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Rhonda Cooley hasn't added a story.
Hello good people, this is a complicated story, though it's all primarily happened within the last week. So it’s been quite the whirlwind! It's a sad story, though hopefully we may join together, to help create a happy ending for one puppy & two young girls eager to bring him "home".
First, I'll provide a brief intro of "us" so readers may understand how the quest to simply add a dog to our family, unfolded into a medical emergency so unexpectedly.
Backstory: I became a single parent when led to adopt two young family members so they could grow up together, instead of in different foster care situations. (Adoption is such a mutual blessing!) For years they’ve yearned for a dog, and have often asked if/when we may adopt a puppy. However one child's asthmatic, & all 3 of us have allergies to cats & some dogs. The exception to the latter are the more expensive breeds considered “allergy-friendly,” such as a Poodle, or just about any breed mixed with a Poodle. So I have tried to find one I could afford.
Now for a relevant side-note to our story.. (I warned you this was complicated;).. When I adopted these 2 precious children, a close friend of the family accepted the honor of becoming their godfather (b/c I wanted to make sure they had a godly, male role model) & I agree with the African proverb that, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
The children’s godfather was aware of their long held desire to adopt a puppy and had asked what my budget might be, so he could help look. I shared how the the inflated price of poodle mixes, or any breeds considered “allergy-friendly” had risen during COVID & we’d probably need to wait… I shared how I was praying we could eventually find one for 400. or less, though most I’d seen have started upwards of 1800. (And pet stores have admitted raising their prices by a thousand or more “to meet the huge demand of this pandemic.”)
Now to bring caring readers fully up to speed; The children’s godfather called last week, so excited he’d found an adorable poodle mix, a “Cockapoo”, close to my budget, and said he’d like to contribute. That made the price well within my budget, so we were so happy! And though my daughters initially wanted a female puppy, we quickly fell in love 🥰 with the photo/videos he sent of the sweet puppy we all agreed would be named Maximillion!
Before taking possession of the puppy however, I'd mentioned to their godfather that we'd need to see shot records, and health history of the dogs parents if possible. (To clarify, their godfather lives out of state, where he found the puppy online, and he'd planned to come visit in a couple weeks to bring "Max".) The sellers eagerly brought the puppy to his office, along with “shot records”. Sadly, we soon learned the shot records were fake, b/c we couldn’t trace them back to an actual vet/location where they supposedly took place. And the seller would no longer answer our calls…
Within a few short days we'd learn this puppy, that the sellers had described as “so chill” and “just liked to be cuddled on your lap,” actually had Parvovirus. 😢 Yes, crooked people like that really exist. Assuming they’d sold the rest of the litter under the same pretenses, & w/fake shot records, they irresponsibly (understatement) have spread Parvovirus to other homes/pets. Heartbreaking. The vet confirmed the incubation period and likelihood the puppy was already infected when they sold him. We were duped! We hadn't even had time to obtain pet insurance or take him for the routine visit already scheduled.
Note: We’ve left several messages for the sellers, to notify them the puppy they sold us had/has Parvo (as if they didn’t know.) And not surprisingly, they've ignored our calls/text messages. Btw, we are hoping to use social media to share any info. we do have on them, in hopes to expose their unethical actions in selling a sick puppy. The vet told us they see this type of situation too often..
I expect some friends/acquaintances may wish to say “I told you so!” concerning why they cautioned I shouldn’t get my children a dog, though I hope they will kindly keep that in prayer. This hurts enough, not just financially, but to have so much excitement about finally finding a puppy I could afford for my children (w/their godfather's contribution), then to have that joy suddenly shattered by news that he may not survive this illness. I still think pets are a blessing for children to grow up with, even if they get sick and become ill as we humans do.
FYI: As previously mentioned, we’d planned to obtain pet insurance, shortly after getting the puppy, and had a vet appointment scheduled for a routine check-up (& to ask about 2nd round of shots etc.). However, the puppy presented symptoms their godfather grew concerned about shortly after he got him, and took him to an emergency veterinarian clinic.
The vet at the ER informed us Maximillion was in critical condition, with Parvovirus, and would not likely have made it through that night. 😢 He wasn’t eating, blood sugar was low, white blood cell count low, etc.. so they immediately had to start giving him meds/antibiotics and fluids intravenously. He is currently on a feeding tube as well and lethargic. They have also advised that he needs a plasma transfusion.
The good news is the vet informed us that 90% of puppies do survive if/when they are hospitalized with proper care/meds etc. And though Max will hopefully be doing better soon, the medical bills have far exceeded the original budget for a puppy. It has become a financial burden to say the least. Hence I am setting aside my own pride, & preference for privacy, to humbly request help for this sweet puppy. I am humbled for this need to be made public, though Max deserves a fighting chance with good medical care.
Alas, I wish to be entirely up front about the vet bill, as it is quite $hocking! Thus I'll be posting Max's medical bills, along w/anticipated expenses for his care this week. The whole idea of Crowdfunding is “when many folks give a little, it may add up to a lot" to fulfill the need. So please do not feel pressured to give more than what your budget may allow.. Truly, “Every little bit helps!”
If you've read this far, you're a rock star! I know I've probably given too many details, so I will edit this once I've gotten some rest... Thanks so much for reading, caring, & keeping Max in prayer if you will!
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