Urgent help needed for skunks’ vet treatment ❤️‍

We’re Joscelyn and Alex, and we rescue skunks! Our Facebook is Pibbles and Company - Exotic Animal Advocacy . We do our best to raise awareness and educate others about skunks and other exotic animals. We started a small business with the dream of growing and expanding to the point where we can move to a farm and open an exotic animal sanctuary.

11/3 UPDATE:

Our newest rescue Felix needs help too He came to us severely obese. He can’t walk, massive joint issues, and a skin infection on his underside from dragging himself on the floor in his pee and poop. He’s going to need long-term pain management supplements, but his short-term treatment and medication just to try to get him walking is way more than we expected. We had JUST saved enough money for Morty’s EKG in a couple weeks. Please help us help this innocent baby. We’re doing our best and he doesn’t deserve to be in pain. It’s not his fault ❤️‍

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I had previously made a GoFundMe for our skunk Morty (you can read that backstory here https://gofund.me/f50f4e6e) when we first noticed him coughing a few months ago. We took him right to the emergency vet and paid an outrageous amount of money for expedited x-rays (we actually never even got the results, and they haven't returned my calls). But he went home after just an IV and was okay for a while after that.

More recently, over the past couple of months, Morty started coughing more frequently, and his nose made a popping sound like he was congested. One night, we noticed he seemed to have trouble breathing, which was totally concerning, so we took him to our regular vet, who is amazing. He thoroughly examined Morty and took x-rays. It was devastating news to hear the words "heart failure." Mort has a very enlarged heart and fluid in his lungs, hence the breathing challenges.

We're grateful that we caught it when we did because he seems to be fairly stabilized while on medication. But he'll be on meds for the rest of his life, and the frequent vet visits are absolutely draining our already-empty bank accounts. Each checkup with x-rays is $350+, and his cardiologist appointments will be $700+. We had to have three sets of x-rays done within about a two-week timespan, and this is just the beginning.

Morty is only about 5 years old, so he has the potential for plenty of life ahead. But his sudden need for extensive and ongoing medical care came at a challenging time financially. He is truly a once-in-a-lifetime animal. He's the best pet I've ever had; his emotional awareness and ways of communicating with us are unbelievable. We're completely bonded to each other, and no one will ever be able to replace him. I dread the day we lose him, and we're doing everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen any time soon.

In addition to Morty, we have 11 other skunks. Our newest rescue, Felix, is totally obese; he can barely walk or go to the bathroom. No doubt he's going to need medical attention soon too because his bones are weak, and he'll probably have lifelong joint issues. This is just one of the special stinkies that needs our help.

Our entire lives are dedicated to caring for animals. Everything we do is for them, and I work full-time plus side gigs on top of running our business to help bring in more money. Please help us help our rescues if you can ❤️‍