Rosie Rush!!!
This is Rosie, full name Rosalind Franklin, my sweet dear 10-year-old cat. She’s been in my care for the past three years, and has been a beloved part of my life as well as the lives of many others. In addition to Rosie being a winning cat overall, she has also won Cat of the Month (on my own website) 4 times in 2024 so far.
But Rosie is not well right now. She is strong, but right now she needs help, and I am at the ends of my financial means to do so out-of-pocket.
The Story
About two weeks ago, her right eye began showing symptoms of irritation- including tears and her ‘second eyelid’ being half-shut. After seeing this was worse than a passing irritation, I took her to the kind vets of the Smith Animal Hospital.
Her first vet visit diagnosed a corneal scratch and prescribed her Tobramycin drops and NeoPolyBac ointment. She had been on these two medications, twice per-day, every day.
One week later, upon a follow-up reexamination, her diagnosis worsened. Her eye had been swelling, and her diagnosis was changed to buphtalmos, or an enlarged eye globe. She was referred to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University at 9AM the next morning.
The wonderful people of the Animal Health Center on-campus took great care of Rosie, but had to deliver a worse diagnosis. Exophthalmos; Her right eye had not been swollen, but pushed out by a growth behind it. In turn, her eye had been re-diagnosed to have a superficial corneal ulcer. Tobramycin is now replaced with OTC lubricating drops for her comfort.
Their greatest suspicion of the mass’ cause is a tumor, but other possibilities cited include infections, inflammation, cysts or ‘foreign bodies’. Her corneal ulcer is likely due to increased exposure of the area due to the bulging of her eye. She cannot fully close it.
At this point in time, we do not know what. And knowing is expensive, and treating it will be further.
I have spent nearly $500 out-of-pocket on care for Rosie on this emergency so far. I am at the limits of what it is possible for me to expend further as a college student with just a part-time job. But Rosie deserves the best healthcare. She has given me so much love and helped me when I felt need for her.
I cannot abandon her when she needs me, and I hope you can help me help her.
Further Options
1. CT Scan and Ultrasound + Needle Aspirate
The best possible diagnosis for Rosie would be to get a CT scan of her head, and then have an aspirate performed on her eye using a small needle and ultrasound. This would allow them to differentiate whether the source of the problem is inflammation, or a tumor. If it is a tumor, it could tell what type of tumor it is. The cost of this would be between $1400 to upwards of $1700.
2. Just a CT Scan
The lower option would be to perform a CT scan of Rosie without sampling. This would at least show where the mass is located and likely will differentiate between inflammation and a tumor. The cost of this would be between $1200 to upwards of $1500.
3. Just Tissue Sampling
The lowest possible option, the only one I could possibly independently afford yet worse possible quality- Just an ultrasound with tissue needle sampling. It is, to quote from her discharge, “less likely to result in a diagnosis and will not show all of the tissues potentially involved”. The cost of this would yet still be $500-$600.
If I get nothing from this campaign to help Rosie, this last option is all I could afford, and even then I would be broke for further treatment in the worst-case. It feels like the end of the line. I have no further options than to appeal for help.
For whatever diagnosis she receives, the worst-case is dire. An eye removal is listed as a possible outcome. Rosie does not deserve this.
Please, Help Rosie.
This is an unknown future, and I am worried. Rosie needs help. We both need help. If you can donate to help Rosie’s healthcare, I would greatly appreciate it. Rosie has her own webpage, and if you donate any amount for her, I will feature your name there as a sign of my appreciation. If you cannot afford to donate, you can still help by sharing this so that someone who has the means to donate may see it.
Thank you,
- Wolfgang de Groot and Rosalind “Rosie” Franklin