Lifesaving Treatment for Harlow
Hello everyone- this is Harlow, my 10-month-old puppy and the light of my life. Harlow is a goofy, energetic little guy who loves everyone he meets. He'll snuggle with anyone who will let him and he wants to play with every dog, cat, and bird that he sees.
On July 31, I woke up to find Harlow staggering and sluggishly walking in circles. He tried to jump up on the bed and fell off. He wouldn’t take treats and his right legs collapsed when he tried to stand up. I took him to an emergency veterinarian and learned that his red blood cell count was extremely high, which was making his blood too thick to pass through his body properly. This led to pressure in his left front brain, causing stroke-like symptoms. The vet was able to treat those symptoms but the high red blood cell count remains.
Discovering the cause of his high red blood cell count took a lot of work. After ruling out kidney/ liver problems and an inoperable congenital heart defect, the vet concluded that Harlow’s bone marrow is producing too many red blood cells. Harlow was diagnosed with a rare disease called Polycythemia Vera. If left untreated, this condition can cause stroke, seizure, an enlarged heart, and death.
Fortunately, there is treatment available. First, Harlow needs to have some of his blood removed and replaced with saline to immediately dilute his red blood cell count. He will also be put on medication that will keep his bone marrow from producing too many red blood cells. However, the medication takes time to work. In the meantime, he’ll need to keep going to the vet to have his blood removed and replaced with saline. Over time, the combination of replacement therapy and medication may (hopefully) eliminate the condition altogether.
As you can imagine, all of this has been incredibly expensive. The last few days of emergency care and diagnostic tests cost $4,000. Every time Harlow goes in for his replacement treatment, it costs $700. The vet thinks he’ll need blood/saline replacements 3 times a week at first, then twice a month, and then once a month. This means his treatment will start at about $2,100 a week. As the medication kicks in, the need for the replacement therapy and the costs of Harlow's medical care will reduce. We don’t know how fast the medication will work, how many replacement treatments he’ll need, or when he’ll be able to taper down frequency of the replacement treatments.
Harlow is the sweetest, smartest boy and he deserves to live a long, healthy life. A 10-month-old puppy should never die of a stroke or a seizure when there is treatment available. Unfortunately, I can't afford the cost of his medical care on my own. Anything you can donate to help save Harlow would be immeasurably appreciated. He is my world and I can’t imagine life without him.