What is killing Andy - Lets Adopt! Global

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UPDATE | September 11, 2023

Andy wants to live.

Since we last shared news of Andy, he has successfully overcome a series of obstacles — he had surgery to adjust a dislocated implant in one front leg and to place a second in the other; he beat a prolonged and difficult to control diarrhea, which caused him to lose a lot of weight; he battled skin problems because of which he is now getting weekly medicated shampoo baths; and he went through cystitis triggered by an antibiotic-resistant bacteria which the vet team only managed to reign in with injections directly into the bladder.

In between periods of trouble related to his immunodeficiency — Andy is a happy cat, who tirelessly asks his foster for cuddles, absolutely adores snuggling, is constantly purring, runs around on his titanium-reinforced legs, eats with great abandon and terribly wants to carry on living.

Before we tell you of Andy’s current problem — let us share some well overdue moments from his recovery after the implant surgery.

*For months after the surgery Andy’s foster’s sofa was surrounded by cushions to protect the implants in case he jumped*

*With his incredible foster who provides incredible care*

The current problem with Andy’s paws

***This is how Andy’s paws look today***

Andy’s current medical challenge which lead to hospitalization is bacterial infection of the paws, possibly connected to the recent cystitis and probably aggravated by the lingering fungal skin infection he has had since we rescued him. Within days of the issue arising our boy developed cracks in his paws, which lead to yellow discharge and severe pain, limping and avoiding the toilet tray.

An antibiogram test has been done, which creates an overall profile of antimicrobial susceptibility of a specific microorganism to a battery of antimicrobial drugs. While the vet team is expecting the results which can take 7-10 days, Andy remains hospitalized and a local antibiotic treatment is being applied to his paws.

During the last few months we have been fighting Andi’s fight on our own, but we now need help in order to continue providing the medical care he requires.

We are all Andi has, us and you. Please help us not betray his trust by donating today so he can continue to receive medical care.

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* You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically converted.
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UPDATE | February, 2023

Successful surgery for Andy!

A special titanium locking implant has been placed in the second leg. The locking implants have a thread and the whole construction of the device is more stable and more flexible than the non-locking ones, which may allow the screws to unscrew under the constant micro-stresses of using the leg. (This is our understanding of the orthopedic team’s explanation, we apologies for any inaccuracies).

An innovative procedure was used by an extremely experienced orthopedic surgeon, which removes the need for bandages after surgery and improves the chances of the body accepting the implant, also speeding up recovery times.

Andy now needs plenty of rest, tasty food and an abundance of love from his foster mom. Stay with us for updates!

Thank you for being here, you are saving this boy’s life.

ATTENTION: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW

**The actual implant which was placed in the leg (photo above)!**

UPDATE | January, 2023

Last week Andi did a small jump, which seems to have loosened the implant in the operated leg and caused further dislocation in the leg which is still expecting surgery. Three months after the initial operation, the bones should have fused fully and the first implant should have been secure. It seems, however, that Andy’s osteomalacia is taking longer to correct, with bone density remaining relatively low, which continues to present challenges.

Andy has now had a series of precise Xrays taken under full anesthesia. The results will help the surgical team evaluate the exact state of the small wrist bones as well as the wrist joints, so the best approach for the urgent surgery he needs now can be planned and the correct type of implant selected.

If the surgery goes well and all works as planned, the vet team expects that Andy will not need splints anymore, which would be a great relief as the splints — albeit necessary at the moment — irritate the skin beneath, require regular changing of bandages and create a serious risk of necrosis.

The systemic diseases Andy suffers from are complicating his situation and creating various challenges along the way. The FIV delays healing of surgical sites. The immunosuppressants he is receiving for immune-mediated polyarthritis, complicate recovery further. The treatment for osteomalacia, which aims to strengthen his bones, is working, but the process is slow.

The sweet boy is not giving up, however, and neither are we.

The splint bandages are changed regularly to monitor the skin beneath

Trying to find a comfortable resting position

Love. Andy. Hope.

Patiently waiting for the surgery he needs

If you planned to send a donation for Andy, but haven’t gotten around to it yet, please do so now so he can get the surgery he needs.

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, USD:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, EUR:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, GBP:

* You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically converted.
* Paypal occasionally experiences issues so please try again later if you encounter a problem while using their website.

UPDATE | January 23, 2023

Before we learnt about him, Andy had spent months in a dark garage and in a dog cage. He wasn’t eating, was extremely thin and in a state of complete stress. With your help we brought him back from the brink and he blossomed into a lovely, trusting character.

His woes were not over, however.

Andy suffers from polyarthritis and slowly, the degenerative process took over, the protective cartilage cushioning the ends of the bones in his leg joints wearing down and Andy stopped running, walking and just preferred to lie down.

We performed a specialized surgical procedure called arthrodesis — an immobilization of a joint by fusion of the bones with the help of an implant. The procedure aims to remove strain on the joint and to allow for normal use of the limb.

We did the right leg first as it was in a worse state. After surgery, the leg was placed in a splint. The left leg also received a splint to prevent further dislocation of the joint.

It has now been three months since the surgery…

Immediately after surgery, Andy had to be confined to a cage and stayed there for a while. He could not be kept immobilized too long, however, because to improve bone density, the legs had to be regularly used. He was later allowed to roam free in one room with a low sofa, surrounded by large cushions.

Since he suffers from FIV as well, Andy’s body takes longer to heal. The boy also has osteomalacia — softening of the bones, caused by the inability of the body to absorb calcium — which was discovered after the surgery and for which he is receiving treatment.

This long after surgery, we would have expected the bones to have fused nicely and the first implant to be secure.

It seems, however, that Andy’s osteomalacia is taking longer to correct, with bone density remaining relatively low and his jump causing trouble.

The incident has loosened the implant in the operated leg and caused further dislocation in the leg which is still expecting surgery.

Because Andy is in extreme discomfort, the vet team recommends immediate surgery for both legs.

Now that we are aware of the osteomalacia, a different approach and different implants will be used, which will enable Andy to walk and jump without endangering the integrity of the surgical sites.

The arthrodesis surgery was successful

Recovering in the clinic after surgery

Andy back at his foster home

Ever had trouble getting comfortable in bed? This is how Andy sleeps

Patiently waiting for help

We expected to have ample time to fundraise for Andy’s second surgery. Unfortunately, it seems we won’t have that luxury now.

Andy’s pain is being controlled but with the wrist joints of both front legs further dislocated, he is in severe distress, so today we ask you to help him once again, support his journey to health and help him keep his legs.

Donate today to save Andy’s legs.

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, USD:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, EUR:

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* You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically converted.
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UPDATE | October 2022

It’s been a while but we hope you still remember Andi.

Having fallen into a vicious circle of bad foster homes, Andy spent months in a dark garage and in a dog cage before we learnt about him. He’d stopped eating, suffered dramatic weight loss and was in a state of complete and utter stress.

With your help we brought him back from the brink.

It took an entire year but he truly blossomed – he came out of his shell, put some weight on, learnt to trust us and to enjoy life.

But it was not meant to be, at least not yet.

When we took Andy’s case on, the vet team told us he suffered from polyarthritis, which often leads to complications. During the last year we helplessly watched how the degenerative process took over, the protective cartilage cushioning the ends of the bones in his leg joints slowly wore down and Andy stopped running, walking and finally just preferred to lie down.

Together with the vet team, we exhausted all non-invasive methods of trying to counter the problem.

Unfortunately, the moment has arrived when Andy needs surgery if he is to stay on his feet, it’s that simple.

Andy needs a specialized surgical procedure called arthrodesis. Arthrodesis is a surgical immobilization of a joint by fusion of the bones with the help of an implant. It removes any strain on the joint and allows for normal use of the limb.

*Andi’s Xrays show bilateral antebrachiocarpal luxation with radiographic signs of osteoarthritis/osteoarthritis of intermedial carpal joints and carpometacarpal joints*

Andi prefers to lie down

He has many soft beds but mostly avoids having to climb into them

Have a look at Andy’s front legs bending

Andy’s front legs display severe luxation of the joint

Andy needs surgery if he is to keep his legs

Andy is in so much pain that he rarely gets up now; he drinks water and eats while lying down. We had to lure him with extra tasty treats to have him get up for the photos above.

Donate today to save Andy’s legs.

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, USD:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, EUR:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, GBP:

* You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically converted.
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THE BEGINNING | May 2021

Rescued off the street by a kind-hearted person, Andy was found to be FIV-positive. Since this relatively harmless but often misunderstood chronic condition is an obstacle to quick adoptions, Andy got stuck.

Having fallen into a vicious circle of horrible foster homes, Andy spent months in a dark garage then in a dog cage. The result of these hard months is easy to observe in the video below — taken out of his cage for a photo we requested, Andy could not stop shivering and was in a state of complete and utter stress. He had also stopped eating and had suffered a dramatic weight loss.

The day after we saw the video above, our volunteers traveled across the country and brought Andy back to our clinic, where he was urgently admitted to the ICU. He had high fever, high white blood cell count, enlarged abdominal lymph nodes, hepatitis and cholecystitis — inflammation of the liver and gallbladder. The gallbladder inflammation alone would have accounted for constant pain and nausea, so no wonder this beautiful furkid had given up.

Andy is in the acute phase of immunodeficiency, so the vet team recommended feline Interferon Omega therapy. Interferons are key components of the body’s immune response against viral infections which have immune modulation properties and can be used in the therapeutic approach of various retroviral infections, especially feline immunodeficiency virus.

Recombinant Feline Interferon Omega is expensive and Andy would need three consecutive treatment cycles — but we’d already looked deep into his eyes and saw what we needed, so we said yes to the therapy. Andy is also on antibiotics, anti-emetics and he is receiving pain relief.

And so it happened that this sweet boy became the next life we are fighting for.

Andy suffers from a number of health issues, but the biggest danger for him is indifference. The indifference of everyone who saw him on the street and did not help. The indifference of everyone who could have fostered him, but left him to rot in a dark garage and a dog cage.

Andy has a chance to overcome his health troubles and just like people with his diagnosis, he has a chance to live a happy life — if he can make it through the critical period ahead and avoid the gaping abyss in front of him right now.

Please help us show Andy that we are not indifferent by donating today towards the medical care saving his life.

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, USD:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, EUR:

Donate with debit/credit card or Paypal, GBP:

* You can donate in any other currency and it will be automatically converted.
* Paypal occasionally experiences issues so please try again later if you encounter a problem while using their website.

Become a monthly donation angel by selecting an amount from the drop down menu below:

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