Rhea (Ray-uh) is an adorable, eight pound Pitt mix puppy who I rescued from a high intake shelter in rural Texas this past Friday. We flew back to Oregon together where Rhea could start her new life. Unfortunately, Rhea’s medical status had a rapid change for the worse. She began to show signs of Canine Parvovirus that she had picked up while at the shelter in Texas.

If you know anything about this virus, puppies are particularly susceptible and their symptoms develop suddenly, usually 3-10 days after exposure. Rhea’s litter was owner surrendered and very emaciated at the time increasing her susceptibility. Parvovirus is common and can be fatal, but ultimately the shelter did all of the precautionary measures they could and unfortunately things like this can happen with no one at fault.

I think the important thing now is that we have already fallen in love with her calm and curious demeanor and her beautiful eyes. We’ve seen how spunky she was and what an amazing dog she could become before the illness brought her energy down. At this point, we are getting Rhea the best possible care while also trying and planning to do as much as we can at home to help combat costs. Ultimately, the healthcare Rhea requires initially isn’t cheap and certainly not what one expects when they adopt an 8 week old shelter pup.

At this point, Rhea has needed constant IV fluids, medication for nausea, pain and antibiotics, she is expected to require a plasma transfusion as she continues to grow weaker. She is expected to get a nasogastric tube placed soon as she is still refusing to eat food on her own.

Rhea is the sweetest little thing and has not been dealt the greatest hand in life. But right now she’s still fighting for it. She was given a second chance and I think she deserves every bit of support to make that second chance a reality. Please help her, any donations would be extremely appreciated. Thank you for your consideration and suopport!