Help Deckard beat FIP!
Donation protected
My sweet 4-year-old tabby, Deckard, needs your help to beat nasty FIP! The treatment takes 84 days, is extremely expensive, and is not covered by insurance. Deckard is a big boy, and on a higher dose for neuro symptoms, making his treatment very pricey. I have spent over $7.5K on the treatment and there will be another ~$4K of costs before he is considered cured. I have sold all the electronics I own, and exhausted my line of credit, to pay for his treatment. Unfortunately, this week I am $1,700 CAD short of funds needed to purchase next week's treatment as well as complete his 8-week bloodwork CBC and chem labs. I am humbly asking for anybody's help in bridging the gap so that his treatment can continue, because interruption can be fatal and will almost certainly lead to drug resistance.
His story is below:
His story is below:
In December 2021, my boy Deckie stopped eating, ran a fever and grew listless/lethargic over the course of ~5 days. I was supposed to leave on a work trip on day 5, but had an awful feeling of impending doom on my way to the terminal. My intuition told me that if I left town, Deckie would not be there to greet me when I got home a few days later. I turned around and cancelled my house/cat sitter.
Later that day, he was admitted to the animal hospital with a fever of 40.6ºC / 105.1ºF. For two days the hospital ran tests while trying to stabilize him. One of these tests showed that the lining around his lungs had filled with fluid, which was causing pain and shortness of breath, and needed to be drained. Its viscosity and straw-like colour confirmed Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), an extremely aggressive virus that is, historically, always fatal. Despite Deckie having been in hospital for days, the vet could barely break his fever or stimulate his appetite. They said there was nothing they could do to save him, and that I should take him home where he feels safe and comfortable.
After bringing him home on December 12, a group of amazing people told us about a game-changing treatment, unavailable at any veterinarian, which could save him if administered quickly. They connected me with an emergency supply that afternoon, which I administered immediately. I opened all the windows in my house in freezing weather to suppress his fever as much as possible that day, while myself bundling up. Shivering and distraught that the treatment wouldn't work, I prepared to say goodbye to my little man that night. However, by 1 AM, the 1st dose of this miracle treatment had succeeded in breaking his fever!
Over the next few days, his eating, drinking and litter use returned to normal. His fever had completely disappeared. Soon, the fluid buildup in his pleural lining had completely reabsorbed, and his 4-week blood work showed that he was responding extremely well to the treatment. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!
The costs I've mentioned don't even factor in the >$4K I have spent on diagnostic testing and vet care, which was only partially reimbursed by insurance (and still needs to be paid for up-front).
Deckard is chatty, playful, energetic, and wicked smart. I have never bonded with an animal the way I have this little guy. If there's anything you can spare today to keep his light shining for another decade, he and I will be eternally grateful.
Hiding from the vet before his 4-week bloodwork:
Basking in the sun the summer before being diagnosed with an aggressive viral disease:
Cuddling with dad as a small kitten, excited to live a long and healthy life:
Organizer
Troy Borlinha
Organizer
Vancouver, BC