I adopted Rosie on May 18, 2015 not knowing she was pregnant. Two weeks after I found out she was pregnant she delivered three beautiful puppies on July 10th. Two girls and a boy! Tucker, the only boy, was the runt weighing in at just over 4 ounces. They all seemed very healthy, but at three days old Tucker wasn't able to nurse and was losing weight quickly. I brought them to the vet and learned that Tucker was born with a soft cleft palette. He would need to be tube fed until he was old enough to eat solid food. This meant feeding him every 2 to 3 hours, even in the middle of the night. I was more than willing to take on this challenge; however, there were no guarantees that he would not aspirate, as  many puppies with cleft palates do. The biggest fear is pneumonia .

In early August Tucker was rushed to the emergency room because he was aspirating . The vet was giving me hourly updates on his condition. I knew that Tucker was a fighter and I wasn't going to let money determine whether he lived or died.  He stayed at the vet for three days in an oxygen tank. 

Tucker has been in and out of the vet  over the last 12 weeks and I have spent more than $2500. He continues to be a fighter, but has trouble breathing and sometimes gets in such distress he needs to be placed in the oxygen tank. The goal is to get him strong enough and big enough so they can perform surgery to correct his cleft palate! He needs at least another one to three months to get stronger. I'm asking for help with his vet bills and the surgery so that he can have a chance at a normal life!

Thank you for any support you can offer.

Humbly grateful,
Tracy

Tucker at 1 week old (my little church mouse!)


Puppies at two weeks old


Tucker at 11 weeks