Louis' PSS Treatment
Donation protected
*****UPDATE 02/04/2018*****'
Hello everyone! Louis' operation is scheduled for Sunday, February 13th at BluePearl Specialty Animal Hospital. We are nervous but looking forward to a healthy first Valentine's Day for our little love bug. I will update when I get more information regarding recovery. Thank you everyone for your continued support!
*****UPDATE 01/24/2018*****'
The Vosko family would like to extend our gratitude to everyone who has offered their support. It has been a comfort to know so many people have our backs in this unfortunate situation.
Louis has had his ultrasound and his PSS has been confirmed. The good news is he is eligible for operation. This is no simple task as his condition has contributed to his small size. The last time Louis was weighed (in mid January, 2018) he came in just under 5 pounds. To put this into context, we rescued Louis with his sister, Stella in October (2017) when they were almost four months old (both born in June) and though we are not positive they are litter mates; we do know they are the same age and Stella is 3x Louis' size. Operating on such a small animal can be risky. It is important to note that this procedure would require putting Louis under anesthesia. If all goes well with the surgery then Louis will need to stay in hospital overnight for observation. There is a risk of seizure (which Louis has already started a prescription to prevent) in the first 24-48 hours after surgery. As one might imagine, these specific requirements do not come cheap. As such, I have raised our financial goal to $4,000. It would be truly wonderful if that goal was fully met but we will be beyond grateful for any help anyone is willing to give. We have a renewed sense of hope for Louis after speaking with many talented medical professionals and look forward to getting him on the track to recovery! Thank you for your continued interest in little Louis’ story.
Hi all! We (the Vosko family) adopted Louis along with his sister Stella in October of this year (2017). About three months earlier our beloved cat, Simba died at 15 years old and we did not have any plans of adding another pet to our family anytime soon. However, fate intervened on an October Saturday when a little black cat called Junebug decided to loudly meow at Caroline Vosko and stare her down at the local Petco store. Caroline had taken Simba's death especially hard (he joined our family when Caroline was only 3 years old) and had sworn off attaching herself to another cat until that moment. Caroline and Junebug had an instant connection but Caroline carried on shopping for dog food with our dad and tried to put the little kitten out of her mind. Even so, Caroline called her sister (Katie) and told her about what had happened as she and our dad continued with their errands. Quite suddenly, an idea formed that maybe Junebug might be joining the Vosko family. Within hours it was decided and the next day he came home with one of the other black cats he had been rescued with, Taffy. They had been lovingly cared for by their foster mom, Nancy. Taffy and Junebug looked after each other but Taffy had served a special role as nurse to the rather fragile Louis who had had some mysterious health issues that were assumed to be caused by mistreatment prior to being rescued by Nancy and Hope Homeless & Orphaned Pets Endeavor. After settling in at the Vosko household the two black cats were renamed Louis and Stella and became instant members of the family, accepted even by Archie the sheepdog. Flash-forward to December when Louis had a sudden seizure in Katie Vosko's arms and suffered temporary paralysis and temporary blindness. The Vet had luckily seen similar symptoms *once* before when she was an intern and diagnosed Louis with a rare (especially so in cats) condition called portosystemic shunt. Taken from Wikipedia "A portosystemic shunt (PSS), also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the liver by the body's circulatory system. It can be either a congenital (present at birth) or acquired condition." In Louis's case, he developed PSS in utero. We are devasted by this news and are scrambling to come up with the funds for treatment as the older Louis gets the chances of treatment diminish. Presently, Louis must receive an expensive ultrasound to determine whether his liver is even capable of being operated on. If it is then surgery runs from $2000 - $5000. If it isn't then our only option is to make our newest, littlest family member comfortable and enjoy the time he has left with us. We would be so beyond grateful for any help anyone is willing to give. We understand there are many deserving causes and appreciate you reading our story.
Hello everyone! Louis' operation is scheduled for Sunday, February 13th at BluePearl Specialty Animal Hospital. We are nervous but looking forward to a healthy first Valentine's Day for our little love bug. I will update when I get more information regarding recovery. Thank you everyone for your continued support!
*****UPDATE 01/24/2018*****'
The Vosko family would like to extend our gratitude to everyone who has offered their support. It has been a comfort to know so many people have our backs in this unfortunate situation.
Louis has had his ultrasound and his PSS has been confirmed. The good news is he is eligible for operation. This is no simple task as his condition has contributed to his small size. The last time Louis was weighed (in mid January, 2018) he came in just under 5 pounds. To put this into context, we rescued Louis with his sister, Stella in October (2017) when they were almost four months old (both born in June) and though we are not positive they are litter mates; we do know they are the same age and Stella is 3x Louis' size. Operating on such a small animal can be risky. It is important to note that this procedure would require putting Louis under anesthesia. If all goes well with the surgery then Louis will need to stay in hospital overnight for observation. There is a risk of seizure (which Louis has already started a prescription to prevent) in the first 24-48 hours after surgery. As one might imagine, these specific requirements do not come cheap. As such, I have raised our financial goal to $4,000. It would be truly wonderful if that goal was fully met but we will be beyond grateful for any help anyone is willing to give. We have a renewed sense of hope for Louis after speaking with many talented medical professionals and look forward to getting him on the track to recovery! Thank you for your continued interest in little Louis’ story.
Hi all! We (the Vosko family) adopted Louis along with his sister Stella in October of this year (2017). About three months earlier our beloved cat, Simba died at 15 years old and we did not have any plans of adding another pet to our family anytime soon. However, fate intervened on an October Saturday when a little black cat called Junebug decided to loudly meow at Caroline Vosko and stare her down at the local Petco store. Caroline had taken Simba's death especially hard (he joined our family when Caroline was only 3 years old) and had sworn off attaching herself to another cat until that moment. Caroline and Junebug had an instant connection but Caroline carried on shopping for dog food with our dad and tried to put the little kitten out of her mind. Even so, Caroline called her sister (Katie) and told her about what had happened as she and our dad continued with their errands. Quite suddenly, an idea formed that maybe Junebug might be joining the Vosko family. Within hours it was decided and the next day he came home with one of the other black cats he had been rescued with, Taffy. They had been lovingly cared for by their foster mom, Nancy. Taffy and Junebug looked after each other but Taffy had served a special role as nurse to the rather fragile Louis who had had some mysterious health issues that were assumed to be caused by mistreatment prior to being rescued by Nancy and Hope Homeless & Orphaned Pets Endeavor. After settling in at the Vosko household the two black cats were renamed Louis and Stella and became instant members of the family, accepted even by Archie the sheepdog. Flash-forward to December when Louis had a sudden seizure in Katie Vosko's arms and suffered temporary paralysis and temporary blindness. The Vet had luckily seen similar symptoms *once* before when she was an intern and diagnosed Louis with a rare (especially so in cats) condition called portosystemic shunt. Taken from Wikipedia "A portosystemic shunt (PSS), also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the liver by the body's circulatory system. It can be either a congenital (present at birth) or acquired condition." In Louis's case, he developed PSS in utero. We are devasted by this news and are scrambling to come up with the funds for treatment as the older Louis gets the chances of treatment diminish. Presently, Louis must receive an expensive ultrasound to determine whether his liver is even capable of being operated on. If it is then surgery runs from $2000 - $5000. If it isn't then our only option is to make our newest, littlest family member comfortable and enjoy the time he has left with us. We would be so beyond grateful for any help anyone is willing to give. We understand there are many deserving causes and appreciate you reading our story.
Organizer
Katie Vosko
Organizer
Houston, TX
