A few days ago, we rushed Jasper to the emergency vet after he suddenly became very weak, barely responsive, and was breathing rapidly.
The vets found a high fever and mild bronchitis. Thankfully, his blood tests came back reassuring. However, none of these findings explain why Jasper is breathing so fast. He received an injection to help stabilize his breathing, but we are still searching for answers.
To make matters more concerning, we recently found blood and suspect it may be coming from his urine.
Today, Jasper will undergo an echo in the hope of finally finding some answers.
As many of you know, Jasper is not an ordinary case. He suffers from severe hydrocephalus, meaning too much fluid has built up inside his brain. The pressure from this fluid left him blind and affects many aspects of his daily life. To help him, a shunt was surgically placed to drain excess fluid and reduce the pressure on his brain.
His latest MRI shows that the fluid build-up remains severe. The good news is that there is no brain herniation, a dangerous condition where pressure pushes part of the brain out of its normal position. This means Jasper’s condition is no longer considered life-threatening.
We also discussed the MRI results with his surgeon. The shunt has moved by about 4 mm, but no intervention is needed at this stage. As long as Jasper remains neurologically stable, he will simply be monitored closely. Another MRI is planned for the end of the year.
Unfortunately, the surgeon does not believe Jasper’s brain will regain the volume we had hoped for. Still, Jasper remains stable, and our focus continues to be giving him the best quality of life possible.
Right now, however, we are worried. We still do not know what is causing his rapid breathing, and we desperately need answers.
Please keep Jasper in your thoughts. We love this little fighter so much and will continue doing everything we can for him.
Thanks to your support, we were able to cover Jasper’s emergency fee. However, we still need $235 to cover the remaining tests and hospitalization costs and another $100 for his echo today.
Please help us continue his medical care and diagnostics.