Bubbles

Bubbles, a 6-week old yellow lab puppy, came to me weighing only 6 pounds and showing every bone in her little body. She was starving from malnutrition, passing out from breathing problems and lethargic with the saddest eyes.

I took Bubbles to our veterinarian, and he determined that she needed immediate surgery to save her life. She had vascular ring anomaly. The blood vessels of her heart wrapped around her esophagus so solid food could not pass, and the food she had been eating stretched out the esophagus causing her to throw it up. Our veterinarian instructed me to liquefy her food and feed her elevated so gravity would help pull food down into her stomach.

The surgery was a success. Her eyes began to light up, and her bubbly personality began to show, which was how she was named. The more active Bubbles became, the more it became evident that the breathing problem was a separate issue. Our veterinarian found that her epiglottis was shutting intermittently, making the odd sounds when she got excited. Our veterinarian was hopeful that she would outgrow this problem and it did improve over the next several months. Bubbles continued to improve, no longer starving to death, developing into a healthy, vibrant, loving puppy. It was love at first sight when she met her new adoptive parents. She now lives on a 10-acre ranch where she happily plays with her adopted sister.