Jasper's Bladder Blunder
Donation protected
This gofundme is to raise money for my cat, Jasper.
On Saturday, January 11, Jasper suddenly collapsed. We rushed him to the emergency vet and he was quickly diagnosed with a urinary blockage. He was sedated while they inserted a catheter and unblocked him, which was a more difficult procedure than normal due to the amount of blood and "grit". X-rays didn't show a bladder stone, so we planned on monitoring overnight and bringing him home when his bladder had been flushed. Before leaving that night, I paid 75% of the high estimate:$2366.20
After a few hours, the vet called to update and told us that because of Jasper's heart murmur (a 3/4 out of 6) they couldn't flush his system as quickly as they normally would, but that he was doing fine. The next day they called to tell us about the labs they were going to run, and that he was still doing fine and at an average point in recovery. The two other updates we got that day were similar (fine but worried about his murmur), and on Monday morning (the day I'm writing this) they were optimistic that the catheter could be removed tonight!
On Monday afternoon I stopped by the clinic to visit him and meet with the doctor. She said they'd gotten his labs back and they were strange. Most crystals that form in the bladder are calcium struvite, which can be seen on x-rays and can be dissolved with a special diet. Jasper's crystals, however, were ammonium urate, which is so uncommonly found in cats that the attending had never encountered it in 10 years of emergency veterinary medicine. Possible causes include liver disease, genetic predisposition, or "we have no idea". His urine still had a lot of blood in it, and the doctor recommended doing an ultrasound to look for a urate stone, which doesn't show up on x-rays and wouldn't have been visible.
This evening, the vet let us know that she'd consulted a radiologist who confirmed at least one 4mm bladder stone that would need to be removed as soon as possible. The radiologist also strongly recommended a fasted liver test, which I agreed to.
The clinic Jasper is at is an emergency vet with high overheads--it's really expensive. The surgery will, most likely, cost between $1,200 and $1,500. That plus the liver test ($200), at least one more night in the hospital ($300 per), the cost of the ultrasounds (between $100-200 per), the remainder of the estimate ($788.84), and all other accrued costs will likely total between $2,600 and $3,500, in addition to the $2,300 I already paid. I'm not eligible for Care Credit. I have a credit card, but not enough available credit due to an extremely annoying plumbing emergency last week.
I'm leaving the country very soon on a trip that's already been paid for and can't be canceled. I work at a humane society and don't make a lot of money. I will be able to use scratchpay to pay his hospital bill, but will need to pay off the balance within a few months, which I don't make enough to do.
Jasper's been with me since he was a baby, through some of the hardest times of my life. He's a really special guy, and any donations will go towards helping me take care of him.
On Saturday, January 11, Jasper suddenly collapsed. We rushed him to the emergency vet and he was quickly diagnosed with a urinary blockage. He was sedated while they inserted a catheter and unblocked him, which was a more difficult procedure than normal due to the amount of blood and "grit". X-rays didn't show a bladder stone, so we planned on monitoring overnight and bringing him home when his bladder had been flushed. Before leaving that night, I paid 75% of the high estimate:$2366.20
After a few hours, the vet called to update and told us that because of Jasper's heart murmur (a 3/4 out of 6) they couldn't flush his system as quickly as they normally would, but that he was doing fine. The next day they called to tell us about the labs they were going to run, and that he was still doing fine and at an average point in recovery. The two other updates we got that day were similar (fine but worried about his murmur), and on Monday morning (the day I'm writing this) they were optimistic that the catheter could be removed tonight!
On Monday afternoon I stopped by the clinic to visit him and meet with the doctor. She said they'd gotten his labs back and they were strange. Most crystals that form in the bladder are calcium struvite, which can be seen on x-rays and can be dissolved with a special diet. Jasper's crystals, however, were ammonium urate, which is so uncommonly found in cats that the attending had never encountered it in 10 years of emergency veterinary medicine. Possible causes include liver disease, genetic predisposition, or "we have no idea". His urine still had a lot of blood in it, and the doctor recommended doing an ultrasound to look for a urate stone, which doesn't show up on x-rays and wouldn't have been visible.
This evening, the vet let us know that she'd consulted a radiologist who confirmed at least one 4mm bladder stone that would need to be removed as soon as possible. The radiologist also strongly recommended a fasted liver test, which I agreed to.
The clinic Jasper is at is an emergency vet with high overheads--it's really expensive. The surgery will, most likely, cost between $1,200 and $1,500. That plus the liver test ($200), at least one more night in the hospital ($300 per), the cost of the ultrasounds (between $100-200 per), the remainder of the estimate ($788.84), and all other accrued costs will likely total between $2,600 and $3,500, in addition to the $2,300 I already paid. I'm not eligible for Care Credit. I have a credit card, but not enough available credit due to an extremely annoying plumbing emergency last week.
I'm leaving the country very soon on a trip that's already been paid for and can't be canceled. I work at a humane society and don't make a lot of money. I will be able to use scratchpay to pay his hospital bill, but will need to pay off the balance within a few months, which I don't make enough to do. Jasper's been with me since he was a baby, through some of the hardest times of my life. He's a really special guy, and any donations will go towards helping me take care of him.
Organizer
Caitlin St Clair
Organizer
Leominster, MA