The last three weeks have been some of the hardest we’ve faced. Many of our long-term, senior pups suddenly became ill. It felt like the minute we dropped one dog off at the vet, another one needed to go.
 

We stay on top of every aspect of our pups’ care — every poop, every pee, every little change is analyzed when one of them isn’t acting like themselves.  Several dogs came down with diarrhea. Stool samples were taken, analyzed, and treated. Nothing alarming or out of the ordinary showed up. Slowly, all but one recovered — that one being Rexi. 

Rexi is one of three pups born in 2014 — part of a special litter we originally named Shasta, Pepsi, and Sprite. They were Chiweenies born with a rare genetic condition — they never developed front legs.  One of the pups was adopted into a wonderful home and is still thriving today. The other two came back to us and have been with us ever since — now known as Lexi and Rexi.

From the moment they were born, we were their lifelines. We had to teach them how to balance on their back legs and build strength so they wouldn’t fall into their water bowls. Every day, we fed them peanut butter from popsicle sticks to help them engage their core muscles — a little routine that turned into a special moment we all loved.   Over time, they grew strong and confident, able to play and drink on their own.

Lexi and Rexi have never been apart. They sleep curled up together every night, always touching.  When Rexi became ill and had to stay in the hospital, Lexi was heartbroken at first, but soon adjusted with lots of extra love from us.

When Rexi didn’t improve, we brought him home to our Rehab Facility, hoping being near Lexi would help. But when he stopped eating, we sent off a DNA stool sample to make sure nothing had been missed — and he was re-admitted to the hospital as his condition worsened.

For two weeks, Rexi would improve a little and then take a step back. We finally had him transferred to CVRC in Charleston, where he was admitted to ICU.  Then came the call no one ever wants to receive — Rexi had gone into cardiac arrest, and they had been performing CPR for 15 minutes. They needed to know if they should continue or let him go.

I was in shock. We had done everything possible to find out what was wrong, and to lose him this way was unimaginable. I knew bringing him back wouldn’t make him suddenly well again — and through tears, I told them to let him go peacefully. 

That was over a week ago, and I still cry every time I hear Rexi’s name, walk by his kennel, or see his sister.

The next day, the DNA results came back. Rexi had Clostridium perfringens type A, a bacterial infection that responds to specific antibiotics.  Had those results come back sooner, our treatment plan would have been very different. We may not have been able to save him, but knowing we might have done more breaks my heart. 

Rexi’s sister Lexi is still with us and doing well. She’s getting extra love and cuddles, spending her days in our Littles Play Group with her chiweenie friends.

Rexi’s two weeks in the hospital have taken a major toll on our rescue’s finances. We also have several other pups being treated at CVRC for heart conditions. As our dogs age, their medical needs — and costs — continue to rise.

Please consider donating toward Rexi’s medical bills so we can continue providing the best possible care for all of our special pups.

We’re heartbroken to have lost this extraordinary boy, but comforted knowing he had 11 wonderful years being cherished and loved. 

Thank you for helping us continue to give dogs like Rexi and Lexi the lives they deserve.