Hi, I'm Paton and I'm 8 years old. I was adopted at the age of 4 from Patas Errantes in Sintra. Although I was treated very badly before I was adopted, my new owner and I have had a lot of fun and shared many adventures. She takes me to the beach, on holiday, camping, out to dinner and won't go anywhere without me. She often says that I help her more than she helps me. That's the power of love. 🫶🏻

She loves me so much that she took me to the vet to remove a cyst on my elbow that looked bad. It was supposed to be a simple surgery but they didn't know that I suffered from a condition called Addison's. As soon as I was anaesthetised, my body collapsed and I almost died.

Desperate, my owner decided to fight for me and transferred me to the veterinary hospital in Arco do Cego (Anicura), where I was kept in intensive care for a week and given a plasma transfusion. The insurance paid for part of it, but it wasn't enough and the cost totalled €2,000.

I was finally able to return home, but after a few days I started having intense nosebleeds and became anaemic. I had to undergo many tests: ultrasounds, bone marrow punctures and a series of analyses. Although the results were negative, all the symptoms indicated Leshmaniasis and as soon as I started taking medication, the bleeding stopped.

Meanwhile, the cyst I had removed turned out to be benign, but the skin around the removed area died and I was left with a large hole in my elbow.

After many attempts to sew it up and constant infections, the vets decided to do a plastic surgery, removing skin from the back to cover my elbow and thus cover the open wound.

But now the new skin isn't sticking to the subcutaneous tissue and I run the risk of rejecting the tissue and not healing.

To stimulate tissue regeneration, the vets suggested having a treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, where oxygenation and pressure speed up healing, reduce bacteria and lower the risk of infection.

https://www.hospitaldaluz.pt/pt/dicionario-de-saude/oxigenoterapia-hiperbarica

The cost of all the treatments and medicines has already exceeded €5,000. But my owner doesn't want to give up on me 💛

After an animal rehabilitation and regeneration consultation at the Arrábida Veterinary Hospital https://vetarrabida.pt/, which is recognised for its work in recovering animals with serious injuries, the vets believe that 10 sessions in the hyperbaric chamber can help my skin heal and reduce the (already existing) infection. However, this treatment is very expensive. Each session costs €100, which is another €1,000. No guarantees that I'll get well.

My owner is willing to pay whatever it takes, but she needs help to meet all the expenses she's had.

If you can help her with my recovery, I promise that I'll get well soon and that I won't give my owner any more scares like this 🙏 so that we can continue walking along the beach together.

Here are her details:

Mariana

MBway 910570774

NIB PT50 00 230 0004542437347194

Thank you

Paton