Toast has had a short life with us since his adoption in September '24 and he has faced tremendous challenges in his health. He was diagnosed with IMHA in November '24 and histoplasmosis in February '25. We need help to save this incredible kitty!

Toast was abandoned by his previous owner only two weeks after being adopted from Aggieland Humane Society in Bryan, TX. He wandered up to my home and immediately fit in with my possy of 5 other cats. I think he could tell I was a sucker for rescuing needy animals. He is a cat with spunk, a cool nature, sweet, and affectionate. He is also a fighter, and has been battling health challenges for several months, almost immediately after I adopted him.

He was diagnosed with IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) in November when he suddenly became weak, unable to eat or hold his head up. The vet ran several tests and found that his hematocrit was undetectable, with less than 1% red blood cell count. IMHA is an autoimmune disease which causes the immune system to destroy its own red blood cells. Steroid injections brought Toast's red blood cell count back up, essentially pulling him out of the grave. He has since been receiving twice-daily prednosolone to control his IMHA and weekly PCV checks to monitor his anemia while we try to solve the mystery of what caused this deadly autoimmune disorder.

Toast's prognosis became more complicated in February when he recieved another diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is an invasive fungal infection that can infiltrate different organs throughout the body and threatens an animal's life. Treatment with itrafungol to cure histoplasmosis will last 6-12 months. The medication costs several hundreds of dollars monthly and requires regular checks on blood chemistry, CBC for organ function, itraconazole serum level checks, and repeated IRI checks to see if the histoplasmosis is being destroyed without damaging vital organs.

What complicates this dual-diagnosis is that his IMHA can only be controlled with immune suppression, but immune suppression is counter-productive to curing an invasive fungal disease like histoplasmosis. We can only hope that his anemia was caused by histoplasmosis which remained undetected until recently. Histoplasmosis that infiltrates the bone marrow can cause anemia that behaves much like IMHA.

So far, Toast has been receiving supportive care by the amazing vets at Crossroads Companion Animal Hospital in Hearne, TX. We are grateful for everything they have done to support Toast during his battle for life. With this new and complicated dual-diagnosis, Toast needs extensive care by an Internal Medicine Specialist and will be transported to Gulf Coast Vet in Houston, TX. Toast may need multiple blood transfusions to control his anemia as his red blood cell count continues to plummet to critical levels. Given time, we hope that itrafungol will destroy the fungus that is possibly causing the severe anemia. He will require more tests and procedures as we continue fighting to cure these diseases.

We need your help to give Toast the fighting chance to overcome these challenges so that he may return to being the lively, spunky cat he was not too long ago. Toast deserves a long, healthy life, and to put these incredible challenges behind him. Please considering donating. I will be forever grateful to anyone who helps save my beloved cat, Toast.

Update 2/20/25

Toast underwent a blood transfusion this morning at GCV and it went well, but the vet recommended that he have a second transfusion. When he was admitted yesterday, his PCV was critically low at only 15%. After transfusion, he is now at 20% which is still extremely anemic. Several tests were performed yesterday at GCV and a strong case was made that he may not have IMHA at all, and rather that his histoplasmosis is so severe that it has infiltrated his gut, so he may have a gastric bleed. As such, he requires aggressive infusion treatment using amphotericin. This protocol involves infusions every-other-day for one month (total 12 infusions). Aggressive treatment with amphotericin will give him the best chance at beating this invasive fungal infection so he can recover quickly.

Unfortunately, I have tapped out of monetary resources. The tests, treatment, and blood transfusion at GCV cost me a little over $3,300. Now Toast is being transferred to Texas A&M Small Animal Hospital as an emergency patient for further care. We hope to begin amphotericin infusions at A&M right away, but we need your support to do this. Your donations will help pay for infusion therapy and to pay back the loans I have taken out for Toast's blood transfusion. Each amphotericin infusion costs around $300 and includes tests to monitor kidney function. As I said, he will need 12 infusions over the course of a month, so in total this treatment will cost around $3,600 or more.

Thank you if you have already donated. Please help me reach my goal so that we can save Toast's life. He has a good shot at beating this if we begin treatment immediately. You can help by sharing this GoFundMe page and by making additional donations if you are able to. I will keep you updated as things progress.

EDIT 2/24/25

Today is a GREAT DAY!!

I was afraid I was being too optimistic yesterday when I saw Toast RUNNING, JUMPING, PLAYING, just being his old, jovial self again. His activity level stunned me completely. I haven't seen him this well since December. His resting respiratory rate was 28 breaths per minute (it was 70 before the blood transfusion).

This morning he had a PCV check and it's 26%. It's climbed 5% in three days since his blood transfusion. I hope this means he's on the up-and-up. We check his PCV again on Wednesday and I pray we continue to see this upward trend.

After leaving the vet I received a call from West Brazos Vet. The leading IMS said they are prepared to take his case and begin amphotericin infusions. He has an appointment March 5th. Texas A&M has a long wait list and can't see him for at least a month. We are so grateful to find another vet who can treat Toast. I will have an update on the cost of treatment and Toast's prognosis by March 5th.

Since Toast is on a low dose of prednisolone now, this essentially means he does NOT have IMHA. We still don't know the cause of the anemia he's been battling since November, but I believe more than ever that it's caused by the histoplasmosis. He's been on itraconazole for 2 weeks. Maybe the medicine has finally begun to work its magic.

Blessings on blessings today! Thank you for donating, praying, and sharing. My little man is doing fabulous.

UPDATE 3-12-25

There's been a lot of developments since my last update. Toast was seen by the wonderful vets at All Pets Veterinary Medical Center in College Station, TX. Many tests were performed and here is what we have learned:

• Toast's PCR tested positive for Mycoplasma, and this is the cause of his anemia. He has begun treatment with Veraflox, which will be done for 4-6 weeks with intermittent repeated PCR testing until negative for Mycoplasma.

• Global ultrasound revealed lesions on Toast's liver which are associated with the histoplasmosis infection. This explains the abdominal pain he has been experiencing.

• Physical exam revealed a grade 2 heart murmur. NT-proBNP test revealed elevated heart enzymes, suggesting heart disease. A chest x-ray and echo cardiogram was recommended and is pending.

• CBC and chemistry has shown much improvement and we will continue monitoring throughout treatment. As of his last check, his hematocrit remains at 30 and we expect continued improvement as we treat Mycoplasma infection.

• Terbinafine was prescribed as combined antifungal treatment with Itrafungol. This combination has better success for curing histoplasmosis. Toast is tolerating all four of his medications very well. He is a good boy and takes his medications like a champ!

Thank you for your continued support. We have come a long way from where we started. The dual diagnosis of Histoplasmosis and Mycoplasma provides a better prognosis than the alternative of IMHA. We are so grateful to have answers and solutions for his illnesses. We still need to determine the extent of this possible heart disease. In total I have spent over $7K on treatment, medications, and tests. I still have many more months of treatment and tests to perform until Toast is a healthy, healed boy. If I can reach my goal of $3K, this will cover about a third of total treatment costs. The donations I have received so far have helped tremendously. Thank you for the love and support you have provided for Toast!