Ravioli & Rufio) medical aide
Ravioli is in the ICU.
I made this GoFundMe for Rufio's medical bills just a couple weeks ago, he's been in treatment and doing better but this came out of left field for Ravioli.
I've added her to this GoFundMe. She almost died last night because of a freak adverse reaction to a vaccine she's taken before. I'm so emotionally exhausted from caring for her and rushing her back and forth to the vet several times and the ER, that I had a full-blown panic attack. I'm trying to stay positive and she seems stable in the ICU, but I need help. Please share/boost this to help save her life. I'm going through such a rough time right now and I'm shocked. I'd finally come to terms with my senior dog's medical issues and he's been doing better, and this came out of nowhere. Life isn't fair. Thank you for listening and sharing and helping. Seriously thank you so much. My words are all over the place, but I'm an emotional wreck right now. But I'm so deeply grateful for all of you.
Rufio's story from the original GoFundMe is below:
Hi, you probably know me as ZombiUnicorn and maybe you know Rufio, my 16yr old ESA rescue dog, but if you don't I'll tell you all about him in a bit. I'm starting this campaign because at a recent vet visit the doctor found a mass on his spleen and I can't afford the tests he needs to get him the care he deserves.
What happened?
Over the last few months, Rufio has developed a persistent cough that's gotten worse and worse. I've tried various home or over the counter remedies to avoid the vet since we're in the middle of a pandemic and Los Angeles is especially bad. But nothing helped, so he finally saw the vet on Tuesday.
The doctor said it was most likely tracheal collapse or allergic bronchitis, but we'd need to do an x-ray and some bloodwork to know more. I applied for scratchpay, but only received a couple hundred dollars of credit and maxed out my only credit card for the rest, but I could only cover the x-ray at the moment which the vet said I should prioritize.
The vet said the x-ray shows he most likely has allergic bronchitis and has prescribed a regimen of meds that should help clear the cough up and make him feel better and more comfortable in the next couple weeks. Unfortunately that wasn't all she saw.
She noticed a mass on Rufio's spleen; a tumor that could 50-50 be benign or malignant. If it's benign, they can often do surgery to remove it. But at Rufio's old age and with his slight heart murmur (level 2 out of 6) means being put under anesthetics at all yields a high risk of death. If it's malignant, well... they just don't operate on malignant tumors on dogs of Rufio's age.
What does he need?
The vet still recommends Rufio get some bloodwork and a heart marker tests to get a better picture of what's going on. And then he'd need an echocardiogram of his heart to see if valve disease or a mass on his heart is causing the murmur. If it's another mass, then the tumor on his spleen is most likely malignant. But if it's valve disease or something else, the vet would want to do some further tests to assess his risk for surgery. If surgery is too risky and could kill him or negatively impact his health or happiness, I won't go that route and will just try to make him the most comfortable I can for what time he has left. But if the outlook is good and surgery will help, I will do anything to make that happen and preserve the life of my sweet lil baby Rufio. Unfortunately, at this moment I can't afford even just the bloodwork + heart marker tests, let alone the echocardiogram and I can't even book his appointments until I can pay for them in full. All funds donated through this campaign will help me cover those bills and any potential tests, procedures or medication he might need after. I really hope Rufio can have many more happy years ahead of him. If by chance we're able to raise more money than what is needed or it turns out we can't do anything further for him, I'll be donating the extra to some amazing black & lgbtqia+ charities ( I was planning on raising funds for this month anyway for Black History Month. Thank you so much for considering helping my sweet fluff boi by donating or simply sharing this page <3
About Rufio
Six years ago I lived in San Francisco and went through the worst depression of my life and through therapy was recommended to get an Emotional Support animal to help with my mental health. I've had all my dogs life, but I hadn't had one in long time and still felt sad I had to find a new forever home for my last dog (Stella) when she was 6yrs old due housing troubles at a difficult time in my life. I held off on adopting another companion until I could be sure that would never happen again. And when the therapist recommended an ESA, I knew I was ready that I wanted to BE that new forever home for an older dog this time around.
I found an awesome senior dog rescue in SF called Muttville and there was "Sparky." He was skinny, mangy and formerly abused which made him very timid and scared, but he was still sweet, gentle and loving. He was 10 years old and a lot of people are typically hesitant to adopt an older dog, but I couldn't turn down that face and that TOOTH! He needed me as much as I needed him. 'Sparky' didn't really quite fit him since he was such a chill, mellow dog, and calling him that also seemed to trigger a fear response reminding him of the abuse he suffered. He was resilient and still playful and youthful, so Rufio seemed like a fitting name for the lil scruffy guy that never wanted to grow up. I even dressed him up as Rufio for Halloween a month after I got him!
Over the past 6 years, he's helped me with my mental health immensely every single day. And I helped him get healthier and happier by showering him with all of my love and affection, and trained him to overcome a lot of his timid behaviors that were a direct result of his abuse. He's turned into such a happy, healthy, fluffy boi!
I've often brought him to events in the gaming industry not only to help me, but to share his love with others around me. You may have even met him at a convention and got a pic with him! Everyone who meets him always mentions how sweet he is and of course his adorable snaggletooth!
And if you haven't met Rufio at conventions, you might have seen him on my streams, posts or videos and witnessed him in all his sweet snaggletooth glory! Many of you have made fanart or memes of him, or witnessed precious moments like these:
Rufio is more than just a dog or an ESA to me, he's like my child and he means the world to me. Adopting a senior dog is tough, because you don't know how much time you have with them, so we celebrate every birthday as a blessing!
Rufio is a such a precious sweet baby angel bear that we truly don't deserve, and learning of his recent health issues, I want to make sure and do everything I can to help him and make him comfortable for whatever time left that we're graced by his existence. Thank you so much to everyone who's offered support or offered to chip in and help cover the cost of the tests and medical care he needs. Your kindness blows me away and I am forever grateful <3