Many of you have already seen Persia’s story on our Instagram, the beautiful girl who was brought to us casually and calmly on a Monday morning in a hot car, after reportedly having been found on the previous Friday. Upon arrival they told us “there is a pregnant dog in our car”.

While quickly checking her for a chip at the open trunk of the car, Persia started hyperventilating, a few seconds later she was already having respiratory cramps and peeing herself, so it was clear - we're dealing with an extreme emergency situation. To be honest, we’re still upset seeing the people who delivered her, not having a sense of urgency, and it makes us go over all dark scenarios in our heads…. Also, we could see very hanging teats, yes, so she has surely had many litters, but no obvious signs of current pregnancy, as Persia was very very skinny as well.

We then ran for our lives and took her to our shelter clinic for first aid, where we started treating for a heat stroke, that the symptoms + the hot car were pointing to, and cool air & ventilators did help her breathing, but her body temperature and color of gums showed that we were not dealing with a current heat stroke at all. Maybe with organ failure resulting from a previous experienced heat stroke, yes, or maybe with a severe cardiac situation.

While we ran to arrange an emergency car for transport to SOS Malaga Hospital, we heard from the people who delivered her, that she had been breathing like this since they found her on Friday. Knowing the horrors of seeing her in the respiratory crisis for just 60 seconds, we are stunned, speechless, if really it would be possible to keep Persia in one’s home for 3 days and 3 nights, seeing her choking and suffering….? Why you did not go to a veterinary…..?

Persia has been in SOS Malaga Hospital since Monday morning, and during the days possible diagosis have included: poisoning, extreme heat stroke, enlarged heart & cardiac issues, and laryngeal paralysis, a condition where the upper breathing ways are not working correctly. Most likely there has been a combination of things to bring her to this critical situation.

SOS Team also discovered that she indeed arrived pregnant, and they confirmed that it was not obvious at all to see that she is pregnant, the pregnancy even was not seen on the initial xrays, and was only discovered later on a specific ultrasound. Was it assumed by the hanging teats, or was it known that she was pregnant….

2 days ago a procedure to confirm or discard the diagnosis of laryngeal paralysis was performed, because her condition is not improving at all. We visited Persia in the hospital during her pee walk, and she could not walk 5 meters without going into respiratory attack. During the procedure sadly also her pregnancy had to be terminated, as the fetuses were in a very beginning phase still, and the medications and treatments she is on, could have led to miscarriage, bleedings, or birth of severly deformed puppies.

The diagnosis is confirmed - Persia does have laryngeal paralysis, the larnyx of the throat cannot open and close propely, and blocks the breathing way, so she cannot get air and feels like choking at any movement, excitement.

Today Persia will have to be operated, and there is risk involved to survive the operation first of all. Then, once the operation has been successful, the medical team says there is 50/50 chance whether the specific dog will manage to live safely with an open larnyx, or whether they would get aspiraton pneumonia, where food enters the lungs through the open breathing ways, causing lung infection, which is mostly fatal.

The operation cost is 712€, plus the duration of her hospital stay, medications, urgency specialists costs, tests.

However, without the operation her life chances are 0/0, so 50/50 are better terms….

Persia has made her way to us, and relies on us for help, so we will do everything that current veterinary medicine allows, to give Persia every chance for a future still.

If you would like to help Persia, donations to the cost of her hospital stay, and please, send thoughts of strength and survival to our Persia. We so hope to see you soon smiling and breathing and eating peacefully.