A Holiday of Hope: Mistletoe Magic for a Courageous Soul

The resilience of an animal is always something to admire; but when it comes to Mistletoe, it's downright unbelievable.

She’s just a puppy—only 6 to 8 months old, if that—and yet, has already endured so much. She was found cowering underneath a trailer in a heartbreaking condition: abandoned with an embedded collar around her neck, riddled with infections, and struggling desperately to survive.

Her condition isn’t something that happens overnight. She's wounded, she's missing patches of fur due to the mites, fleas, and untreated Mange that were ravaging her skin. She's dehydrated and dangerously malnourished. Her belly was tender and sore. She was nothing but skin and bone, with her paws swollen and infected to the point they were oozing discharge. And to top it all off, she was also severely anemic and needed a blood transfusion upon getting to the ER.

Unfortunately, this precious girl will be recovering for some time: Physical conditions like Mistletoe’s require weeks, even months, of extensive care. Her blood work has been concerning—though there are signs of improvement, she is far from out of the woods. Mistletoe's still fighting secondary infections, and her blood work results continue to raise red flags for neurological risks.

And even beyond this, her emotional recovery will take not only months, but also lots of careful love, some sleepless nights, and most of all, worlds of patience. But Mistletoe deserves the world—and after all that she's been through, rescuers at ThisIsHouston are committed to making sure she gets nothing but the best for her future.

This precious girl is just barely beginning her road to recovery, and she needs an army of help to heal: help from her rescuers; help from her specialty doctors; and help from all of you. Please send Mistletoe snuggles and lots of positive energy, and if you are able to assist with her ongoing medical care, please consider donating to this fundraiser. Every penny matters, and will go a long way in supporting this resilient, deserving girl. Thank you for your kindness and support!

Update 12/17/24:
Mistletoe turned quite urgent. ThisIsHouston went to visit her this evening, and they noticed she was cheek puffing (breathing through her mouth with her cheeks puffing up).

When ThisIsHouston got back home, the vet called them with an update that Mistletoe's on oxygen now. They took some x-rays which show she has congestive heart failure, likely from fluid overload or a complication due to refeeding syndrome. While ThisisHouston doesn't know what this means for her yet, they're not giving up on her!

Update 12/18/24:
Mistletoe has made improvements overnight and is off oxygen already. The hospital is anticipating she’ll require at least FOUR more days of care to ensure she reaches an adequate daily nutritional intake. ThisIsHouston transferred Mistletoe to another animal hospital for a second opinion and to help save some costs. It’s been a bumpy road so far with improvements and setbacks but ThisIsHouston is hopeful she’s finally trending in the right direction.

Yesterday Mistletoe was put on oxygen and x-rays appeared to suggest she had congestive heart failure. The vet ran an echocardiogram today which showed no major concerns. Some measurements were high, but cardiac therapy is not indicated at this time.

Prior to this, she was struggling with anemia levels and needed two blood transfusions. That has resolved. She was severely dehydrated as well, with bone fragments in her stomach. Her dehydration is almost completely resolved and she had a bowel movement yesterday with a bone shard piece in it, so we’re keeping a close eye on that. Her calorie intake is currently at 50% and she’s still tolerating her feedings well. She still has a central catheter placed, a urinary catheter and a feeding tube as well.

Update 12/19/24:
Mistletoe's labwork has much improved!! She had two blood transfusions since being rescued; her red blood cell count is currently normal and the vet is watching for any changes. She’s back on dextrose support as her blood sugar wasn’t where vet wanted it to be. But she’s eating appropriate amounts and the hope is once she’s eating more consistently, her sugar levels normalize.

Update 12/20/24:
Mistletoe is discharge ready tonight!

Her bloodwork is much improved, blood glucose and sodium levels are normal, and she’s even up and walking. She will continue to need bloodwork rechecks every few days to make sure things are still stable.

Mistletoe is headed into a foster home tonight. ThisIsHouston is so excited to start the spoiling 💗 She ran a hefty ER bill between the two hospitals so anything and everything is helpful.

Update 12/27/24:
Mistletoe had a setback today. Her foster mom noticed she was a little bit weak this morning. She already had a vet check up scheduled for this afternoon and when she went in, they referred her to the ER.

The ER vet found her blood sugar was a little low and her esophagus was very dilated. Thankfully her lungs looked clear there was no evidence of any aspiration pneumonia. The vet said sometimes when animals are nauseas, they can get a bad case of reflux, or sometimes heart burn can make the esophagus irritated. He thinks once they figure out what is going on and get her better, the swallowing issues will return to normal.

The major concern right now is that her sodium levels are creeping back up and there’s a big risk for neurological issues to develop when sodium levels are high. If it progresses, she could have seizures, so they’re keeping an eye on that.

The plan is to keep her on IV fluids, antibiotics, anti-acids for her esophagus, and try to get her to eat.

Update 12/30/24:
Mistletoe was transferred this morning to an internal medicine specialist for further diagnostics. She's not doing well and looking very rough. She is extremely lethargic and dull. The ER vet worked hard through the weekend to maintain her vitals, but Mistletoe needed to see a specialty hospital for a swallow test and further imaging to figure out why she can’t drink and eat appropriately.

Once at the specialist, Mistletoe's blood pressure and temperature dropped and the vet spent the day working to stabilize her. Something was wrong internally and none of the three hospitals she received care at had answers.

ThisIsHouston focuses on dogs like Mistletoe and believe in giving them every possible chance to recover, but Mistletoe was rapidly declining today. The specialty hospital believed she was already septic and was also obtunded. ThisIsHouston came together as a team to make the best decision for Mistletoe. She was suffering and there was no end in sight and no answers, so they had to make the decision they always try to avoid.

Mistletoe was the sweetest girl. She deserved the world, and ThisIsHouston desperately wanted to give that to her. ThisIsHouston wish she had more time, but made sure Mistletoe knew love and care before she passed.

Many thanks to those who were in her corner and donated towards her care. Her bills are over $25K and your contribution towards her fight is greatly appreciated.