At about midnight, we received a call that a critically ill kitten was being rushed to the vet ER. Shortly after arriving, her heart stopped. The vet brought her back to life, and she was immediately put on life support with a staff member by her side every second. Because she had coded once, there was a possibility that she was brain damaged, would likely code again, and would need life-support. Another vet explained that she would have a less-than 1% chance of recovering to the point where she could leave the ER. The estimated bill to merely attempt to save her life would be $7,000-$10,000.
Saddened with such news, my wife and I talked for a long time about what to do. We decided to give this baby a chance to decide on her own by doing what we could on our end. We asked for at least 24-hours of the works: life-support, blood transfusions from a donor cat, antibiotics, vitamins, fluids, and continual monitoring. We prayed all night for her survival and happiness.
The next day, we learned that not only had she regained consciousness, but she was alert and eating! Her platelets and red blood cell count were critically low so she received more blood transfusions and a few more days in the ER. The kitten who had a less-than-1% chance of leaving the hospital went home with us on the 5th day.
She needed around-the-clock medication for weeks (Baytril, Clavamox, Metanidazole, Sucralfate, Omeprazole, Fenbendazole, dewormer, vitamin K). My wife and I lost a lot of sleep ("If I take her 1am can you take her 6am?" "Deal."), but she was so worth it.
This baby was named Midna Love, after a fictional character of a powerful spirit who died and came back to life to guide the living. Today, Midna lives up to her name and is a loving, lively miracle! You would never know she had any health challenge in her young life.
In the end, her emergency care cost $6,763.17. If you could help us in any way, by sharing our story or donating a small contribution, our small group at 808 Animal Rescue will forever be indebted to you for your compassion. Thank you for helping us help those that others have given up on. We are a tiny team, but we're now 12 for 12--not one of our 12 rescues has failed to recover and lead a happy, vibrant life!!
