Roxie's vet Fund

August 18, 2018 my boyfriend Travis and I adopted Roxie. She was surrendered at the shelter by her previous owners bacause she had diarrhea and they could not afford a vet bill.  With vet care from the shelter, they discovered she had hookworms and was treated and was worm free about a month later after we adopted her. At the shelter, Roxie was this sad, confused, puppy with the saddest eyes. You could just tell she was scared and wanted to know why she was brought to this place. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her! Besides her sweet disposition, and the fact that she buried her head in my lap and stared at me with those dark heart broken eyes, there was just something about her that drew me to her and I had to have her! I was lucky enough to be chosen to adopt her and we have given her the best life a dog could ask for! Warm bed to sleep in,  top of the line food, new fancy leashes and collars, follow ups with the vet, a big yard to run in, etc.  After a few weeks, I began noticing things with her that seemed a bit "off". She was slowly turning her food away and not drinking as much water during the day. I switched foods... it worked for a bit, then we were back to square one. I kept experimenting with food, and kept giving her whatever she would eat at the time. For a while, she was great! Finally putting weight on, running and playing with her toys, eating and drinking normal. She was a happy and healthy dog! During the middle of September, I started noticing little quirks again with her that were red flags for me... not eating again, not drinking, excessive drooling, some vomiting and very lethargic. I immediately made a vet appointment to see what was going on. The vet we took her to thought she was showing symptoms of a blockage. Roxie has never been a chewer, so I found that a little hard to believe, but didn't rule out the possibility. They did xRays and tests and saw what looked like a soft foreign body in her lower intestine. The vet was ready to prep her for surgery, but i chose to wait because they stated that they weren't 100% sure it was something possibly cloth she ingested. I waited 24 hours to see if whatever it was passed, and it did! It was just a very hard stool. She started acting a little better after she passed the stool, but I noticed the excessive drooling and a new symptom...tongue hanging half way out the  mouth were still present. (Roxie is a bully mix with an underbite, so I did not think much of the tongue hanging out... at first).  A week and a half went by and Roxie's appetite decreased, but she was still eating. She was still lethargic but still the happy puppy in good spirits. She never turned down the opportunity to cuddle up next to mom and dad  in bed or on the couch :) During the week of Oct 1st,things became concerning.. she was losing weight very rapidly and barely drinking any water. I gave her pepcid to help with GI irritation to see if that would help like it usually did for her..this time, not so much. By the end of the week I noticed when she "ate" she was actually not eating food at all, but storing it in her mouth and could not finish or swallow it. During this time, I had to start administering water to her slowly by syringes to keep her hydrated. I again, immediately made a vet appointment with a different vet and got the most unexpected results we could have imagined.
The vet believes Roxie is showing signs of a neuroligical issue that is progessively getting worse by the day. The vet believes this could be congenital, since it is getting worse, and she did not have any major traumas happen to her since we have had her. We were told she lost all function and capability to masticate and swallow. Our happy, healthy girl is now a 30lb sad, emaciated looking, bag of bones. I did start to believe that euthanasia would be best... and I even called and scheduled it to be done the next day.....but the same night that I scheduled her to be euthanized, she surprised us and actually started eating a can of wet dog food. She didn't store it like she had been, she even lapped up water from her bowl! Hallelujah!! Sign of life and that she's still refusing to give up on us!! Our vet wrote a referral to one of the best dog neurologists in Maryland, but like every major health issue, follows a very large vet bill. The amount of testing and procedures Roxie will need to determine her diagnosis will be close to $5,000. I can't give up on my girl! I truly believe she knew that I had her scheduled to be put down, so she forced herself to eat, as if she's telling me not to give up yet!! She has made herself right at home in our family since day 1 and her human brother (4yr) and sister (11) would be devastated without their buddy. I understand everyone has things going on in their life, and I have NEVER been one to reach of for help from anyone, but in this case, I beg everyone to at least share the heck out of this if you cannot donate, and to those that can donate, no amount is too small! Our family appreciates every penny and Roxie greatly appreciates it more than ever! We can't lose our babygirl!! I would love to be able to update this fund with a happy ending.  Please help our Roxie girl. ❤