In June 2023, a partnering shelter sent us an emergency SOS. An unresponsive puppy was found in critical condition, abandoned in a crate in a desolate field, and left to die.
This act is as cruel and sick as it comes, but it gets worse; not only was her body emaciated, covered in burns from laying in urine, and maggots eating her flesh, but her abuser also dyed her hair pink and purple. After they finished with their “show puppy,” they dumped her in a cage to rot and starve to death.
We rushed Junie to Blue Pearl, where they worked tirelessly to stabilize her. They shaved off her matted hair and removed every maggot. Underneath was a skeleton of a dog, only 5 months old, and every bone protruding from her frail tiny body.
Junie was critical. Her body temperature and white blood cell count, were too low was low, her sodium too high to register, and the dehydration was so severe she was in kidney failure. She was also anemic, and couldn’t maintain her blood sugar and blood pressure. On top of this, Junie was septic; sepsis is a severe blood infection that leads to multi-organ failure.
The days to come left us feeling sick and on the edge of our seats. Junie had developed a large blood clot in her jugular vein. It was large enough that it caused swelling in her face and neck. The doctors immediately started her on Plavix, an antiplatelet drug, to prevent the clot from becoming larger. The doctor said Junie had a survival rate of 50 percent.
In addition, they took chest X-rays, which revealed Junie developed pneumonia. The doctors immediately began treating pneumonia and reported she didn’t need any oxygen and had not gotten worse.Onto a positive development, June 24 marked the first day Junie’s red blood cells started to regenerate on their own. That was huge! Despite all that our little Junie was dealing with, she still had a great appetite. The nurses fed her every four hours, and thankfully, she never had any signs of re-feeding syndrome. She also continued to maintain her glucose without intervention, and all of her vitals remained stable.
The days to come left us feeling sick and on the edge of our seats. Junie had developed a large blood clot in her jugular vein. It was large enough that it caused swelling in her face and neck. The doctors immediately started her on Plavix, an antiplatelet drug, to prevent the clot from becoming larger. The doctor said Junie had a survival rate of 50 percent.
In addition, they took chest X-rays, which revealed Junie developed pneumonia. The doctors immediately began treating pneumonia and reported she didn’t need any oxygen and had not gotten worse.Onto a positive development, June 24 marked the first day Junie’s red blood cells started to regenerate on their own. That was huge! Despite all that our little Junie was dealing with, she still had a great appetite. The nurses fed her every four hours, and thankfully, she never had any signs of re-feeding syndrome. She also continued to maintain her glucose without intervention, and all of her vitals remained stable.
Our worst nightmare came true when we received a call that part of the clot had broken off and Junie had suffered a pulmonary embolism. She was in respiratory distress, and they moved her into an oxygen chamber. Junie relaxed immediately after receiving oxygen. The doctor told us only time would tell if the embolism caused severe damage and how long Junie would need oxygen if she survived.
However, Junie is tiny but mighty. Within 24 hours, she was taken off oxygen and even stood up on her own. She started breathing comfortably on room air like nothing ever happened!
Junie still had a massive blood clot that extended from her vocal cords to her chest. We discussed the possibility of surgical removal but were advised that the risks outweighed the benefits. The doctors said it could take weeks for this clot to break down safely. With that said, there is always a risk that the clot could break off again, which could be catastrophic.
And then finally, on July 7, Junie was discharged from Blue Pearl.
Today, Junie is living her best life in her forever home. We are so happy for her and endlessly thankful to our supporters for their generous donations and prayers. Thank you for believing in miracles!
Today, Junie is living her best life in her forever home. We are so happy for her and endlessly thankful to our supporters for their generous donations and prayers. Thank you for believing in miracles!