Mileena is an 8-year-old American Bully/Pit Bull Terrier mix in Paducah, KY, who needs $175 for a routine spay procedure.

Let me provide this disclaimer: although this story is rather long, it is well worth reading. It is so lengthy because of how much my pup has been through. She has had such a positive impact on me, and I can only repay her by spreading her story.

My Mileena Baby is my (prescribed) emotional support animal, my rock, my absolute world. This sweetie blessed me with her presence @ only 4 wks old, and immediately melted my heart. I have been blessed enough to be able to do foster/rescue for the last 7+yrs, and everyone knows I'm a big softie for the "bully breeds." So when a friend heard Mileena's story, she knew I wouldn't be able to say no to her. This PRECIOUS girl was locked in a mobile home trailer bathroom with 4 other siblings at only 4 weeks old, no mother around, no means to fend for themselves, not even a drop of water in sight. My friend contacted me and said, "Now listen, I've already called the cops, so there's no need to go hunt these people down. I just wanted to brief you on the babies that have been affected, and see if you'd like to foster. But before I tell you anything else, you should know not to get your hopes up. These are some sick, sick babies, and they are not expected to make it the rest of the week. And before you make your decision, you need to remember that they are going to be expensive fosters, and they'll need significant vet care. I figured if anyone could make their potential last week on earth easier, it'd be you." I immediately began tearing up because my heart always melts for the baby rescues, and even more so for the bully breed babies. I'm a major advocate for the "mea
nies," and SO many of my fosters and rescues are living proof of what discipline, love, and compassion can do for ANY pup. From the moment I heard their story, before I even laid eyes on the puppies, I made my mind up that I was going to fight as hard as I could for these babies. Upon arrival to the trailer, 3 of the puppies had already passed, and Mileena was extremely weak. Her sister Majesty, on the other hand, was significantly bigger and stronger than her. There was never a doubt in our minds that Majesty would make it, but Mileena gave us many scares during the first few months. The first night having the pups was RUFF (hehe). They whined and whined all night, suffered from severe diarrhea, and they were almost inconsolable. When morning came around, we woke up to find that Mileena had ELEVEN bloody, l oose stools, and Majesty had 8 of the same, all within only 4 hours. Mileena was very lethargic, had pale gums with a dry mouth, and didn't want to drink. Fascinatingly enough, she always seemed to maintain a good spirit about her though. I strongly believe that this drew me to her even more. Majesty appeared to be just fine, as she was eating and drinking normally, and showed no physical symptoms of dehydration. I started to beat myself up because I know better than to get attached to fosters like these, but I seriously couldn't help myself. I had already fallen in love with that little squirt Mileena, and I felt my heart breaking as I explored the very real possibility of losing her. (Hehe, little did I know, she had other plans, and would eventually become MY rescuer 💜.) As I frantically rushed to call my vet, I was forcing pedialyte through a syringe to her, and praying so very hard that she would make it. The veterinarian saw us that day, and diagnosed both the pups with Coccydia. For those of you that do not know what Coccydia is, just look it up. It's a disgusting, HIGHLY contagious parasite that USUALLY (not always) comes from extremely unsanitary living environments. This diagnosis made perfect sense to us, as both puppies were completely covered in their own feces when we rescued them. After 24hrs of treatment, both pups had seemed to significantly improve. We saw a glimmer of hope, and felt like everything was going to be OK. Unfortunately, just like human antibiotics, the medication used to treat this parasite doesn't always work for other parasites, so other medications need to be added. Sometimes antibiotics can create an imbalance in the bacteria of the intestines, and in turn can exacerbate the illness. Sadly enough, this is exactly what happened, as 72 hrs post initiation of treatment revealed a severe decline in both pups. On day 2, the loose stools were decreased to approximately 4 per day for Mileena, and 3 per day for Majesty. By day 3, Mileena began to have upwards of 8 loose, bloody stools a day, and I began to convince myself that maybe I needed to detach from her - just in case she was beyond treatment. There was something about this little girl that made me love her so much, so I knew that if she were to pass, it would absolutely break my heart. However, I wasn't giving up just yet, and it was obvious that she wasn't either. I took them back to the same vet, and he gave Majesty a "clean bill of health." I still felt as though something was still not quite right with Mileena for sure, and I had a suspicion that Majesty wasn't completely healthy either. The vet told me to continue the treatment for Coccydia, and to return if it did not improve in a week. He charged me another $200 (after I already paid $250 for the first visit, meds, & fecal exams) just to tell me that, do a fecal exam, and to give me an additional 1/4 of a bottle of the same medicine. I tried to explain that I didn't need the extra, as I still had PLENTY from the first visit (and I comically still have 1/2 of a bottle, months later), but he strongly insisted. At this point, I didn't care what the price was. I would have paid whatever I had to in order to ensure that she made it, so I took the extra anyway. The very next day, Mileena's stools had increased, and she was having severe problems with thermo-regulation. I had to wrap her in a towel and keep her on my chest around-the-clock, just so she didn't get too cold. Of course I didn't mind, haha, I absolutely loved the cuddles! During all of this, I was preparing myself for the worst, and desperately tried to convince myself to detach from her. For some reason though, I strongly believe she never allowed me to do this, as she had such a fierce will to live. 😍 During the duration of her illness, Mileena stayed feisty. She showed me that she was a stronger pup, a much tougher fighter, and that she wanted to live more than I realized. The next 2 days proved that I was incredibly mistaken to even think she was weak! She didn't improve in her condition over those 2 days, but she continued to improve in her mood. Even while she was overtly feeling unwell, and while her explosive diarrhea continued, she never stopped wanting to love on me and play with her sister. I contacted the vet yet again, and he told me to allow the medication "a couple more days to work." I knew that something was still not right with her, and was so frustrated that the vet ignored my concerns. I contacted two other veterinary clinics, and requested she be assessed at both of them. The first clinic told me the same thing as my vet, and told me to see how the antibiotic played out while she was still having 11 loose stools a day, and getting even more dehydrated by the hour. This facility didn't even perform a fecal exam, and while that's upsetting, at least I was only out on the money for the assessment. I felt so discouraged at this point, but still felt as though something was not right with her, and I was determined to help her live - no matter the cost or hassle. As a Registered Nurse, I've learned to trust my instincts from time to time, and I've taught myself how to speak up for those that are voiceless. I decided to contact the 2nd clinic, and they told me to immediately bring her in. Thank God, someone was finally listening to me! Meanwhile, Majesty was doing much better after I added a Pedialyte regimen to her diet, and her symptoms continued to improve each day. Praise Jesus!💜 Let me start by saying that I cannot even begin to express my level of gratitude for this 2nd clinic. They performed various tests on her, completed fecal exams, blood work, and GENUINELY showed compassion for Mileena, all while taking my concerns serious. Not to mention, even with hanging IV fluids for the dehydration, they charged me HALF of what the others charged. I was so grateful, as I was nearing $700+ in vet bills, specialized fluids and food, and immunizations. The results finally came back and revealed that my intuition was correct. She had Giardia, still had severe Coccydia, and she also had an infestation of various other intestinal parasites. They gave us 2 more antibiotics, clearly defined the treatment process, and gave me directions on what to do in various "what-if" situations. They took an aggressive approach at treatment, and sincerely were concerned about her health and wellbeing. By the Grace of God and a little compassion and love, we were able to get her back to optimum health in approximately 2 short months. If only the 1st vet would have listened the first 2 times, she may not have had to suffer like she did.😩 The months following their initial sickness were financially straining, and emotionally daunting. We spent 2 days a week in the vet's office, following up on treatments and designing plans of care to meet their needs. Thankfully, after 4 months, we were able to only visit the vet once a month. Her growth has been severely stunted by the nutritional deficits from her delicate first weeks of life, and her body is working to repair the damage. To this day, at 8 months old, it is still noticeable if she misses a dose of her vitamins. Her skin will begin to dry out really bad, even with a grade A, vet recommended diet supplemented by coconut oil. The vet said that she may never completely catch up, but to continue what I'm doing until she is at least 2 years old. I told him that as long as I am a