Help Trout Heal from Meningitis

Hello my name is Lily, writing on behalf of my new fur baby, Trout.

I rescued Trout on July 9th, 2024 from the Oakland Shelter, only a few weeks ago. As a stray, Trout had no known records but they think he's not more than 5-6 years old based on his assessments.

I instantly fell for the heart melting puppy-like wonder in his eyes, wagging tail and smile for days. I’ve fallen in love with this dog in a short amount of time. He’s been the best mannered, perfectly matched cuddle companion of my dreams! We’ve been inseparable and he took to my unique lifestyle from the start. I always knew that if i welcomed a dog into my life that I wanted to rescue a mellow dog, youthful but not a puppy, one with some basic training, and whose age may make him harder to re-home for a shelter. With everything working out so well in this short time, the following health needs for Trout have been the shock of a lifetime. I want us to overcome our obstacles together, but I recognize I need help from outside resources.

Trout was not presenting most of his symptoms in a concerning way until a few days ago when his eye started to look infected. He went from running and playing at the dog park to barely being able to stand by himself in one day. He suddenly would flinch when i pet him. He wet himself in the night a couple times. He collapsed from uncontrollable muscle spasms in his front limbs. His eye was swollen, drooping, and the third eye was covering his eyeball making it so he could not see out of it. Rapid overnight changes!

It was apparent that there was urgency of him being seen by a vet and I called every vet in a 25 mile radius that morning - only to get turned away. On our last call, we managed to get in! I was fortunate to be able to get him in to see a vet that same day. Terrified and relieved we rushed over, yet the diagnosis he has now received is complex and worse than I could have expected. He has been diagnosed with:

-Conjunctivitis (eye infection)

-Meningitis (very serious time sensitive illness)

-Arthritis (this really effects his hide legs)

-Horner’s Syndrome (eye condition)

-Pelvic Pains

-Otitis Media (deep ear infection)

-Mild Obesity

-Distichia

-Neck Nerve Pains

-Chronic Sneezing

I have been told Trout has potential for full recovery as long as the meningitis isn't 2 out of the 6 types and if we treat it ASAP. The vet thinks we may have caught it early on as his symptoms are considered still mild for this diagnosis. We need an MRI and CFS Tap (Spinal Fluid Sample) to know his survival rate and begin unraveling his healing. With this information, it could be as simple as steroids or antibiotics. However it's not wise to simply throw those treatments at him without knowing for sure because doing trial and error treatment could be very detrimental to his recovery and even lead to death.

I'm sure that this is the reason my sweet boy ended up in the shelter as an abandoned stray in the city of Oakland in the first place, I refuse to take him back to the shelter. I’m very willing to care for him physically, emotionally, mentally. I would love to have the option of giving him a good healthy life, even if that means stewarding his death. In reality, in order to support Trout’s recovery I need help financially. Without outside help we are at a standstill.

Maybe the universe brought us to each other to heal together, but truth be told, I feel intimidated by Trout’s journey. Your financial support would uncover the root of the illness so we can move towards a healthy recovery. May you find it in your hearts to see Trout as I see him, to allow our budding relationship to continue - or at the very least, provide comfort if we must shift the sails, so that I may give him his best last days.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

~Lily and Trout

WHERE ARE DONATIONS BEING SPENT:

For transparency purposes, the MRI is estimated to cost $4.5-8K and the CFS (Spinal fluid sample) is approximately $1.1K

We had a hard time finding a neurologist that would take Trout anytime soon; Trouts case is time sensitive. Several California based Neurologist denied us or didn't have any availability til months away from now.....and every single one said "after record review, it is recommended for your pet to be seen sooner ". The University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine is able to see us September 16th and accommodate the MRI and CFS tap for the lowest possible cost which is just shy of $5k.

OTHER WAYS TO DONATE or HELP:

Direct payment options if you aren't fond of Gofundme:

Venmo @Lilyofthevalley (9681, Lily Chau, make sure it is me as there are other similar handles) or Paypal me at Lilbitobliss @ yahoo . c o m (without the spaces, i just had to do that because gofundme will censor emails )

There is also another O P P O R T U N I T Y to support us via instagram. Here is the link to enter: Instagram R A F F L E details

IF NOTHING ELSE....Simply sharing this link, or tagging friends in the insta post is a HUGE help. Send a prayer with us!