CALYPSO Update - Input please? This afternoon I had a chat with Calypsos neurologist about her condition. The most likely cause of her condition is a Collagen Deficiency which is causing muscular dystrophy affecting her limbs and it is thought, also affecting her heart with her scan showing enlargement on one side of her heart. Her heart condition is said to currently be mild and just something to be watched for the time being. There are potential treatments available to her to help her however in order to receive the treatment she first has to have the diagnosis confirmed by having extra tissue and skin samples tested at a cost of approx £600. It is not possible to start treatments without a confirmed diagnosis. In terms of prognosis for Calypso there are 2 possibilities. 1 is that it is a partial deficiency and as such it is highly likely that she will stabilise herself and may or may not need additional treatment. The 2nd is that it is a full deficiency of collagen affecting all soft tissues which would increase her chances of further deterioration however there are said to be possible treatments that we can try to slow the progression of her condition and give her a longer life. Her neurologist has stressed today that under no circumstances do they feel that Calypso should be euthanised at the current time, which we are obviously very pleased to hear. We have asked for her neurologists thoughts on the best way to proceed with Calypso in terms of diagnosis and prognosis and they have said that they could only truly give us a prognosis and possible treatment plan after this test is completed. Without it, possible treatments are not an option for Calypso as they could cause more damage if given for the wrong reason. Our thoughts having spoken with the vets today is to have the tissue sample test completed for a firm diagnosis so that she may have the option of treatment sooner rather than wait to see if she deteriorates and may be past help. We have been told that the test is relatively straight forward. Small tissue samples are taken and sent to a specialist lab in the USA for analysis. Calypso would travel to the Vet School with her sister for the test under general anaesthetic. They also wish to take blood samples from Angelica to test to see if they show the same genetic mutation / markers that Calypso does to try to identify the level of risk that Angelica is at of developing the condition. We want to do what is best for Calypso and dont want her to lose out on possible treatments that may help simply because shes a rescue cat. She deserves the best care just like any other cat in our opinion. Obviously to provide for her care we would have to continue to fundraise to raise the funding needed to cover the cost of the tests and the vet school are helping where they can to keep our bill as low as is possible. Our question therefore to you all is will you support our decision?
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 20:41:03 +0000
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