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Posted over 5 years ago
| Updated over 5 years ago
I found a new home! Plenty of my friends are looking for one too. Check out other pets at this shelter, or start a new search.
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My basic info
Breed
Labrador Retriever/Pit Bull Terrier
Color
Brown/Chocolate - with Tan
Age
5 years 7 months old, Puppy
Size
Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)
Weight
17 lbs (current)
Sex
Female
Pet ID
–
My details
Good with kids
Good with dogs
Good with cats
Shots current
Housetrained
Has special needs
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Ellie is a 16 week old female lab pit mix puppy who has been with us from just a few days old. Ellie was born with a birth defect, a Cleft Palate, that is fairly common & could have been caused by a number of things but this defect prevented her from latching onto a nipple in order eat & there for survive.
The first attempt to help Ellie was by a concerned neighbor. She tried to bottle feed her and to keep her with her mom and siblings as it’s always best for babies to stay with their mother and it is the law as well. Unfortunately her mother refused to allow Ellie to be near her or her siblings so she was removed and fostered by this neighbor. Luckily she was equipped to care for this baby round the clock, as she needed to fed every 2-3 hours at first, but needed supplies. She called us and we went over right away with everything she would need. Ellie looked dehydrated at this time so fluids were administered but she otherwise looked well. After 24 hours the foster alerted us that a regular bottle was not working nor did a syringe as Ellie was swallowing so much air it made her sick and she was not receiving enough formula to sustain herself.
At this point Ellie lost nearly all of the weight her tiny body had & was transferred to a medical foster who could tube feed her and administer fluids and medications if needed. This poor little girl was under a week old and had been through so much already. Upon arrival at the new foster Ellie’s tummy was red raw and very bloated. She cried in pain every minute she was awake. Our hearts broke. We got her switched onto a goats milk formula as recommended by our vet as it’s easier on their little tummies. We applied ointment to her belly where it was sore and within hours she began to improve. She did not appreciate the feeding tube but she tolerated it enough for us to feed her without issue. She started gaining weight and stopped crying in pain altogether. We knew when her eyes opened about two weeks later that she was a fighter and she was going to make it but we still had a long way to go.
Ellie had her ups and downs along her journey (the cleft palate does not affect her ability to eat or breathe and constant diarrhea or bloating) but by 6 weeks she was fully weaned off the tube and now by 7 weeks she was eating on her own! Ellie is growing into such an amazing little girl, with a feisty but affectionate personality.
Since we raised this baby from just a few days old and was with her foster mom round the clock, Ellie even went to work with her so she didn’t miss not one feeding, we are all very attached and love her beyond words can say. We will be looking for the absolute perfect family to adopt this sweet girl and will require visits every now and then! We believe she will be a medium sized dog, maybe 40-45lbs at most, but we cannot say for sure as we do not know what breed her father is. Her mom appeared to be a small lab mix and her littermates all appeared very similar to Ellie but about three times her size. Ellie is very lucky that the birth defect is only cosmetic and does not affect her daily life at all. At 12 weeks old Ellie went to our vet to finish her vaccinates & be rechecked to be sure there are no other needs in regards to the cleft palate and she was given a clean bill of health! Ellie has been raised with children, cats, and other dogs of varying sizes. She is going to make a family so extremely happy! More photos & info available upon request.
Apply to adopt Ellie on our website FallinRuv.org today!
**We require all of our dogs be altered at the age appropriate time; dogs who are not of age at the time of adoption will be required to be spayed/neutered when of age and will be included with the adoption unless otherwise discussed.**
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