MONMOUTH COUNTY – With the help of the community and several donations, a small puppy was able to receive the surgery it needed to live.
Boots was the runt of his litter and suffered from a congenital defect where blood vessels wrap around his esophagus. This caused dilation, difficulty swallowing and could lead to aspiration pneumonia.
Back in April, the Monmouth County SPCA reached out for the community’s help, as Boots desperately needed a special surgery called a thoracotomy, as soon as possible, in order to live. The organization explained how staff needs to feed Boots a special, wet mixture of puppy milk replacement and soft food in an upright position. Due to his condition, he had to stay in the same position for 20 minutes for him to properly digest his food.
“Other than his condition, Boots is the most loving and affectionate puppy. He happily sits upright in his baby carrier and takes in all of the sights and sounds without a care in the world,” the Monmouth County SPCA said.
Fast forward three months and Boots, who was once a tiny puppy, is now thriving. On July 6, the MCSPCA announced that Boots has successfully received his emergency esophageal surgery thanks to all the donations they obtained.
“We were able to cover Boots’ surgery and with the amazing support from the community, we were also able to move up another surgery for a dog who needed ACL repair,” Lindsay Sanator, a spokesperson from the MCSPCA, said. “Boots has recovered beautifully in his foster home and has not required any further medical attention.”
Although Boots, who is now over four months old, will be required to eat in upright position throughout his life, he immediately found a loving forever home that will take care of his needs.
“He will need to eat small meals in an upright position for his life,” Sanator said. “But Boots was made available for adoption last week and went home within two days!”
