Help My 1-Year Old Schnauzer Live

 

 

Hi, thank you for taking your time to read our story. It is long.. but Nala has gone through a lot, and I hope that you will take your time to read until the end.

My name is Grace, and my family and I brought home a precious baby Schnauzer last May 2020. We named her Nala to be that perfect partner to our other puppy named Simba.

 

MAY 2020

Before bringing Nala home, her original owners claimed she was examined and received all necessary vaccinations as an 8-week old puppy, and paperwork was shown and given to us.

Strangely though, when we picked her up, they passed us a booklet of her vaccinations that was in all Spanish, and as soon as I researched the hospital, it was a hospital in Chile.. With that being said, Nala was brought into our arms and we already felt a connection and this sort of responsibility that we wanted to care for this puppy no matter where she came from. She was so shy and timid, but she held onto my mom's arms and didn't seem like she wanted to go back to those people. They handed us a small bag of kibble, and in the moment, we didn't think too deeply about her past, who these people really are, why this booklet of her information is from Chile, etc.. We trusted that nothing was wrong, and the reality is we came to pick up this puppy and bring her home with us as family, and that is what we did.

On our car ride home, we found what we believed to be at least 2 fleas on Nala.. and not even five minutes on the road, Nala began to vomit what was solid, undigested kibble. It pained us to see this small puppy vomit this much undigested food..

She was also already groomed like a "Schnauzer", and was soo tiny we felt that was strange as to why someone would go ahead and shave a young puppy. Yet again, we tried not to think too negatively about it because in our minds she was an 8-week old puppy who we assumed was taken well care of, and that this wouldn't be of any issue.

JUNE 2020

We took Nala to the vet for her second set of vaccinations, this being the first time we’d take her after she joined our family. After half an hour, a vet assistant comes out to tell us that she is not actually 8-weeks old, but looks to be about only 4-weeks old.

This news of Nala being only 4-weeks old brought a whole wave of anger against the previous owners for lying to us, anger and disappointment in ourselves for not questioning things more, and we wished we had known better/been more aware that her situation was not "normal" as soon as she was brought into our arms.

It made us extremely upset and angry that this puppy was not treated with honesty and real care during her most vital beginning months of life.

A 4-week old puppy:

• should NOT have been separated from her birth mother.

• should NOT have been anywhere near a razor, shaving away her sensitive puppy coat.

• should NOT have been fed hard kibble.

• should NOT have received any vaccinations that she's supposed to be getting at 8-weeks old.

I am getting angry again even as I am writing this today..

But that day we made a promise, and every day we make a promise to each other, to ourselves, and to Nala that we will do our best to care for her, and we wanted to believe that she was brought into our family for a reason. This is not how we had pictured things would be, but we weren’t about to give up or leave her because of these unfortunate circumstances. She was now a part of our family, and we’re going to take care of her with the best of our abilities.

OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS..

We did tons of research and tried to provide Nala with as many substitutes to her not having her mom’s milk, comfort, warmth, etc. We felt that our other dog, Simba, was her big brother, teaching her how to be a “proper” dog, something that her birth mom or siblings would have taught her. And it seemed like Nala was overtime growing up as a healthy dog. Her teeth were growing, she quickly became potty-trained, she lovedddd eating, and absolutely loved going on walks and trying to chase all the birds and lizards outside! She was and still is absolutely one of the most adorable dogs I have ever come across.

She had her next appointment, and the vet did not see anything else wrong with her.

Boy, were we relieved. We were still going to be extra cautious of Nala’s growth and behaviors, but we believed that she was good now, that there wasn’t going to be anything from her past that we had to worry about would affect her now and into the future. The past was now in the past. So we thought..

JULY 2021

Since Nala’s last check up, she has lived every day like a happy dog. Absolutely no signs of sickness were noticed as she still played a lot, slept well, enjoyed eating, and her stool and urine were healthy-looking.

Time for her next check up came, and that is when we received the beginning of what would be a stream of bad news..

The vet told us that they noticed she has pale gums, and that they recommend us visit an emergency hospital to get her blood tested immediately. So that day we took her to the recommended hospital.

If anyone has a pet, they would understand how difficult and heartbreaking it is to bring your pet to the hospital and not be able to see them for the time being, and not know exactly what is going, or how scared and nervous your pet may be..

My family and I anxiously waited outside for at least 3 hours, hoping and praying that this wasn’t anything too serious and that soon we’d all be able to go back home happy again. Because of Covid19 regulations, rather than being able to meet with the veterinarian, we received a phone call from the vet who then tells us that Nala’s blood cell count is very low.

In normal dogs, 36% to 60% of the blood will be red blood cells. If the blood cell count is below 36%, the dog is considered to be anemic.

Nala is at 9.5%.

When a dog’s blood cell count is under 12% is when a blood transfusion is recommended.

We had no idea that Nala was at this level. The doctor was also surprised at how “normal” she seemed because she would still move her head side to side when she’d hear funny noises, or react to other dogs, shake her tail, eat and drink well. And we didn’t notice anything wrong with her at home.. She really acted the same playful and hungry-self that she always was..

The reality is that she is only 10% away from 0… I don’t know how quickly she might hit that rock bottom, and I don’t want to find out.

The vet gave us 2 options.

1. We go further with blood transfusions that are necessary for Nala’s current condition. She will need to be hospitalized for 3 days as they find the correct blood for her and monitor her to make sure she doesn’t have any bad reactions. After the blood transfusions, multiple tests would need to be done on Nala in order to find out what the cause of her anemia could be. Finding the cause will help to find the right cure and treatments for Nala.

They told us that there is a 60% chance that the blood transfusion will be effective, and at this point there is only one way to find out, and that is to try.

Or else,

2. The other option is to euthanize her.

That news is also something my family and I really were not expecting to hear…ever… that we would have to put any of our pets down at such a young age. She only just hit 1 year a month ago…

Seeing her still wag her tail at the thought of going on a walk or eating dinner breaks my heart to think that putting her down is even an option… She has so much life in her, and I can’t let her go without even trying to save her.

Unfortunately, we are not financially in a position where we can pay for all of Nala’s blood transfusions, additional treatments, and tests to find out the cause and cure.

Which is why we’d like to ask for your help.. And hope that someone can help us..

This first session (3 nights of Overnight Hospitalization) will come out to a cost between $9,000-$12,000, an amount that my family and I are not able to pay for easily… And it breaks my heart that we have to think about the money when making a life or death decision like this.. Nala has truly become our baby girl, and we don't want to lose her..

Any amount will be of huge help, and if you could help share this story that would be greatly appreciated, as well. We truly thank you for your time in reading our story and for your contribution.

As a return, I promise to provide as many updates with Nala’s story here so that you are able to see where your money goes and how you have helped.

With love,

Grace, Nala, and Family