for his osteoarthritis symptoms and put him on veterinary-grade Omega-3 to help with his joint issues from the muscular atrophy. She also said he is in need of periodontal treatment as is common for most adult cats. For simply the oral health assessment and subsequent cleaning, the estimate is at $350. If oral surgery is required (which it often seems to be), the price could climb to $1575 or even higher if a lot of teeth need to be removed. And as with human dentists, the longer you put it off, the worse things could get for the teeth.  In spite of the current pandemic throttling our ability to source money from secondary jobs, we have been trying to figure out how to allot money for at least the $350 dental work. But then I get the call today about him having hyperthyroidism and our options with treatment for it. He can take a pill or have a pen dispense a transdermal gel in part of his ear, both twice a day for the rest of his life, or have a one-time treatment of radioactive iodine (I-131)(~$1500)[Feline Radioactive Iodine Therapy].  The reason we want to go with the radioactive iodine treatment is simple - it's one and done and (ironically) the healthiest of all of the other options. Radioactive iodine therapy CURES the hyperthyroidism. It is a single injection that requires no anesthesia or pills. The drug therapy (both pill and transdermal) only treat the symptoms. They require a multitude of visits to the vet each year for blood tests and periodic changes in dosing which have adverse effects on the liver and blood system. In addition, for whatever reason, Apollo is traumatized by veterinary visits. We don't know why because every visit he has had with us has been just fine with no mistreatment from the staff. It may be PTSD from treatment prior to us adopting him. We just want to give him his best shot at life. We don't want him to be constantly forcibly medicated or lose years of his life from not being able to afford the proper treatment. He is our family. It pains me that I don't have all of the means necessary to take care of this myself. Please help our little family.  If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.  I will make sure to keep this page updated. Thank you for your time and consideration. My little family thanks you. -Hayden McGhee