About the Campaign
Help Ralphie Breathe Easy Again!
Meet Ralphie, a loving cat who has been Jessica’s rock through tough times. Now, Ralphie needs urgent medical care to treat a serious lung condition, and they need your help.
Ralphie came into Jessica’s life at a critical moment. Given to her by her ex-fiancé after the passing of her father and her previous cat, Ralphie and his little sister have been a source of comfort and joy. Ralphie has always been healthy and happy, but things took a turn for the worse on June 14th when Jessica noticed he was having trouble breathing.
Ralphie and Jessica
Jessica, who works in private home health care, took Ralphie to their usual vet. After initial attempts to diagnose the issue with x-rays, Ralphie was too riled up for the procedure and was sent home with sedatives. An ultrasound revealed fluid in his lungs, leading to his first emergency lung tap and a diagnosis of chylothorax.
Since then, Ralphie has had to endure multiple lung taps, removing significant amounts of fluid each time. Despite some initial improvement, the fluid kept returning. Jessica took Ralphie to a cardiologist, where his heart was found to be healthy, but the fluid issue persisted. Ohio State University vets discovered a lung nodule during a CT scan, which they believe to be benign, but it requires a biopsy to be sure.
Jessica has already spent about $7,200 on Ralphie’s treatment, exhausting her savings and missing work to care for him. She receives government assistance for her and her sons’ medical needs but is struggling to cover Ralphie’s ongoing veterinary expenses. Ralphie is on medication, and the plan includes thoracic duct ligation and a pericardiectomy to manage his idiopathic chylothorax.
Here’s where you can help. Ralphie has been a loyal companion to Jessica, and now they need a community of animal lovers to step in and help them overcome this hurdle. All donations for Ralphie’s medical care will be paid directly to the veterinarian. With your support, Ralphie can get the treatments he needs to live a healthy, happy life again. Summary of estimate below, click to enlarge:
