Help Blackie live a normal life
Donation protected
Blackie is 3 and a half years old and one of 10 rescue cats we take care of (plus 15-18 TNR cats outdoors). On January 2, 2018 we noticed he was short of breath and took him to the animal hospital here in Fukuoka City, Japan.
The diagnosis was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an enlarged and inefficient heart, presumed to be congenital. His respirations were about 12 or more in 10 seconds, which now--at the end of nearly a month--are down to between 3-5 per 10 seconds.
Over the course of 15 visits, which included sonograms, EKGs, X-rays, blood tests, injections, IV drips and medicine to administer at home (a challenge in itself), we learned that each case is different. Blackie could live days, weeks, months or years. A best guess is up to 2 more years.
Drugs had to be adjusted as the effects of diuretics to help clear up water in the lungs resulted in an imbalance of minerals such as potassium and sodium, and creatine, which led to loss of appetite and listlessness. He also takes antibiotics for suspected pneumonia.
On the suggestion of veterinarian friends on several continents, we were told to ask the doctors to to consider a drug called Pimobendan, which could potentially improve heart contractions and also open up the arteries, eliminating the need for one or more drugs. The docs had been considering it, which is not yet mainstream in Japan, but not before we had to rush Blackie to an emergency evenings-only facility near Fukuoka Airport where he stayed the night in an oxygen tent and got emergency doses of Milrinone (Primacor) and Pimobendan.
Coordination between the emergency docs and our Vet resulted in Blackie now being prescribed Pimobendan. Thankfully, the Pimobendan started to have the desired effect. He had to stay in a rental oxygen box for several more days though, and we keep it on hand for the future.
There is no cure for Blackie's condition. But his quality of life has vastly improved and it is likley his vet vists will decrease from 5 or so per week now to 1 or 2.
The cost so far this month (January 2018)has been a bit over 2000 U.S. dollars. There is no end-goal but the initial goal we are setting will help us normalize our lives, since we also have to buy food for 10 indoor cars (all rescues from places like Japan Cat Network ) or left in front of my wife's place of employment (a public health office) where people assume they can just get rid of the pets they no longer want, or their unwanted offspring. Blackie and his 3 siblings were throw-aways. We raised they on formula, from little babies. Here is Blackie when he looked more like a baby gorilla.
Initially we thought we would rehome them, but the longer we took care of them, the harder it was to say goodbye. Or to separate them. We went from 3 cats in 2014 to 10 in the wink of an eye.
We want to continue giving all our cats (including the outside cats that we have trapped, neutered, released (TNR) and continued to feed in conjunction with NPO Catnip here in Fukuoka) a good life. The link is to the Terazuka Project, which we are doing. They could use your support too. Helping us with our medical bills for Blackie will make that a possibility.
Thank you very much.
Paul, Kyoko, Blackie, Mi-ke, Brownie, Black and White,
Noamie, Mattie, Puffy, Willy, Asia, Allie
The diagnosis was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an enlarged and inefficient heart, presumed to be congenital. His respirations were about 12 or more in 10 seconds, which now--at the end of nearly a month--are down to between 3-5 per 10 seconds.
Over the course of 15 visits, which included sonograms, EKGs, X-rays, blood tests, injections, IV drips and medicine to administer at home (a challenge in itself), we learned that each case is different. Blackie could live days, weeks, months or years. A best guess is up to 2 more years.
Drugs had to be adjusted as the effects of diuretics to help clear up water in the lungs resulted in an imbalance of minerals such as potassium and sodium, and creatine, which led to loss of appetite and listlessness. He also takes antibiotics for suspected pneumonia. On the suggestion of veterinarian friends on several continents, we were told to ask the doctors to to consider a drug called Pimobendan, which could potentially improve heart contractions and also open up the arteries, eliminating the need for one or more drugs. The docs had been considering it, which is not yet mainstream in Japan, but not before we had to rush Blackie to an emergency evenings-only facility near Fukuoka Airport where he stayed the night in an oxygen tent and got emergency doses of Milrinone (Primacor) and Pimobendan.
Coordination between the emergency docs and our Vet resulted in Blackie now being prescribed Pimobendan. Thankfully, the Pimobendan started to have the desired effect. He had to stay in a rental oxygen box for several more days though, and we keep it on hand for the future.
There is no cure for Blackie's condition. But his quality of life has vastly improved and it is likley his vet vists will decrease from 5 or so per week now to 1 or 2.The cost so far this month (January 2018)has been a bit over 2000 U.S. dollars. There is no end-goal but the initial goal we are setting will help us normalize our lives, since we also have to buy food for 10 indoor cars (all rescues from places like Japan Cat Network ) or left in front of my wife's place of employment (a public health office) where people assume they can just get rid of the pets they no longer want, or their unwanted offspring. Blackie and his 3 siblings were throw-aways. We raised they on formula, from little babies. Here is Blackie when he looked more like a baby gorilla.
Initially we thought we would rehome them, but the longer we took care of them, the harder it was to say goodbye. Or to separate them. We went from 3 cats in 2014 to 10 in the wink of an eye.We want to continue giving all our cats (including the outside cats that we have trapped, neutered, released (TNR) and continued to feed in conjunction with NPO Catnip here in Fukuoka) a good life. The link is to the Terazuka Project, which we are doing. They could use your support too. Helping us with our medical bills for Blackie will make that a possibility.Thank you very much.Paul, Kyoko, Blackie, Mi-ke, Brownie, Black and White,
Noamie, Mattie, Puffy, Willy, Asia, Allie
Organizer
Paul Arenson
Organizer
Medford, MA