Louie

About the Campaign

Louie is a 1-and-a-half-year-old male tabby who fractured his hip in April and still walks with a limp. His vet has determined he needs a femoral head ostectomy, or FHO, a surgery that removes the damaged ball of the hip joint so the surrounding muscle forms a false joint. We had a previous successful fundraiser for Louie that raised the money for this exam: https://freeanimaldoctor.org/campaigns/louie-2/(opens in new tab). Cats are small and light enough that they do well with this and get back to running and jumping without pain.

The local estimate was nearly $5,000. His owner Carolina has instead arranged the surgery through Mexivet Express, a service that transports pets to vetted clinics in Mexico and back. Their price, including pickup in Downey and transport, is $2,000.

Both of Louie’s hips were injured, but only one clearly needs surgery now. The other may hold, and the vet’s plan is one hip at a time. Donors helped fund his follow-up exam and x-rays this summer, which confirmed the fracture had not healed on its own and that surgery is the only fix. Five months of walking on a broken hip has taken a toll. He is still limping, moves oddly, and does not jump or play the way he did.

Carolina found Louie limping one morning in April and hoped it was minor. After several days with no improvement, she took him in, and x-rays showed the fractured hip. Louie came from a litter that Carolina’s sister’s cat had. Carolina had not planned on a cat, but Louie was the standout: unique-looking, cuddly, and sweet from the start. When Carolina moved out, Louie came with her.

Carolina lives with her fiancé Victor and her 9-year-old daughter Lylah. She has been on medical leave from her job as an LA County eligibility worker since last year and then became pregnant, so she has not been able to go back. Victor supervises at a refrigerated warehouse and has been carrying the household on one income. Carolina did the work of finding a surgery she could nearly afford; she still cannot cover $2,000 on her own.

Louie is young, and FHO has a great track record in cats. Donations will cover his surgery, anesthesia, pain medication, and round-trip transport through Mexivet Express. All donations are paid only to the veterinarian.