Rudy's Surgery Fund
Donation protected
Hey everyone, this is my amazing pal Rudy. We just found out he needs to have a splenectomy.
Several weeks ago we noticed he wasn't himself. He wasn't eating much, didn't want to walk very far, and his overall energy level was extremely low. So off to the vet we went to check and make sure everything was ok. After a few tests, the vet mentioned that Rudy was very anemic with a PCV - packed cell volume level of 20%. In most dogs, this number should be anywhere from 37% to 55%. Due to the complications of anemia related disorders, we were sent to see an internal medicine specialist. This doctor ran several more tests including an ultrasound. He discovered that Rudy's spleen was swollen and had several tumorous objects on its exterior. So the doctor told us it could be likely one of two diagnosis: 1) Low Grade Lymphoma of the spleen in which the spleen would need to be surgically removed as it was causing the anemia or 2) IMHA - Canine Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia, a disease which causes the immune system to attack the body's own red blood cells. The treatment for IMHA was a number of pills to suppress Rudy's immune system to the point where it would no longer kill his red blood cells. So we opted to treat the second diagnosis (IMHA) to avoid him having surgery. Rudy was forced to have a transfusion to increase his red blood cells until the medication could take effect. After the first transfusion, Rudy seemed much better, until one week later - he relapsed and was back in the hospital even worse than he was before (16% PCV). We opted for another transfusion (25% PCV) to keep him alive in hopes to see results from the medications. A few days passed and we had hope we would start to see some results. However two more checkups and he was back at the hospital for another transfusion as his PCV had dropped to 18%. As the red blood cells drop, less oxygen is delivered to the body as it fights to stay alive. At this point, the doctor told us that Rudy would likely have seen the effects of the medications if we were treating the underlying issue correctly. However, his PCV continues to drop week after week. Due to this, the doctor has recommended we move forward with the removal of the spleen as it is bulging and seems to be the underlying issue which is causing Rudy's anemia. We have decided to take the doctor's advice and move forward with the splenectomy. This proceedure is not only invasive, but fairly expensive. We could use your help with any donation possible. If you can't donate don't worry, just say a little prayer for Rudy. Rudy has been an amazing part of my life helping me though many tough times, it's my turn to give back and help him through this tough time. Thank you so much love Rudy and Rich.
Several weeks ago we noticed he wasn't himself. He wasn't eating much, didn't want to walk very far, and his overall energy level was extremely low. So off to the vet we went to check and make sure everything was ok. After a few tests, the vet mentioned that Rudy was very anemic with a PCV - packed cell volume level of 20%. In most dogs, this number should be anywhere from 37% to 55%. Due to the complications of anemia related disorders, we were sent to see an internal medicine specialist. This doctor ran several more tests including an ultrasound. He discovered that Rudy's spleen was swollen and had several tumorous objects on its exterior. So the doctor told us it could be likely one of two diagnosis: 1) Low Grade Lymphoma of the spleen in which the spleen would need to be surgically removed as it was causing the anemia or 2) IMHA - Canine Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia, a disease which causes the immune system to attack the body's own red blood cells. The treatment for IMHA was a number of pills to suppress Rudy's immune system to the point where it would no longer kill his red blood cells. So we opted to treat the second diagnosis (IMHA) to avoid him having surgery. Rudy was forced to have a transfusion to increase his red blood cells until the medication could take effect. After the first transfusion, Rudy seemed much better, until one week later - he relapsed and was back in the hospital even worse than he was before (16% PCV). We opted for another transfusion (25% PCV) to keep him alive in hopes to see results from the medications. A few days passed and we had hope we would start to see some results. However two more checkups and he was back at the hospital for another transfusion as his PCV had dropped to 18%. As the red blood cells drop, less oxygen is delivered to the body as it fights to stay alive. At this point, the doctor told us that Rudy would likely have seen the effects of the medications if we were treating the underlying issue correctly. However, his PCV continues to drop week after week. Due to this, the doctor has recommended we move forward with the removal of the spleen as it is bulging and seems to be the underlying issue which is causing Rudy's anemia. We have decided to take the doctor's advice and move forward with the splenectomy. This proceedure is not only invasive, but fairly expensive. We could use your help with any donation possible. If you can't donate don't worry, just say a little prayer for Rudy. Rudy has been an amazing part of my life helping me though many tough times, it's my turn to give back and help him through this tough time. Thank you so much love Rudy and Rich.
Organizer
Rich Kane
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
