L'Mercedes

Lexus was dumped at the shelter with 8 newborn pups and the sire of the litter. Unfortunately the father wasn't able to be saved, but thanks to the volunteers at Coastal, Lexus and her little ones didn't have to die at the shelter. The pups have grown up in the safety of the Rescue and are a healthy and lively group! They will be ready for their new homes around Thanksgiving, so we are accepting applications for them now!
Poor little Mercedes has had a very rough start in life. She and her littermates were dumped in a high kill Animal Shelter with her mom and dad. Her family was saved by Coastal's volunteers and things were looking up for this tiny baby. She grew up and found a home and that should have been her happy ending. But unfortunately for her, the vets discovered she has a congenital birth defect called Persistent Right Aortic Arch (PRAA). This devastating diagnosis has cost her not only her new home, but will take her life without surgical intervention.

What is PRAA? It is a condition where occasionally, vessels in the chest cavity, called the aortic arches, will fail to disappear. The right aortic arch passes near the esophagus. If this blood vessel persists in the newborn, the esophagus is trapped between it and the heart. This inhibits the growth and function of the esophagus, thus restricting food passage to the stomach.

As a result, Mecerdes is slowing starving due to her inability to get enough food to her stomach. Her foster mom has to feed her small meals throughout the day and keep her upright after eating so the food can pass into her stomach. With every day we have to wait to have her surgery, she runs the risk of permanently damaging her esophagus

With surgery to remove this stricture, Mercedes can lead a long and normal life. This surgery has to be performed by a specialist so the cost will be around $3500 - $4000. In order to prevent permanent damage to the esophagus, the procedure needs to be performed soon! Unfortunately we do not have the funds available and are appealing to our friends and supporters for help! This is not an elective procedure, without the surgery Mercedes is at risk of starving, aspiration pneumonia and euthanasia. Please help us give this sweet little girl the life she is so desperately fighting for!

Watch Mercedes' slideshow and see the little life you can help to save.
As her foster Mom says, "Let make this Christmas her first and not her last!"

Update 12/25/08
Mercedes got her wish for surgery! She is home from the hospital and resting comfortably, thanks to your support! Her surgery was a success. Thankfully, we were able to go ahead with the procedure because we found out it was even more critical than we previously thought.

The surgeon found that in addition to the PRAA, she had another birth defect which was already causing her heart to fail. She had a defect in her heart which was causing her to only receive 80% of the blood supply her little body needed. With the 2 problems corrected she is now getting 100 percent blood flow to her body and can eat comfortably for the first time. As she recuperates from the surgery she will still need to eat gruel for a while, but soon we will be able to introduce thicker food and then normal food within the next couple of weeks.

Mercedes was a hit with everyone at Animal Medical Center in El Cajon, CA. Her surgeon, Dr. Hampel is calling her their "Miracle Baby". We want to thank all of our generous supporters whose donations helped make this miracle happen!

Update 12/28/08:
Mercedes is on "bedrest" for 14 days except for potty breaks. After 14 days, she will have her initial exam and have her stitches removed and be free to go out and get some exercise. She is a very good patient. She is content to rest with her toys and Nylabone. She has a healthy appetite and we're hoping to see her begin to grow soon. In five weeks she will receive another X-ray to show the esophagous. This is the moment we anxiously await, to see how she is healing, how food is traveling, and to hopefully have her doctor's optimistic prognosis for a normal future verified.

Update 1/06/09
Mercedes had her checkup with the vet on Monday, January 5. She had her stitches removed and a general exam. The vet says her heart sounds good so far. Time will tell whether the damage to her heart will reverse itself, but all signs so far are that the PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) has been repaired with the surgery.

Her PRAA so far is under control. She continues to eat a "mushy" diet and has only had two episodes of reguritation, something that happened every time she ate before. Yesterday she was introduced to dog biscuits for the first time and is able to eat and digest them without problems, a very good sign according to her doctor. Over the next four weeks we will be experimenting with the consistency of her food to see what her esophagus will tolerate. The hope is that she will be able to be on a "normal" diet, eating in the normal position, without having to be elevated. If the way she puts away a dog biscuit is any indication, the outlook is promising.

Most important to Mercedes, she is now able to come off "bed rest" and is able to interact with her brother and foster brothers and sisters. She has always preferred to be with her canine companions more than her two-legged companions, so that was the hardest thing for her, being separated from her playmates. They are all making up for lost time, under supervision, of course.

We appreciate and desperately need donations, large or small for Little Mercedes' surgery.
Your tax deductible donation will go directly to her care.
To make a secure donation to Mercedes' fund online, use the paypal button below.

Please help Mercedes any way you can!

Puppies are a life-long commitment. They need time, training, vet care and healthy feeding to become good canine citizens. Don't even think of adopting a puppy unless you intend to invest the time and money and commitment required, and you can expect to lose a few good shoes along the way!

If you are interested in meeting me, please fill out our online application. An adoption counselor will contact you. Due to the overwhelming response we get to puppies, we will not be able to provide information until we have an application on file.

The minimum adoption donation ranges from $350 to $500. This amount only partially covers the cost of veterinary care, boarding fees, and other miscellaneous expenses involved in the temporary care and adoption of our dogs and is 100% tax deductible.

Prior to placement, all dogs will be spayed or neutered, receive current vaccinations, and are usually microchipped. If not, arrangements will be made on an individual basis. Special consideration may be given to those willing to adopt older dogs or dogs with physical problems.

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