Help Save Puca the Puppy

Hello all, my name is Hannah. My fiancé Billy and I, and our two cats Smug and Zeb brought a new puppy who we named Puca into our family on July 2nd. Puca was admitted to the intensive care unit at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center, part of Tufts University, after testing positive for parvovirus on July 7th which is highly infectious to dogs, can lead to serious health problems, and can be fatal if not treated immediately. When we adopted Puca we were given false documentation about his medical/vaccination history. The vets who are caring for him believe with almost certainty there is no way the paper we have for him is accurate or truthful, if anything incomplete at best. We are trying to raise money to help pay for his medical costs and for giving him the best fighting chance to come home with us soon to be the lovable puppy he should be. Here’s a little more about our story:

Billy and I have been wanting to adopt a puppy for a few years, and since we recently moved into a neighborhood with a park around the corner from us and we had work schedules that allowed us enough time to spend with a puppy we figured it was a good time to start looking. We had been saving our tips since 2020 from our customer service jobs as well as collecting our cans to save up to cover adoption fees and any items we needed to bring the new bundle of love into our home. We don’t make much but we did our best to save and this past June we realized we had enough to cover some adoption fees if they weren’t too pricey. We frequently looked at puppies available for adoption together, dreaming of the life and love we could have with a new friend. And then we found a listing online for a little puppy named Pepper and he stole our hearts. A little 3 month old Shiba Inu mix that as the listing stated “is a very social pup that can’t wait to spoil you with love and attention.” We knew that he would be the perfect addition to our home so we began making arrangements to pick him up. We thought about names in the days leading up to his pick up and settled on Puca, which is a mischievous creature in Irish folklore known to bring good luck. His listing clearly stated that he was up to date on his vaccinations and dewormer. Billy and I made arrangements to make the 6 hour drive from our home in Rhode Island to him in Dundee, New York and when we arrived and started walking up the driveway we saw this little black puff running up to us. He jumped right into Billy’s arms and we couldn’t help but fall in love with him instantly. The man handed us his vaccination paper which had the following shots checked off: Distemper, Adenovirus 2, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, and they listed Safe-Guard as the dewormer used, although there was no veterinarian information listed. His vaccination status turned out to be a lie because on July 7th Puca tested positive for parvovirus.

Billy was home with Puca on the 7th when he started vomiting in his crate and on the floor more than five times and he became incredibly lethargic to the point where he couldn’t lift his head or open his eyes. After calling a dozen different vets in our area and getting told they all either couldn’t take new pets until September or that they couldn’t handle a potential parvovirus case based off his symptoms, Billy finally tried the Tufts Vet which we were familiar with since we used to live near it last year. Once Billy brought him in and the vets saw his condition they immediately tested him for Parvovirus and the test came back positive. His condition was so poor that they were unsure if he would make it through the night and decided he needed to be admitted that minute. They mentioned that they have treated dogs with parvovirus before and it can be vert difficult because infected dogs can heal in a couple days or almost two weeks depending on their immune response. The total estimated cost of his treatment is $6000 but depending on his condition it could be much more than that. We are both working full time jobs and are also practicing artists on the side, but this is a new level for financial set back for us. We could use all the help we can get to help ensure that Puca comes home happy and most importantly healthy. We did our absolute best to ensure that our puppy got the best start in life and it wasn’t enough because we were lied to by the people we picked him up from. The parvovirus vaccine is a three step process, after the first shot puppies have a 80% chance of not catching the virus. We explained to the vet at Tufts our situation and she said that either Puca is in the extremely unlucky 20% of puppies that are exposed to parvovirus and still get sick even with the first round of vaccination, or he was not vaccinated at all. The vet believes the later is most likely what happened because we were given so little proof of his medical history. Since he was admitted right away and is in excellent hands, his recovery rate will go up to 95% if he survives the first four days after showing symptoms.

Puca is a loving puppy who just wants to be in a good, safe, and fun loving home where he can continue to grow and get all of the support he deserves. His favorite things to do have been to chase his mini tennis balls around and has become good friends with our oldest cat Smug. We want to provide the absolute best that we can for Puca but unfortunately as many people know, veterinary care like most healthcare is extremely expensive. If you can donate to our fund it would be so greatly appreciated, even a single dollar would help or just sharing our story with your friends and family who might be willing to help. Thank you for reading our story and for you kindness.