Help Leo With His Surgery Expenses

Hi, my name is Lindsay Ackerman and I rescued Leo as a 12 week old kitten in 2014 from ACCT in Philadelphia. If you’ve met Leo you know he is the life of the party and really vocalizes how he feels! He experienced all of college with me as well as 2 moves after college. His favorite things are eating, playing with hair ties, playing tag with me, and lounging around the house. He really is a dog of a cat, and we couldn’t love him more.

On November 17, 2021 I brought Leo into the vet because of excessive drooling and lack of appetite (neither are like him). He was diagnosed with gingivitis and received an antibiotic and pain reliever and was sent home.

I called to give an update on Thursday and the vet was concerned that Leo had not been relieved of his pain and started eating again. He asked to bring him in again on Friday where they would perform an exam and then most likely do a teeth cleaning to check for any broken or loose teeth that might be bothering him.

45 minutes after I dropped him off at the vet, I got a heartbreaking call that Leo has the highest Creatinine level that the vet has seen in 43 years of practicing. He sadly told me that a cat with that high of levels and dehydration (he stopped drinking on Thursday from the mouth pain), he recommended humane euthanasia. I was heartbroken and dumbfounded how something like this took a turn so quickly. He was a happy and healthy cat a week before and now I was about to lose him.

I drove back to the vet hysterically begging for other options. After back and forth conversation, my vet recommended to take him to an emergency vet to get a second opinion and admit him to receive fluids and antibiotics to fight whatever was happening inside of him. We took him to an emergency vet we’ve gone to before for our dogs and that we trust. After dropping him off, the vet called us (from the car in the parking lot) and told us that unfortunately they were closed for that weekend (staff shortages) and admitting him there might not make the most sense. She then shared that she’s a graduateof Penn Veterinary School and that she highly recommends we take him there.

We admitted him to Penn that evening and they gave him an ultrasound and revealed that he has an infection in his kidney and a blockage in his Right Ureter (the channel that connects his kidney to his bladder to function correctly). He also had a Creatinine level of 23, which the normal level for a cat is between 1 and 2. The sores in his mouth were actually from the dangerously high levels that his kidneys were at, which gave him ulcers in his mouth. We were relieved to hear it was an infection rather than cancer or something that is harder to treat, but knew we weren’t out of the woods yet. He was admitted for the weekend and we were hoping for the best and that his body would flush the blockage and his levels would return to normal.

Saturday and Sunday came with lots of hope. His Creatinine level went from 23 to 20 to 18.9 on Sunday. He was even able to eat a little bit on Sunday night because his ulcers were healing! (Thank you to Mallory F for dropping off tuna (his favorite) Sunday night!). The plan was to retest him on Monday morning and hope that his levels were continuing in the downward trend.

Monday morning we got the call that his Creatinine level went up to 19.6 (previously 18.9)- not good news. And that now his red blood cell count is dropping and he would need a blood transfusion to make sure it didn’t drop too low. We then had the difficult decision of continuing treatment and getting a $10,000-$12,000 surgery to fix the problem, or to humanely euthanized him. Heartbroken, I called our primary vet and talk to him and he recommended to go to Penn and visit with Leo (we hadn’t been able to do so beforehand because of Covid regulations). He said that animals can really give us a clue of if it’s “their time” or if they want to live and fight through this.

We got permission to visit him and when he came into the room and noticed it was me, he jumped out of his crate and ran to me to rub all over me. He couldn’t get enough. I was able to get him to eat and watched him wander around the room and rub on my legs and then jump up to sit on the chair next to me. This was not a cat that wanted to give up.

We made the decision to go for it and get the $$$ surgery. We would get creative and raise the rest of the money to fund this. We couldn’t give up on Leo when he wants so badly to live and come home.

I am asking for help in funding this Life Saving surgery for Leo. He is such a big part of me and I can’t imagine my life without him. Your donation would go towards his surgery expenses and the aftercare to make sure that everything is still functioning correctly (bloodwork and possible ultrasounds). If you’re not able to donate, PLEASE SHARE his story!!

***I can not thank the professionals enough that I have met throughout Leo’s Journey at the 3 facilities we have been to in the last few days. His primary vet has shown the utmost care and has called multiple times a day to ask how he is and to help me with questions that I have. The vet at the first emergency vet advocated for Leo and told me that it was worth a shot to take him to Penn and admit him there. She said if it were her cat she would do it and try everything she could. And then of course to the informative vet who is currently on his case at Penn. She has spent so much time talking through the different avenues and options that I have and then narrowing it down to the best possible option for Leo. I also want to thank the nurses and other doctors that have shown him such love and care through these last few days, they are loving on him when I can not!***