Taco Puppys Veterinary Support

Taco was born on the 17th of August to some backyard breeders nearby. The "owners" of Tacos mum and dad didnt know she was pregnant and she ended up giving birth on a pile of chicken wire in a muddy fence hole. Sometime in the first 3 days of Tacos little life he lost his left front leg, a massive trauma for such a tiny body. His owners at that time said they couldnt afford a vet visit. On the 20th of August (3days after the litter was born) I was told by the owners their dog had had pups, and they asked me to come give them a quick look over. What I found broke my heart. His owners casually mentioned that all the pups had survived but one had no front leg. When I began questioning if this was a birth defect or injury it became clear the owners didnt know- they didn't seem to understand the urgency of the situation. I searched the 7 puppies under mum and found them all in an acceptable condition despite having no bedding and being outside on the grass, but it took a few minutes to find the injured pup as he was under the empty water bowl. He was much smaller than the rest and at first glance I thought he was dead. He was horribly pale and his leg was infected and filthy. He was chilled, dehydrated so severely that he couldnt close his mouth and his heart rate was slow and weak. He was dying. After explaining to his owners that he needed a vet immediately or he would die, they said they couldnt afford the vet trip. My wonderful father in law, seeing the look on my face, handed me his bank card and told me to take him. The owners agreed to me taking him to the vet but didnt want any treatment done without their say as they couldnt afford it. The vet and team were horrified. The first thing they asked me is if they could euthanase him immediately- even with emergency antibiotics and 24hr care he had a less than 5% chance of making it through the night. The team agreed to give me antibiotics, fluids and formula, giving Taco a little chance, but they weren't hopeful. The vet spoke over the phone to his owners and firmly explained that he couldnt go back with their litter and mum dog and that the vet had been $130 just for the one visit and he would need many more. They were unable to pay so the only options were euthanasia or for someone to be willing to take him over completely. They said as they intended to sell the pups for $150 and id already paid $130 I could keep him. Taco had won the opportunity to fight for his life. Things have been far from smooth and Taco has a long way to go before he is out of the woods. He had diareah from the antibiotics and constipation requiring enemas every 2 days since being wormed as his fecal sample showed worms. His leg infection has almost completely resolved and the worms seem to be gone but he is still battling an upper respitory infection and having trouble with irritating his stumpy leg by trying to learn to walk on it. Because of concern for his stump, one vet has suggested an early date for his remaining amputation surgery (at 3mths old). I feel this is actually too young to be safe and am waiting to see an orthopedic specialist. The only (very vague) quote we have recieved is that it should be between $700-$3000. Quite a big variable. Today is the 2nd of September and since the 20th of August we have spent nearly $900 on his immediate veterinary care- his chance of survival is now about 30% and he is still on vet visits every 2 days (but more often if there is deterioration) for enemas. He is greedily eating and gaining weight daily with his rostered 2hrly feeds and has started to open his eyes. Such a rough start for a tiny soul, and the future is unknown. Whatever happens, Taco knows he is loved. This kickstarter is to help raise the funds for Tacos orthopedic surgery and hopefully help him get past this rocky start so he can be a regular puppy who can run, jump and play (with his 3 good legs!) happily. If you are able to donate that is fantastic, and if not then maybe you could help Taco out by sending positive vibes his way and sharing this kickstarter :) Thank you for taking the time to read this puppys story ♥