On Nov. 11, Tess was rescued by the group known as Friends of Emma. The little Chihuahua had some rough problems. Most pressing, she has degenerative disc disease, and nearly every vertebrae in her tiny spine has fused. Watching the dog try to walk is heartbreaking — she staggers around, barely able to keep her balance. Friends of Emma says there is no “cure” for Emma, just “hope” — that she can one day live a pain-free life and learn to function with her disease.
Tess also has alopecia, severe dental disease, medial patellar luxation, and osteoarthritis. The little dog survived a 10-day hospital stay in ICU for aspiration pneumonia, which tapped out all the fundraising she had received up to that point. The people at Friends of Emma are now asking for $5,800 for treatment for Tess on YouCaring, and there’s only four days left in the campaign.
As Friends of Emma says on the site:
“She MUST be in some amount of pain — but this tiny mite doesn’t show it … she is still weak from battling pneumonia — but she is eating, drinking, expelling waste (though is not gaining weight as I had hoped, despite the quality high caloric intake) — her eyes are clear and bright — and her spirit has not been broken. We just need to work to bring her tiny body to a place of acceptable function.”
Friends of Emma is also raising funds for Meg, a three-year-old female Chihuahua, who sustained some sort of head trauma. She was brought into Fort Worth Animal Care and Control on Nov. 28, and Friends of Emma pulled her on Dec. 3 and started getting her the vet treatment she needed.
Docs don’t know the full extent of Meg’s issues and don’t have a full treatment plan, but Friends of Emma is gathering funds for Meg on YouCaring. As Friends of Emma writes, “Meg cannot walk or stand (though I’m told she did, while extremely unstable, while in the shelter) — she doesn’t seem to be in control of her bladder or bowels (though that may be due to stress or nervousness with everything going on around her), and her neck obviously pulls hard to the right. Her eyes are clear and bright, she seems fairly alert and aware of her surroundings and she is eating well.”
To get more information and updates on Tess or Emma, visit the Friends of Emma Facebook page.
