On August 14, 2019, my life changed when I adopted two, sweet, black-and-white tuxedo kittens (brothers!) from Bellingham, WA's Whatcom Humane Society—Raja and Ollie. They have brought so much joy, laughter, and comfort to my life. However, throughout Ollie's short life, he has been to the vet a numerous amount of times for gastrointestinal distress.
Beginning November of last year, Ollie began showing even more troublesome symptoms as he progressively got worse and worse diarrhea. Further, I began to notice that Ollie would chew on everything—loose hair, holes through my blanket, cardboard boxes, etc. Since then, we've been managing his symptoms and trying a couple of different approaches. Then, on Saturday, April 3rd, Ollie began throwing up a large amount. On that day he threw up twice, the second time showing hints of blood. The next day he not only threw up more blood, but he also screamed before throwing up—something we had never seen him do. And the next, he began throwing up green. Worried sick, my fiancé David and I decided to take him into the hospital on Tuesday, April 6.
This first day we took Ollie to Animal Emergency Care in Bellingham, WA. This visit consisted of blood work, X-rays, and fluids for Ollie. This left me with a sum of about $470. I am by no means wealthy, especially as a graduate student with a very small stipend. On this day, David so graciously paid for the cost out of pocket. We were told that a mass was found in Ollie's gastrointestinal tract and possibly pointed to a (worrying) obstruction. Thus, I was instructed to bring Ollie back in the morning for a second X-ray to see if he needed surgery, but with hopes that the hydration would help him pass the unknown object(s).
The second day, we had a horrible experience. Due to it being early morning this time around, the staff was shuffled around and, though in the same location, the staff this morning was actually Boundary Bay Veterinary Speciality Hospital rather than AEC. We took in Ollie early to get another round of X-rays and found out later that he had been kept in his (very small) carrier for nearly 7 hours and in his stress, he had peed himself. Further, I have to give Ollie 200mg of Gabapentin before he goes to any vet visit due to his stress and anxiety. Thus, I was a bit surprised when the doctor on this day asked if he could sedate Ollie because he was being "too spirited." Without thinking about it much, I agreed, which I now deeply regret after coming to the conclusion that the doctor(s) the previous day were able to get X-rays just fine without added sedation. When Ollie was discharged, he was extremely high, barely able to walk, couldn't keep his mouth closed, showing extremely anxious behavior, and tears were heavy on his face. On top of that, the doctor's "findings" were extremely vague, and all he would say is that Ollie had "stuff" in his stomach, there was no blockage of any sort, and we could "do what [we] want." He said an ultrasound could be a next step, or we could also just monitor him and see how he does, and when we asked for his professional opinion, he again said we could "do what [we] want." He also expressed annoyance as we asked him various questions, only wanting the best for Ollie. This was a disheartening visit not only due to Ollie's mistreatment, but also due to the dismissive attitude we were met with and the complete 180 from the previous vet's extreme worry that Ollie could likely be a surgical candidate. This visit, as subpar as it was, cost me about $575, an uptick from the previous day with no results and awful care. I put this balance on my newly opened CareCredit as Ollie's expenses began adding up and we could no longer afford these costs.
The third day, I woke up in the morning feeling uneasy about what to do. I was told I could bring Ollie back to the same hospital (Boundary Bay) for an ultrasound, but I ultimately decided that I would not take him back to a hospital that didn't foster an environment of love, gentleness, and care for him. After calling around all morning, I was connected to someone who told me that I could look into Pet Emergency Center – Skagit Valley in Mount Vernon. After a warm phone call, that's where we ultimately took him. After a few hours there, we were told an ultrasound was indeed needed and after some pulled strings, we were referred to Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish which we immediately went to. He was checked in fairly soon after arrival and an ultrasound was done where "shadowy material" was found to be lining his intestines. After reviewing his medical history, the doctor here made the ultimate decision to perform a major, emergency surgery (laparotomy/gastrotomy) and while in there, to take some biopsies of his intestinal tissue in order to figure out if something more chronic was going on. Without this surgery, Ollie was at risk of death—a risk I was not willing to take. He was booked in overnight and his surgery took place around 6am on Friday, April 9.
In surgery, they found hair throughout his intestines that was clumping and obstructing (blocking) his tract. This is likely what was causing vomiting—he would throw up as his stomach could not digest the food properly due to the blockage. Further, his lower stomach was inflamed, his lining fairly thick, and he had a large amount of swollen lymph nodes. This area was biopsied and I should get results in 1–2 weeks. Doctors think Ollie may have Irritable Bowel Disease and, due to his odd eating habits, likely Pica. This visit, consisting of surgery and biopsies, overnight care, medication, and blood tests (plus the various amount of things that they needed to do to keep him healthy and comfortable), resulted in a cost of $5,657. This cost was shocking and I scrambled to put together a payment plan through Scratchpay and the rest of my credit through CareCredit.
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Just in emergency medical vets, I (and David) have racked up ~$6,700 worth of debt, $470 which has been taken care of. In order to give Ollie the most comfortable post-op space, we have also spent about $350 on various things such as a large kennel/cage, a litter box, a bed, waterproof mats, padding, etc. Aside from just these costs, we will also need to do follow up visits, manage with medication, and if something chronic like IBD is found, continue care throughout the entirety of Ollie's life. I must begin making payments next month on both CareCredit and Scratchpay and I'm worried that I cannot afford to do so.
We are in a very tight spot and could really use some help. I will do anything to keep Ollie healthy and happy, but my wallet has taken a huge hit from this. My paycheck for the *quarter* barely covers half these expenses, let alone alongside rent, other bills, and my own medical problems. Further, David and I are both moving soon and we'll need to put down administrative fees, application fees, deposits, and fees for renting U-haul—just all of this together will likely be upwards of $1,000. We are also making a big move next summer and planning our wedding. I hate to ask for help but I no longer have a choice. If you have the means to donate so that I can manage Ollie's care and also continue taking care of myself, please consider doing so. Otherwise, just sharing this widely is more than enough.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
With love and so, so, so much gratitude,
Amrit & David (& Ollie and Raja <3)
Beginning November of last year, Ollie began showing even more troublesome symptoms as he progressively got worse and worse diarrhea. Further, I began to notice that Ollie would chew on everything—loose hair, holes through my blanket, cardboard boxes, etc. Since then, we've been managing his symptoms and trying a couple of different approaches. Then, on Saturday, April 3rd, Ollie began throwing up a large amount. On that day he threw up twice, the second time showing hints of blood. The next day he not only threw up more blood, but he also screamed before throwing up—something we had never seen him do. And the next, he began throwing up green. Worried sick, my fiancé David and I decided to take him into the hospital on Tuesday, April 6.
This first day we took Ollie to Animal Emergency Care in Bellingham, WA. This visit consisted of blood work, X-rays, and fluids for Ollie. This left me with a sum of about $470. I am by no means wealthy, especially as a graduate student with a very small stipend. On this day, David so graciously paid for the cost out of pocket. We were told that a mass was found in Ollie's gastrointestinal tract and possibly pointed to a (worrying) obstruction. Thus, I was instructed to bring Ollie back in the morning for a second X-ray to see if he needed surgery, but with hopes that the hydration would help him pass the unknown object(s).
The second day, we had a horrible experience. Due to it being early morning this time around, the staff was shuffled around and, though in the same location, the staff this morning was actually Boundary Bay Veterinary Speciality Hospital rather than AEC. We took in Ollie early to get another round of X-rays and found out later that he had been kept in his (very small) carrier for nearly 7 hours and in his stress, he had peed himself. Further, I have to give Ollie 200mg of Gabapentin before he goes to any vet visit due to his stress and anxiety. Thus, I was a bit surprised when the doctor on this day asked if he could sedate Ollie because he was being "too spirited." Without thinking about it much, I agreed, which I now deeply regret after coming to the conclusion that the doctor(s) the previous day were able to get X-rays just fine without added sedation. When Ollie was discharged, he was extremely high, barely able to walk, couldn't keep his mouth closed, showing extremely anxious behavior, and tears were heavy on his face. On top of that, the doctor's "findings" were extremely vague, and all he would say is that Ollie had "stuff" in his stomach, there was no blockage of any sort, and we could "do what [we] want." He said an ultrasound could be a next step, or we could also just monitor him and see how he does, and when we asked for his professional opinion, he again said we could "do what [we] want." He also expressed annoyance as we asked him various questions, only wanting the best for Ollie. This was a disheartening visit not only due to Ollie's mistreatment, but also due to the dismissive attitude we were met with and the complete 180 from the previous vet's extreme worry that Ollie could likely be a surgical candidate. This visit, as subpar as it was, cost me about $575, an uptick from the previous day with no results and awful care. I put this balance on my newly opened CareCredit as Ollie's expenses began adding up and we could no longer afford these costs.
The third day, I woke up in the morning feeling uneasy about what to do. I was told I could bring Ollie back to the same hospital (Boundary Bay) for an ultrasound, but I ultimately decided that I would not take him back to a hospital that didn't foster an environment of love, gentleness, and care for him. After calling around all morning, I was connected to someone who told me that I could look into Pet Emergency Center – Skagit Valley in Mount Vernon. After a warm phone call, that's where we ultimately took him. After a few hours there, we were told an ultrasound was indeed needed and after some pulled strings, we were referred to Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish which we immediately went to. He was checked in fairly soon after arrival and an ultrasound was done where "shadowy material" was found to be lining his intestines. After reviewing his medical history, the doctor here made the ultimate decision to perform a major, emergency surgery (laparotomy/gastrotomy) and while in there, to take some biopsies of his intestinal tissue in order to figure out if something more chronic was going on. Without this surgery, Ollie was at risk of death—a risk I was not willing to take. He was booked in overnight and his surgery took place around 6am on Friday, April 9.
In surgery, they found hair throughout his intestines that was clumping and obstructing (blocking) his tract. This is likely what was causing vomiting—he would throw up as his stomach could not digest the food properly due to the blockage. Further, his lower stomach was inflamed, his lining fairly thick, and he had a large amount of swollen lymph nodes. This area was biopsied and I should get results in 1–2 weeks. Doctors think Ollie may have Irritable Bowel Disease and, due to his odd eating habits, likely Pica. This visit, consisting of surgery and biopsies, overnight care, medication, and blood tests (plus the various amount of things that they needed to do to keep him healthy and comfortable), resulted in a cost of $5,657. This cost was shocking and I scrambled to put together a payment plan through Scratchpay and the rest of my credit through CareCredit.
_________________________________________________________________________________________Just in emergency medical vets, I (and David) have racked up ~$6,700 worth of debt, $470 which has been taken care of. In order to give Ollie the most comfortable post-op space, we have also spent about $350 on various things such as a large kennel/cage, a litter box, a bed, waterproof mats, padding, etc. Aside from just these costs, we will also need to do follow up visits, manage with medication, and if something chronic like IBD is found, continue care throughout the entirety of Ollie's life. I must begin making payments next month on both CareCredit and Scratchpay and I'm worried that I cannot afford to do so.
We are in a very tight spot and could really use some help. I will do anything to keep Ollie healthy and happy, but my wallet has taken a huge hit from this. My paycheck for the *quarter* barely covers half these expenses, let alone alongside rent, other bills, and my own medical problems. Further, David and I are both moving soon and we'll need to put down administrative fees, application fees, deposits, and fees for renting U-haul—just all of this together will likely be upwards of $1,000. We are also making a big move next summer and planning our wedding. I hate to ask for help but I no longer have a choice. If you have the means to donate so that I can manage Ollie's care and also continue taking care of myself, please consider doing so. Otherwise, just sharing this widely is more than enough.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.
With love and so, so, so much gratitude,
Amrit & David (& Ollie and Raja <3)