- p
- L
My name is Fred, and if my girlfriend Sara and I had the money, our little Barley would be on the surgical table today. Barley is our 8 week old pure bred Female German Shepherd puppy that’s been diagnosed with PRAA. This congenital disorder prevents food from reaching her stomach. This disorder is perfectly correctable with surgery, and the prognosis is very good for her. Barley’s surgeon is very confident that she has a full, normal life ahead of her as long as she gets this corrective surgery immediately. If Barley does not have this surgery ASAP, she will slowly starve to death; if she doesn’t starve to death Barley will inevitably die due to complications of malnutrition. Our puppy is hungry, and all we want her to do is eat normal. The only thing preventing this innocent puppy from a full life is just over $4,500 in vet bills which includes surgery, pain meds, anesthesia, and a short hospital stay after surgery... We have already invested everything we have to save this puppies life, and we will continue to raise all of the money we can. All Barley needs now is your generosity. Please help in any way you can. Thank you so much for your consideration. Please read our entire story below, after the pictures.
My name is Fred, and I have loved animals of all shapes and sizes all my life; having pets was a huge part of my childhood. I have always been blessed with healthy animals, who never required major medical attention. My girlfriend Sara is also an animal enthusiast, since her first job at a local pet shop in Sacramento, CA. Sara and I have been parents to two cats for over a year, but long before that we both knew we needed a dog to complete our family. After years of planning and waiting for the right time, the decision was made and our search began. We were prepared for how much harder it would be to have a new puppy in our lives, but we welcomed the challenges with open arms. However, nothing could have prepared us for what we’ve gone through in the last two weeks. On April 28th we found a beautiful 8 week-old, purebred, female German Shepherd (GSD) pup from a local breeder. We fell in love with her instantly. She was obviously the runt of the litter but she had so much energy and spirit, we knew this was the dog for us. We took her home that same night. After days of deliberation we decided to name her Barley. We noticed right away that Barley was having trouble keeping her meals down, regurgitating immediately after every feeding. At first we thought it was the stress from leaving home but after 9 days and three diet changes, no improvement had been made. The saddest part was that she had the biggest appetite. She wanted to eat all the time but for some reason her body just wouldn’t keep it down. Two days, three vet visits and a set of x-rays later, we are informed that she has a congenital defect called Persistent Right Aortic Arch (PRAA). We were informed that without corrective surgery Barley would most likely meet fatal starvation as well as an onslaught of various complications throughout her life. The news hit us like ton of bricks. We quickly learned how to feed her upright and hold her torso up for 20 minutes after each meal; since then Barley had an immediate 50% increase in successful feedings. We were ecstatic and finally feeling relief that things were getting better. We had to feed her each meal in extremely small doses, about 1/5th the amount of a typical GSD puppy her age. About two days ago things took a turn back down when her breathing became harsh and congested. A quick trip back to the vet on 05/12 diagnosed her with aspiration pneumonia, a common complication from PRAA. She is now on two liquid antibiotics, and the new goal of getting as healthy as possible to prepare for surgery. Her prognosis for recovery is very good, considering the condition and how early it has been caught. There is over a 95% chance that Barley will recover from this surgery and be a completely normal Dog for the rest of her life. With surgical correction of this ‘defect’, Barley will live out a long and healthy life with us. We found the best specialist in our area for this procedure; he is stressing the importance of surgery as soon as possible to keep her esophagus from permanent malformation, setting her condition in stone. Barley’s pneumonia is being treated, which means the only thing standing between her and the rest of her life is about $4,500 worth of vet bills. Sara and I have willingly spent every last dime to find out the problem and do everything we can to fix it, but we need a little bit of help to keep it all from being in vain. Barley is our newest child and she deserves nothing less than a fair shot at life, for her sake and ours. Thank you in advance for your donation. Barley needs this surgery IMMEDIATELY.
Above is a photo that describes what is happening. The esophogas is what carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Due to this congenital defect though, Food cannot pass through this little arch in the heart. The surgeon will cut this arch, and free her esophogas.
Video of Barley's feeding time. Unfortunately she cannot keep her food down, and this is why she needs Surgery ASAP. https://www.facebook.com/frederick.s.medina/videos/833161606721188/?l=4763333152641429140
My name is Fred, and I have loved animals of all shapes and sizes all my life; having pets was a huge part of my childhood. I have always been blessed with healthy animals, who never required major medical attention. My girlfriend Sara is also an animal enthusiast, since her first job at a local pet shop in Sacramento, CA. Sara and I have been parents to two cats for over a year, but long before that we both knew we needed a dog to complete our family. After years of planning and waiting for the right time, the decision was made and our search began. We were prepared for how much harder it would be to have a new puppy in our lives, but we welcomed the challenges with open arms. However, nothing could have prepared us for what we’ve gone through in the last two weeks. On April 28th we found a beautiful 8 week-old, purebred, female German Shepherd (GSD) pup from a local breeder. We fell in love with her instantly. She was obviously the runt of the litter but she had so much energy and spirit, we knew this was the dog for us. We took her home that same night. After days of deliberation we decided to name her Barley. We noticed right away that Barley was having trouble keeping her meals down, regurgitating immediately after every feeding. At first we thought it was the stress from leaving home but after 9 days and three diet changes, no improvement had been made. The saddest part was that she had the biggest appetite. She wanted to eat all the time but for some reason her body just wouldn’t keep it down. Two days, three vet visits and a set of x-rays later, we are informed that she has a congenital defect called Persistent Right Aortic Arch (PRAA). We were informed that without corrective surgery Barley would most likely meet fatal starvation as well as an onslaught of various complications throughout her life. The news hit us like ton of bricks. We quickly learned how to feed her upright and hold her torso up for 20 minutes after each meal; since then Barley had an immediate 50% increase in successful feedings. We were ecstatic and finally feeling relief that things were getting better. We had to feed her each meal in extremely small doses, about 1/5th the amount of a typical GSD puppy her age. About two days ago things took a turn back down when her breathing became harsh and congested. A quick trip back to the vet on 05/12 diagnosed her with aspiration pneumonia, a common complication from PRAA. She is now on two liquid antibiotics, and the new goal of getting as healthy as possible to prepare for surgery. Her prognosis for recovery is very good, considering the condition and how early it has been caught. There is over a 95% chance that Barley will recover from this surgery and be a completely normal Dog for the rest of her life. With surgical correction of this ‘defect’, Barley will live out a long and healthy life with us. We found the best specialist in our area for this procedure; he is stressing the importance of surgery as soon as possible to keep her esophagus from permanent malformation, setting her condition in stone. Barley’s pneumonia is being treated, which means the only thing standing between her and the rest of her life is about $4,500 worth of vet bills. Sara and I have willingly spent every last dime to find out the problem and do everything we can to fix it, but we need a little bit of help to keep it all from being in vain. Barley is our newest child and she deserves nothing less than a fair shot at life, for her sake and ours. Thank you in advance for your donation. Barley needs this surgery IMMEDIATELY.
Above is a photo that describes what is happening. The esophogas is what carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Due to this congenital defect though, Food cannot pass through this little arch in the heart. The surgeon will cut this arch, and free her esophogas.
Video of Barley's feeding time. Unfortunately she cannot keep her food down, and this is why she needs Surgery ASAP. https://www.facebook.com/frederick.s.medina/videos/833161606721188/?l=4763333152641429140