Mango, who needs emergency care to save her life

Hi, my name is Savanna. Just a girl with a passion for animals, especially kitties. My sweet girl, Mango, suddenly dropped a lot of weight in the last couple weeks. I didn’t notice right away, as I’m in an accelerated nursing program and am usually at school, work, or at clinicals. Thursday night, I knew instantly something was wrong when I came back from my 12 hr clinical when she didn’t move an inch when I jangled my keys to alert my babies I’m almost home…she always greets me at the door, and she stayed put on the bed without even raising her head. I went to pick her up and it felt like I was holding a totally different kitty; she was skinny, frail, lethargic, and had no interest in eating or even having her usual snuggles. Once I noticed that on top of the various other signs and symptoms I noted, I pulled an all nighter worried about her well being and if I should take her to the ER vet.

As a side note in this monologue, I’ve had sweet Mango since she was a kitten; she was a rescue kitty. She’s been by my side since I was 18 or 19 years old. At that time, I was able to get my own place and the first thing I wanted to get was a kitty! That’s when I got sweet Mango. She’s been my ride or die ever since. She’s been with me with every move I’ve done, every new job, new car and new relationships. She has always showed me unconditional love, and that’s exactly what she deserves in return. The idea of her in pain, pains me to no ends. She’s my baby. I know some people may say, “She’s just a cat, why do you want to spend so much for her care? Sometimes it’s better to just put them down because it’s too expensive, too much to care for, etc”. If someone is in my tribe, whether it be a pet, a friend, or family member in need, I would give them my all to make sure they’re taken care of, and that’s exactly what I’m doing for her, as I know she would do the same if she was a human and I was her pet.

To continue, due to Mango’s deteriorating condition, I couldn’t fall asleep because I was worried sick about her and had no idea how to proceed with her care. I felt defeated to take her to the ER vet hospital because the ER for animals is sooo expensive, and I’m in nursing school and it’s hard to afford such a drastic payment. To add icing to the cake, I ended up going to school Friday morning at 7am; not a wink of sleep and I was anxious out the wazoo. I took an exam at 6:45am, attended a five hour lecture afterwards, and then once out of class, I expeditiously called my home vet to get her seen. Once seen at the home vet, they conducted several tests, including ultrasound, x-ray, urinalysis and blood work.

After the rapid results were analyzed, they concluded she has hepatic lipidosis, a very dangerous complication that can arise from the body breaking down fats for energy since the kitty no longer is eating and getting glucose. Since it’s a rapid breakdown of fats, it causes a flood of ketones in the body, which is especially dangerous if it occurs with an obese cat and weight loss is observed within a short amount of time. With the excess of ketones in the blood and Mango not eating or drinking, this buildup of ketones creates an acidic environment in the body, effecting the pH of the blood and damaging organs, and can result in death if not treated promptly. I was told by the ER veterinarian specialist that Mango will need care focused on nutrient and water consumption that will be given through a nasogastric tube along with several other important tests and care. If Mango doesn’t respond to therapy, I was told she may need an Esophagostomy tube and I will need to feed her for several weeks to maybe months.

After analyzing the costs incurred to care for Mango, I have a $803 bill from our home vet in which they gave me a heads up on her possible costs at the ER (between 1-5k!!!) Unsurprisingly, at the ER, I got another charge for $6,353, totaling $7,156 in cost-of-care for my sweet babygirl. Without hesitation, I used my credit card (thank goodness I have good credit) to ensure Mango got the care she needed (and needs) to survive.

She now will be staying at the ER hospital for the next 48 hours while the doctors work around the clock to stabilize her vitals and try to bring her back to allostasis through several tests, IVs, and feedings with medications.

As you know, I am a nursing student and LOVE my kitty babies to death, but I’m afraid I need help with these unplanned bills. Anything helps. Thank you for your time and kindness. I appreciate you! Much love from Mango and mami (momma Sav)

WE LOVE YOU!!