Emergency Puppy Rescue

At 9:00 on Sunday night, Curly Tail received a call about four pug puppies (only a few weeks old & a approx 2-3lbs) who were very sick and in the hands of an irresponsible back yard breeder in Massachusetts. The breeder was trying to sell the puppies for the highest price possible and needed them out by Wednesday because he was being evicted. After several hours, and with the help of two pug loving angels outside of Curly Tail, we were able to convince the owner to "sell" us all four puppies. (We normally do not purchase pug puppies however, once seeing the puppies in dire need of medical attention, we could not leave them behind.) The "breeder" finally understood that they were at death's door and he would not be able to sell them for much more money.


The puppies were clearly struggling with major respiratory problems. They were gasping for air, foaming through the nose, and trembling. Our rescue vets wonderful staff (Dr Meade in Burlington, MA) met us at the clinic at 11:00pm and began medical intervention immediately. Chest x-rays revealed that all four puppies have an incredibly severe case of pneumonia and two of the puppies have major structural deformities compounding the impact of the already deadly pneumonia.



Ivy, the smallest of the four has what is believed to be "swimmers disease" which is a deformity of the chest. She was most likely very weak and on her stomach for great lengths of time because she couldn't stand up on her own without human help. She is so young & the bones are so soft, being on her stomach helplessly for such long periods in a swimming position, caused the sternum to flatten (similar to a baby developing flat head). This is contributing to her difficulty breathing and may not ever correct itself. She also has major skeletal deformities in other areas that will need orthopedic attention, if we can get her past the life threatening pneumonia.



Penguin, her brother, appears to have brain damage - signs from previous deprivation of oxygen. Although he eats well, he is only able to breathe on his own by use of heavy medications. His airway on x-ray is the size of coffee stirrer and his little body is fighting to stay alive. He already displays clear signs of processing delays. He is also having mild seizure episodes. Both Penguin and Ivy are together, their prognosis is still uncertain, but they are being given 24hr care by Dr Meade and his dedicated staff to give them a fighting chance.



The other two pups, Cullen and Phoebe, are being fostered by one of our amazing foster moms. She has created an at-home-incubator in her bathroom by use of high heating source and running a hot shower every few hours to help facilitate breathing. Both Cullen and Phoebe appear to be at the beginning stages of stabilizing with a lot of medication and TLC. This rescue effort is generating exorbitant amounts of bills and we could really use your help. If you can contribute in anyway, even if it means sending pee pee pads & hot water bottles, your donation will be unforgettably appreciated.



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