Save Beau and Sebastian's Eyes!
Donation protected
This is the story of Beau and Sebastian, two brothers who survived against all odds.
They fought for their lives and won, but we still require assistance in affording a procedure for their eyes to improve the quality of their lives.
Beau and Sebastian had the deck stacked against them before they were even born. They contracted an infection from their mom in utero. It is likely their mother did not make it as a good Samaritan brought them into the animal shelter alone. The day I met them and their siblings I was not planning on taking in more fosters into my clowder, but the minute I saw them I knew I could not leave them to be euthanized. The sad truth is that too many kittens are euthanized because shelters are not open 24/7 and neonatal kittens, like humans, require feeding every two hours. Although they were old enough for their eyes to be open, Beau’s and Sebastian’s eyes were swollen shut. They were so congested that they could not breathe through their nose and they had no interest in life-sustaining formula. I asked the shelter employee if they were going to make it and she answered honestly, “I don’t know.” I included a photo of what they looked like the day I met them. I requested that I be trained on administering subcutaneous fluids so that I could keep them hydrated.
Round the clock I did everything I could for this litter. I put warm compresses on their infected eyes and antibiotic ointment. They were also prescribed oral antibiotics. They had no interest in food so I was forced to administer subcutaneous fluids and syringe feed them whatever formula I could. Whenever I entered their room I had to breathe deeply before turning the doorknob, as I was scared of what I would find in there. Even a kitten that appears healthy can fade in thirty minutes so I knew it would take a miracle for these babies to survive. Still, a week passed and all five had started to drink formula from a bottle.
It became evident that Beau and Sebastian had won the battle for their lives, but their eyes were still swollen and shut. We arranged to take them to the shelter’s vet who said that they would each require an enucleation (removal) of at least one eye. The vet said one eye each had ruptured because by the time they came to the shelter it was already too late. I could not accept this after everything they had already been through. I brought Beau and Sebastian to another vet for a second opinion. This vet referred me to an ophthalmologist, but she indicated that while the eyes had significant scarring that she could see a pupil so all hope wasn’t lost. The ophthalmologist added an antiviral eye medication to their eye care regime that most vets do not supply as it is expensive and a composite medication. Beau and Sebastian had an extensive eye-care regime round the clock. Within a week, I noticed a change in both kittens. Beau before could hardly see so he mostly slept while his siblings played but he started to explore! Sebastian’s eye gradually began to open.
While Beau and Sebastian no longer presently require an eye removed, they still require a smaller procedure to remove some of the scarring on their third eyelid to open up their eyes and prevent recurring infections. If the recurring infections were too severe this might cause them to need an enucleation (eye removal) in the future, so this procedure would spare them the pain of repeated infection as well as prevent them from ever needing an enucleation. In addition, Beau in particular has almost no vision in his affected eye so this surgery could have an improvement on his vision and quality of life. These sweethearts had such a rough beginning that they deserve to live a long, healthy life with both of their eyes intact. As we have already invested a lot in their care, we require assistance for their procedures. I have attached before and after pictures of the two cuties as well as a copy of their procedure estimate (it is per kitten which is why I doubled the amount). Any contribution helps!
They fought for their lives and won, but we still require assistance in affording a procedure for their eyes to improve the quality of their lives.
Beau and Sebastian had the deck stacked against them before they were even born. They contracted an infection from their mom in utero. It is likely their mother did not make it as a good Samaritan brought them into the animal shelter alone. The day I met them and their siblings I was not planning on taking in more fosters into my clowder, but the minute I saw them I knew I could not leave them to be euthanized. The sad truth is that too many kittens are euthanized because shelters are not open 24/7 and neonatal kittens, like humans, require feeding every two hours. Although they were old enough for their eyes to be open, Beau’s and Sebastian’s eyes were swollen shut. They were so congested that they could not breathe through their nose and they had no interest in life-sustaining formula. I asked the shelter employee if they were going to make it and she answered honestly, “I don’t know.” I included a photo of what they looked like the day I met them. I requested that I be trained on administering subcutaneous fluids so that I could keep them hydrated.
Round the clock I did everything I could for this litter. I put warm compresses on their infected eyes and antibiotic ointment. They were also prescribed oral antibiotics. They had no interest in food so I was forced to administer subcutaneous fluids and syringe feed them whatever formula I could. Whenever I entered their room I had to breathe deeply before turning the doorknob, as I was scared of what I would find in there. Even a kitten that appears healthy can fade in thirty minutes so I knew it would take a miracle for these babies to survive. Still, a week passed and all five had started to drink formula from a bottle.
It became evident that Beau and Sebastian had won the battle for their lives, but their eyes were still swollen and shut. We arranged to take them to the shelter’s vet who said that they would each require an enucleation (removal) of at least one eye. The vet said one eye each had ruptured because by the time they came to the shelter it was already too late. I could not accept this after everything they had already been through. I brought Beau and Sebastian to another vet for a second opinion. This vet referred me to an ophthalmologist, but she indicated that while the eyes had significant scarring that she could see a pupil so all hope wasn’t lost. The ophthalmologist added an antiviral eye medication to their eye care regime that most vets do not supply as it is expensive and a composite medication. Beau and Sebastian had an extensive eye-care regime round the clock. Within a week, I noticed a change in both kittens. Beau before could hardly see so he mostly slept while his siblings played but he started to explore! Sebastian’s eye gradually began to open.
While Beau and Sebastian no longer presently require an eye removed, they still require a smaller procedure to remove some of the scarring on their third eyelid to open up their eyes and prevent recurring infections. If the recurring infections were too severe this might cause them to need an enucleation (eye removal) in the future, so this procedure would spare them the pain of repeated infection as well as prevent them from ever needing an enucleation. In addition, Beau in particular has almost no vision in his affected eye so this surgery could have an improvement on his vision and quality of life. These sweethearts had such a rough beginning that they deserve to live a long, healthy life with both of their eyes intact. As we have already invested a lot in their care, we require assistance for their procedures. I have attached before and after pictures of the two cuties as well as a copy of their procedure estimate (it is per kitten which is why I doubled the amount). Any contribution helps!
Organizer
Sarah Bishop
Organizer
Trabuco Canyon, CA