Jagger-man Needs His Moves Back
My rescue kitty Jagger-man has to have extensive oral surgery to relieve him of the pain associated with a oral auntimmune syndrome. He's a 6 year old, otherwise very healthy boy. Surgery is a requirement, there is no way around it. I am a mental health techncian, but I am currently on unemployment, making finacing his surgery a large barrier to his well being.
Jagger came to me as a foster cat. He had been found in an abandoned house with 20+ other cats and kittens, and he has bebes in him. He started as a foster, but eventually became family. He loves the pettin's, but even now moving too quickly will cause him to bolt...and then immediately come back for more lovin's because he loves the lovin's. He's such a sweet cat, I love him so much.
I started being able to smell his mouth and knew that he was having pain, and I had thought that his problem would be a simple cleaning with probable extraction(s). Being a trauma survivor, getting him to just let me open his mouth and look was impossible. When my income tax return hit I scheduled a dental with Madison Animal Hospital in Phoenix, but took him in a few days before the appointment to start him on pain medication.
It was worse than a really, really bad dental.
Jagger has feline gingivostomatitis, which is a hell of a scrabble word. The disease has many other names such as lymphocytic plasmacytic syndrome. It is extremely painful without treatment, and not a condition that can be lived with with any quality of life. The teeth have to come out. My vet was willing to talk technical with me, and I've of course researched the ever-loving crap out of it, and am not done.
My vet told me, in the most simple terms that Jagger's body is rejecting his teeth. All of the tissues in his mouth are inflammed due to an autoimmune response. Scientists do not fully know why this condition develops, but it is believed to be the result of an autoimmune disorder. His body is rejecting his teeth because it has developed an exaggerated inflammatory response to the plaque that naturally forms on teeth or a reaction to the teeth themselves. The allergy has caused severe inflammation of the soft tissues, lesions, and the start of ulcers.
After the doctor was able to get in there and look, a diagnosis was made. A feline leukemia and AIDS test was done first to rule this out as his disease can often go with a compromised immune system, and honestly the short life prognosis and hell that feline leukemia is would have made it a very different discussion. He does not have either, THANK GOD.
He was given a depo medrol injection to start a needed process of reducing the inflammation, surgery is not a possibility until it is controlled. He was given a Convenia antibiotic injection to start the process of controlling infection. I have doses of 0.6mg/ml buprenorphine to give him every 8-12 hours PRN for pain.
I am already starting to see such an inprovement. Aside from treating the condition itself my biggest priority has been pain managment for him. I've been watching his behavior very closely, he never showed any of the big behavioral signs that are almost always seen with the disease. No pawing at his face, he continued to eat food, both wet and dry. I wish I would have known sooner, but now I am evaluating his behavior closely to try to assess improvement with the medical treatment, and an improvement in pain reduction. I am feeding him wet food enough to keep him from having to eat the dry, which I'm sure hurts him a whole lot more.
He just seem so much more of the vibrant cat I see he used to be. The medication seems to be reducing the inflammation, and as it goes down, his pain appears to be improving. Not gone I know, but very, very much improved.
Getting Mr. Man pain control and on the road to surgery preparation came with a price tag of $350. Care Credit has already denied me for my own dental needs, and similar sources have done the same.
I have the maximum benefit unemployment offers, $240 a week. I've survived this far only by selling my stuff on craigslist and ebay, but most of that is gone now, or so specialized it's just waiting on ebay for a person with that interest to find it. I'm on indeed.com everyday applying to everything I am qualified for, and a lot of things I'm not. I had an interview last week, and have and interview at an opiate addiction medical management clinic tomorrow. Jagger's situation aside I've been hitting it hard, unemployment just doesnt pay the bills, and I miss the purpose my work gives my life.
Jagger will be able to lead a normal cat-life, but the barrier to that is the expense of what it will cost to get him to a maintenance point.
Treatment for cats with this disease will require, at minimum, that all the teeth behind the canines be removed. The severe inflammation has already irreparably damaged some of the teeth, and it’s the standard long-term treatment plan for the disease. No teeth, no plaque, no inflammation.
Research suggests that this will resolve 60-80% of cases either fully with no further treatment, or significantly with medical managment afterwards with medications. Once the oral surgery is done his prognosis is good to excellent.
I love the hell out of this cat. He's been through so much, and come so far, too far to have money come betwen him and quality of life. His condition is chronic, but very manageable once the surgery is complete.
The vet at Madison gave me a low ball and highball estimate, depending on the difficulty of the extractions. It includes the pre-surgery blood work, x-rays, anesthesia, extractions, IV fluids/ medication, ultra-sonic cleaning, polishing, post-surgery care/observation, post operative pain medications, anti-biotics, and a mini-toothbrush.
Low-ball estimate is $1,169.50, high is $1,424.50. Added to the existing plan it becomes $1518 to $1773. This GoFundMe is for the cost of getting Mr. Man through extracting the teeth behind the canines so he can live out his life doing cat stuff with maintence care, eating lots of wet food, and getting all the pets.
So I have already started researching veterinary care assistance programs both local and national. I made an 11 hour binge of making this, applying for grants, and more research.
This GoFundMe has gone farther than I ever imagined, with $480 of the $730 raised so far coming from many friends and even many kind strangers!
RedRover's donation of $250 is still listed as part of the donation amount. To get the most help from them I will have to reapply when we are close enough to getting those extractions done!
We will be doing his care in 2 parts, the dental first, and then the extractions hopefully very soon after when we have raised enough funds, the extractions are where this gets expensive.
The dental will rid him of the plaque that is causing his autoimmune reaction, lessen the inflammation, and thus lessen the pain he is in while we build funds for the extractions. Plus this will allow the doctor to get a good view of whats going on in there, and will allow them to inform a much more precise treatment plan. I am shopping around to look at dental prices, but havent found anything signifigant yet.
Sharing Jaggers story is just as important as donating. I know broke, I understand. But someone you know may be able to help, or they may know someone. The amazing sucess of this fund so far has come from many people who have never met me before.
There are still many resources for me to look through where I will be applying for grants and assistance towards the major part of Jaggers treatment, getting those teeth out!
One of the first sites I looked at made an upfront statement that assistance amounts from them are no more than $50, if they have funds available.
Great. Add it to the pile, if it’s $50 towards Mr. Man being able to live a pain free and happy life again I am thankful beyond words.
I never expected to see it covered by one or even a few sources, but probably every source that exists, because I will find them. I never expected to gain the support of so many people, making getting step one of Jaggers treatment a reality.
Jagger is having his pain controlled, and he's on the road to healing, but I really need help, and if you're reading this you probably already know that. A dental with probable extractions seemed daunting before I knew the cause. If you can help me with even just $5 you are amazing. If you can't, share this page on facebook with your friends, and any animal groups you may be a part of. Getting Jagger's story out there is just as important.
There are 2 levels of donation thank you gifts I created because GoFundMe suggested it :)
I am handmaking fused glass plates for donations of $30 or more. They measure 5x5 inches and can be done in one of 2 ways. You can email me a picture of your choice that will be fused onto the plate and decorated and then fused. If you would like to use it as a pet dish the picture fusing is not safe for that use, but I will make you a plate that is. I will need to know your top 3 favorite colors.
Either way the plate is made, there are two "levels." A $30 donation to Jagger's cause will secure you a place in line for a plate. A $60 donation will upgrade your plate with the use of dichroic glass, a special kind of glass that reacts to light and will give your plate a more beautiful design quality. Think more "bling bling."
My email is littlebunnyfoo21 AT gmail.com. It will take me time to get the plate to you, there is quite a line! If you have donated and you have not yet emailed me, please do!
Thank you all for your support, this has gotten bigger and done more than I ever imagined. There arent words that adequately express how thankful I am.
