Help Daisy Stay in Bloom!

My much-much loved young cat (1.5 years old) Daisy has a very rare spine condition called vertebral angiomatosis. This means that cells within her vertebrae are over-replicating which can lead to compression of the spinal cord resulting in pain, loss of mobility, and eventual paralysis. She has had an initial operation to stop compression on her spinal cord which means she has regained use of her back legs, but this is just a temporary solution, and she still needs radiotherapy to stop this from coming back.

I am raising money to cover the cost of Daisy’s radiotherapy, and to allow her to live a long and happy life. Ideally, she needs treatment as soon as possible to prevent her condition from returning. #HelpDaisyStayInBloom

Absolutely no expectations, but your support of any amount, however small, would be deeply appreciated. Please do share with whoever you can.

About Daisy

Daisy is a mischief-making machine. She likes to gallop around the house like a crazy horse, pounce on unsuspecting victims, hide under beds and in the airing cupboard, and wake me up in the morning by coming to sit on me until she decides she’s had enough of waking me up gently and the piercing miaows begin. She’s independent and brave and curious and we love her.

She lives with me, my housemate Fi, and Fi’s two little dogs, Enzo and Indi. They play, love and antagonise each other like siblings. When they are away, Daisy can be found wandering the hallways miaowing plaintively. To follow Daisy’s progress, see more photos and videos of daisy and her friends here: Instagram @DaisyandTheBugs

A few months ago, we noticed she didn’t seem as lively and happy as usual. She was no longer interested in playing or being scruffed. She started shaking, wasn’t talking any more, lost interest in her food, and started struggling to move – especially her back legs. We took her to the local vet who thought it may be a broken pelvis and suggested rest. We confined her to one floor of the house, set up lots of cosy zones and tried to bring the fun to her. With painkillers and rest, she seemed a little better at first, with her little personality shining through, but then things got significantly worse. She eventually lost the use of her back legs, having to drag herself along or be carried – which was heartbreaking to see - and then she started to lose control of her bladder.

Our vet made an emergency referral to a neurological specialist at Dick White Referrals. They diagnosed her with vertebral angiomatosis. This is an extremely rare condition which only affects young cats, where the cells in the vertebrae over replicate causing a bulge which slowly compresses the spinal cord. It is not cancer, but behaves like it. This was devastating news as she was only 18 months old!

The recommended course of treatment, was to operate to remove the mass compressing her spinal cord. Allow time for recovery, then move onto radiotherapy which would hopefully stop the replication of cells and prevent any masses from re-forming – which will happen without any follow up treatment. Options were limited and time was running out, so we had to move fast.

With her pet insurance and help from the Bank of Mum and Dad, we were just able to cover for the testing, scans, and initial operation to remove the cells that were compressing on her spinal cord. Thankfully the operation was a success and within days she was up on her feet again with full control of her bladder – thank goodness! Since then, she has been gradually regaining her mobility and agility. She is sporting a rather epic scar on her spine and a fetching bald patch!! It is so lovely to see her back to her old self, careening around the house (slightly lopsidedly) and back to causing mischief!

Now that we know she has recovered from her initial surgery, we need to start thinking about her next treatment – which will prevent this condition from reoccurring. With insurance, and savings now maxed out – we need to find a way to pay for her radiotherapy.

We received advice from Dr Sarah Mason, Oncology and Radiation Consultant at Southfields Vetinary Specialists. They recommend that we give her a ‘full course fractionated radiation – giving a low dose of radiation over a course of several weeks to give her the best possible chance of success while minimising damage to the spinal cord. This treatment will give her the best chance of success but is very expensive at approximately £9,000. With the 2.9% Go Fund Me fee and a consultation, this gives us a target of £9,616.

What if you don’t raise the full amount or raise over the amount?

If we are unable to raise the full amount, then we will do what we can under the advice of our vets. This might be a shorter course of radiotherapy, or chemotherapy medication for as long as we can cover the monthly costs. If we raise over the target amount, we will pay for any excess fees if they occur for her treatment and care, and then donate any remaining to a local cat rescue centre.

Why don’t you use insurance?

Daisy’s insurance of £5000 was maxed out by the tests and scans needed to find out what was wrong with her. We then paid out of pocket (with the kind help of my parents – thank you!), for the operation she needed to clear the cells and reduce pressure on her spine. However, we don’t have the capacity to pay for her radiotherapy, so are hoping the kindness of many strangers can help Daisy stay in bloom.

How do I keep updated?

We will provide updates on Daisy’s care to those who donate. You can also follow Daisy’s progress here: Instagram @DaisyandTheBugs