Loki the Dog needs medical help!

Loki is a 6 year old rescued Siberian Husky ‘mix’ and he needed live-saving surgery. We still need to raise a bit of money to pay for his care, but if enough people could just donate $5 each to his care it can be done! Please share his story everwhere you can, and if you can spare $5 as well, that is even better for him!

Non-Profit Saint Francis Animal Hospital of Jacksonville, FL is Loki's primary care provider and they coordinated getting him into Capital Veterinary Specialists in Tallahassee, FL!

What is going on with Loki currently? (January 2015)

We've been quiet for some time as Loki has had a prolonged upper respiratory infection, and hasn't shown sign of improvement after doing a full course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications as prescribed by his medical team at Capital Veterinary Specialists. They feel it is best to bring him to Tallahassee, FL to have his airway scoped and a CT scan of his head performed on Tuesday, January 27 at 11am.

They have offered a very generous discount on their services but I still need to get Loki safely there, and then pay them $1,700.00 for the diagnostics to see what we can be done to help him.

Other than the persistent infection, he has done remarkably well after the emergency surgery last July. I spent a pretty decent amount of money last fall making the end of my elderly epileptic Siberian Tiberius’s life as comfortable as possible – meaning I really have no choice but to raise funds if Loki is going to get the help he needs.

What happened to him?

Previously quite robust, he rapidly deteriorated over the weekend of 6/21-22/2014. He was suffering from severe pneumothorax, had blue tongue / gums, and we thought he was going to leave us on Monday morning. In an attempt to just find him some comfort, nearly 600cc of air was removed from his chest cavity. THEN SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENED - his eyes suddenly focused and he began breathing well enough to give legitimate hope of survival, digging in with his entire soul and fighting – he is not done here on Earth yet. His problem was very treatable, but if he didn't get surgery, he simply wasn't going to live.


Who is Loki and why should we help him?

He has transformed from an ‘unadoptable’ feral stray in 2009 to a Nordic breeds ambassador with the most gentle, loving heart you could imagine. He didn’t give up on humans even after being abused and abandoned, so we need to show him the same dedication!

If you want to know more about me (Chris Carter), please ask. This is 100% legitimate with receipts being posted publicly and I can provide references if needed. If Loki gets what he needs, the rest doesn’t matter (I’d let him handle this if he could talk or type).

How can I follow up on his progress?

Loki's facebook page has been around since well before he got sick, and I'm trying to keep everyone updated about him there as well: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loki-Fenris-Lokimonster/458572254184462

How can I help Loki?

Have an extra dollar or a friend with a dollar? Will you please share his story?

You can donate here on gofundme, and there are several other ways you can help him.

PLEASE NOTE: When I set this fundraiser up in a huge hurry to save Loki, I had no idea that any contributions made here on gofundme through wepay have a $5 minimum donation amount and truly apologize if that has caused anyone any issues. I just found this out this afternoon, July 6, 2014.

Every little bit helps and there are no minimums for any tax-free donations made through Saint Francis Animal Hospital, I can also provide a personal paypal address if you would prefer to donate that way.

Directly to Saint Francis Animal Hospital: If you would prefer to donate to his care directly through tax-free donation to the not-for-profit Saint Francis Animal Hospital, you may do so anonymously at: http://www.saintfrancisanimalhospital.org/

Want to help Loki and get an 'I Save' T-shirt?

NOTE: These were pretty popular when Loki has life-saving sugery last year, so we're doing another run of T-shirts celebrating all the animal advocate ‘savers’ out there at: http://www.booster.com/isave


What in the heck is pneumothorax?

Siberian Huskies and other Nordic breeds can be prone to a condition called pneumothorax. Basically it is where a hole or flap opens up in the lung and allows air to escape. The professionals have told us that he is otherwise healthy with no issues and that this should be very treatable. If left untreated the chest fills with air and things go downhill from there, It can occur spontaneously, and Loki’s seemed to come out of nowhere. In nearly 5 years together he’s been bombproof!


What have you done so far?

There was a 'bleb' (defect) removed from the left lung on 7/1 by CVS and it did not appear to be from disease. He lost very little if any lung capacity from the repair and is expected to fully recover with proper recovery time and treatment.

Basically - Loki would have died from a 'blister' on his lung as I understand it.

His X-Rays, lab work, and other diagnostics are unremarkable with no abnormalities found.

Previously, the Jacksonville specialists were pushing very hard for an expensive CT scan. As we have contacted more and more facilities and sought opinions, we feel differently at this point. That helped drive our decision to change Loki's medical team as well.

How much have you spent and what does he still need?

It has cost over $3,880.37 to get Loki this far and that included his lifesaving surgery thanks to Saint Francis Animal Hospital using their network of specialists - fueled by your immediate financial impact.

Based on this and his surgery going well, I lowered the goal to $4,385.37 for the needs directly related to his surgery - provided he continues to do so well and does not require additional medication/treatments or have any unforseen complications. His laboratory results may indicate the need to continue antifungal use as he recovers. Wepay takes 5% of donations made directly through this site, plus a credit card fee per transaction, currently fees from wepay total $223.77, so that has affected the total needed.

Loki’s outstanding progress has allowed Saint Francis Animal Hospital to project the anticipated 14-day and 30-day followup costs provided that he does not suffer complications or need to continue Fluconazole. The follow-up care regimen is directly related to his surgery and considered as medically necessary by Dr. Drygas. In addition to the Fluconazole already mentioned, is also on Simplacef, Tramadol, and Rimadyl multiple times per day.

Days 1-14: Strict bedrest and must be leashed or contained 24/7, then a $25.00 office visit at 14 days post-op, the chest x-rays add $171.00 for 3 views and sedation. X-rays are preferable to do at 14 days per Dr. Drygas total cost $196.00.

Days 15-30: Loki can start to walk loose in the house but cannot run, jump, or play. 30-day post-op office visit: $25.00 plus $171.00 for chest x-rays (3 views) and sedation for a total of $196.00.

At 30 Days the doctors should have a pretty good idea of when he'll be allowed to be a Husky again!

I will continue to post pictures of paid receipts as he progresses. I (Chris Carter) am happy to answer any questions you may have, there are no secrets here.


Why was the fundraiser goal so high before?

Local specialists do ‘low and high’ estimates, then want you to give them 75% of the ‘high’ deposit as a customary deposit upon intake for services. It may have cost as little as $2,726.00 for his procedures, but it could also have taken $8,165.00 or more per the ‘high’ estimate at North Florida Veterinary Specialists, P.A. , meaning they would not do any more work on him without a GIGANTIC deposit of $6,123.75, so I had to bring him home!

Instead of requiring an amount of $6,123.75 upfront or nothing while Loki suffers, Saint Francis Animal Hospital was able get him started with a much more quickly feasible $2,000 based on the incredble response of people sharing Loki's story and donating to his care as they were able to.

Updates!

This page has been edited several times in trying to keep up with things as I learned what it took to save Loki and progressed. His facebook page has more frequent updates and now that Loki is home this page can be updated much easier.


Want to know more about how I met Loki?
Loki was rescued from a swamp in Jacksonville, FL during late September 2009. He had been ‘outdoors’ for some time and was pitifully thin with missing undercoat, full of hookworms, and flies had eaten the tips off his ears.  Wild but gentle and sweet, it took three days of visiting him to gain his confidence for loading into the car. As time went by, I learned that some woman paid a chunk of money for an ‘exotic’ pet only to chain him up in backyard after not learning how to handle him – so he chewed through the chain and made it to the swamp where I found him denning under a retiree’s back deck during hot daytime hours.

He has come so far it defies description or categorization, and getting to watch the transformation firsthand has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

We may never know exactly what he is and I don’t care. He’s an amazing creature that I share an incredible bond with and I’m grateful for any help he receives. Thank you for helping me save his life!
 
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and THANK YOU for helping to give him the fighting chance he deserves!

Sincerely,
Chris Carter

About our little 'pack'
Diana Alba met Loki and I in 2010. After he took to her really well, I figured he might on to something! She is the 'Diana' you may see in Loki's facebook feed or on receipts from the vet. Between us we also have 2 other 'discarded' dogs, her 8yo Siberian 'Riley', and her 9yo 'Falcor' (honorary Siberian). Riley and Loki are best friends and playmates, so Riley would probably like this to be mentioned. Rest in peace, Tiberius (8/16/2003 'found ya' day - 11/30/2014) - my Siberian epi-dog. You will NEVER be forgotten.