
Support Chibi's Urgent Medical Treatment
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Chibi is my 3 year old kitty. He has been a very healthy boy until a couple months ago. He was diagnosed with Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) which is a very common and frustrating disease — with no cure.
Unfortunately, veterinary science does not know the underlying cause for this disease, so treatment is more about managing symptoms than prevention. This condition has caused a build up of sediment and crystals in his bladder, which can lead to blockages of the urethra, kidney failure, and death.
After his initial diagnoses, Chibi started a prescription diet and a few pain relievers to help decrease the amount of sediment or crystals in his bladder and ease the discomfort. The hope was that with these lifestyle changes, we could prevent him from getting blocked and having to undergo an invasive surgery to re-route his urethra.
Unfortunately, on Friday the 13th, I took him to the ER because he seemed to be in pain, and they confirmed that he had become blocked. The process of unblocking his bladder and flushing it out was pretty extensive. It included sedatives, pain medications, insertion of a catheter, being on constant fluid IVs, supplements, X-rays, and urinalysis. Chibi has spent 2 days in the ICU so far undergoing observation so the vets can ensure that the blockage was fully cleared and he can urinate on his own again. All of these treatments come at a cost, and insurance only covers so much.
If you are able and feel inclined to help me with covering the cost of Chibi’s treatment, please know that I deeply appreciate it. All funds donated will go towards vet bills and medication. The total cost on Friday was $4,348.69, but the vet told me that once he was released, the costs could be anywhere up to $6,848.06. If he is not discharged and sent home tomorrow, it is likely that the cost will increase. After discharge, he will be prescribed pain medications and anti-anxiety medications to help with the transistion. Any donations that exceed these costs will be used for his perscription diet, which is upwards of $90 per month.
If you’ve met Chibi, you know that he is a sweet boy who is very silly and loves people. If you know me, you know that I love Chibi more than anything in the world and I will do everything in my power to keep him happy and healthy. Thank you to everyone who has been showing so much support through this for me and my boy <3
EDIT 9/15/24: Chibi was discharged this evening. He is going to be on a few pain meds and sedatives as expected. The great news is that he is able to urinate on his own without the catheter and all his vitals and kidney levels looked great. The not-so-great news is that the vets did recommend the surgery to re-route his urethra based on the sheer volume of sediment they had to flush from his system.
As surgery is risky in itself and expensive, the vets advised that we give Chibi a while to get back into his normal routine before making that decision. Hopefully we don’t run into any problems again and surgery won’t be necessary!! I really appreciate all the words of support and love that you’ve all been sending. Thank you so much for all of the donations. It will go a long way for Chib.
EDIT 9/17/24: Pet insurance rep says that since Chibi showed signs of FIC before the 2-week waiting period of the insurance policy had ended, the blockage is considered a pre-existing condition and is therefore not covered by the policy. At discharge, I was given a refund of $497.83, since Chibi did not need all the prescriptions they anticipated (I still had some on hand from a previous vet visit). This means that the total for his treatment came out to $3,850.86.
Organizer

Sophie Santucci
Organizer
Edmonds, WA