Tiny Puppy Born ‘Different’ Had Almost Zero Hope Of Survival Until…

Certain birth defects can be death sentences for newborn puppies.

For example, puppies that have a severe cleft palate are put down shortly after birth because of the many health issues it can cause.

As it sounds, a cleft palate is an opening or “cleft” in the palate (roof) of a dog’s mouth.

The result is that food and fluid can enter the nasal cavity during feeding, potentially leading the way to serious complications.

Most newborn puppies will die of starvation if the problem is severe, and not found immediately.

A puppy with a cleft palate requires around the clock care, usually more care than the average pet owner is willing to expend.

The puppy must be tube-fed every two hours for two to three months, until he is old enough to undergo the risky surgery to fix the cleft in the palate.

All of this can be horrifyingly expensive as well, which is why most puppies born with cleft palates simply don’t make it.

But one tiny little puppy named Bear is such a lucky puppy!

She ended up at Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles instead of being euthanized. And Best Friends was full of people willing and able to do whatever it took to make Bear thrive!

She was too small and weak to eat on her own, so staff members stayed with her in the nursery around the clock.

Soon, she was weaned off the milk which had been tube fed to her, and she was allowed tiny bites of softened puppy food.

Once she was able to leave the nursery and could eat on her own, Bear went into a foster home where she could learn how to be a “real dog.”

She was growing quickly and stealing hearts everywhere she went!

She had defied the odds and lived through something that kills so many baby puppies. And she wasn’t slowing down when it came to growing either!

Her personality was so strong and she was so sweet, that it didn’t take long for her foster to declare that she was ready to go back to Best Friend’s to find her forever home.

So, off she went on another big adventure!

At four months old, Bear found her niche in life. She was adopted by someone who was very willing to take over Bear’s specialized care regimen.

Her new family gave her a new name to celebrate Bear’s new beginning, too: After her adoption day, she was known as Trudie Blue!

She not only got a new name and new parents, but she got a brand new sibling in the deal.

To have started out with such a rough beginning, Trudie Blue has finally found her place in life!

Thanks to Trudie Blue’s new family, she recently underwent surgery to correct her cleft palate. It was a great success.

After a recovery period, she was eating foods she’d never been allowed and could finally share dog treats with her canine sibling.

You can follow Trudie Blue’s adventures in her new life on her Instagram page.

Thanks for proving that even the roughest beginning can’t keep a good dog down, Bear/Trudie Blue! Good dog. Very good dog indeed!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site