Hi everyone, Taco's dad here.

I'm writing this at a point of necessity, not because I want to ask for help, but I need it, and for Taco's sake I have to reach out. He's fighting for me, I'm going to fight for him, but I can't do this alone.

This all started last summer, out for a walk he must of touched or brought something home, and shortly after he got a really bad respiratory/sinus infection. With some time, medication, and rest, he appeared to have kicked it. He looked better, and he enjoyed the rest of his summer. But in the late fall, things started to change, at first it was his intermittent appetite, sometimes he'd eat his entire bowl, other times I'd go into his room to feed him, only to find his previous meal was uneaten, dried out in the bowl. Then he started vomiting in the morning, which I thought was just a hairball reflex, but there was no hairball. Then he started peeing and pooping outside the litter box, which as a territorial marker, I had assumed was him beefing with Wylie outside the door (it's why he has his own entire room, he's got a rap sheet). This progressed to a lack of grooming himself, muscle wasting in his back legs, and finally this past month, a wobble. The morning of his first vet appointment (May 1st), he had what appeared to be a seizure and now, he's unable to keep his balance, resulting in his desire to stay laying down.

So here we are on May 22nd, I'm 3 vet appointments, dozens of phone calls, emails, a blood panel, x-rays, meds, and about $2K into this fight but there's a light: We think he has FIP, feline infectious peritonitis. What does this mean? It's feline Coronavirus, that mutates after the initial infection subsides & up to recently, it was 100% fatal, but thanks to the incredible work of Dr. Niels C. Pedersen, there is a new drug called GS-441524. This new drug, isn't publicly available in Canada, but South Tower Clinic in Fergus, ON, the source of the Ontario study and medical trial, can request access.

Thanks to my friends Dustin & Kerrie, who's cat Thom was cured, I contacted the team at South Tower & after receiving his records & history from our mutual vet, Pine Valley, Taco has been invited into the study.

His two week introductory trial of meds & and all the supporting costs, came to $793.59, and the cost breakdown for the 6 month course, is estimated to be $4000 including all meds (GS-441524, Mefloquine, Minocycline, Dexamethasone) blood panels, and supporting costs. I know, it's a lot, I know it's not a guarantee, but the results of this treatment have been exceptional.

He was never the easiest cat, he's marked on furniture, destroyed a TV, got in pointless arguments with Wylie & Blackjack, and been a challenge, but from the moment he was left in my care by his previous owner, I've accepted that challenge. He's my boy, I love him, he loves me, and I have to fight for him, he's worth it.

I'm not looking for large donations, just anything, anything will help. If you can't donate money, a chat helps, offering a ride to an appointment, or even sharing our story. If you have questions, please reach out to either myself, or to South Tower.

Thank you for reading,

sincerely,

Michael & Taco