Animal rescue group needs help to mend a puppy's broken heart

Lending Paws a Hand, a local 501c3 Animal Rescue group, is asking for a holiday miracle this year. At 4 months old, Jack had his future taken away from him. He thought he’d have all the time in the world, but instead, because of something he couldn’t control, he was given three-five years to live.

Initially, Jack came to Lending paws a Hand as a puppy who was found out in the cold, starving to death, and ridden by fleas and parasites. He thought his luck had changed when a good Samaritan found him and brought him into the care of Lending Paws a Hand. Even though he had started to put on weight and had received a cozy warm bed to sleep on, something inside just didn’t feel right. Jack struggled to breathe and did not have the typical energy a puppy should have. It wasn’t until his first regular vet visit that the rescue found out he had a 5/6 heart murmur diagnosis, one of the most severe.

Luckily, the North Carolina State Veterinarian Hospital had an open appointment to see Jack and assess what was wrong with his heart. It was there that the rescue learned he had severe pulmonic stenosis, a congenital abnormality that is due to an incorrect development of one of the valves of the heart. If left untreated, dogs with this condition can have right-sided congestive heart failure by the time they are 3-5 years old. Some die even sooner than that.

Jack needs a procedure called a balloon valvuloplasty, so he can at least live a better life. It is estimated that his surgery will cost close to $5,000. This does not even include his additional follow-up vet appointments. The rescue cannot do this alone and is asking for support, so Jack can receive his surgery before Christmas.

If interested in donating toward Jack’s care, payments can be sent the following ways:

On Dec. 13, they can be paid directly to the veterinary hospital:

https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashnetg/static/storefront/NCSUHospitalPayments/catalog/item-details/VH-PAYMENT    Account number: 351722

Venmo and Paypal: @lendingpawsahand

Check: Lending Paws a Hand, PO Box 765, Sanford, NC 27331

Zelle: [email protected]

About Lending Paws a Hand

Lending Paws a Hand is a recognized 501(c) (3) volunteer-run, foster-based rescue located in Sanford, NC. Our mission is to help save the lives of unwanted, at-risk dogs and cats throughout Lee County, NC. We primarily save animals from the Lee County Animal Shelter that are at risk of euthanasia.

Photo: Jack with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Courtesy photo/Contributed.

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