Little George, a small 4.5-month-old Yorkie puppy, needs a big operation. He started out life on the wrong foot through no fault of his own. He came from a puppy mill through a breeder that buys puppies for breeding purposes or for flipping the puppies for profit.

Unfortunately, George turned out to have a birth defect to his heart from all the in-breeding at the puppy mill and he can’t be sold with his current condition. To the breeder, George was not a life worth saving.

But to Pets Alive, George is exactly a life worth saving and we need your help to make that happen.

George’s heart has all the blood pumping into one side of his heart, which will cause heart failure – and ultimately death – unless repaired surgically. During an initial examination, it appears George has a condition called PDA or Patent Ductus Arteriosus but our veterinarian is doing some additional preoperative testing this week to confirm this condition.

Normally a shunt going through one of the arteries would be used to heal the defect in a minimally invasive procedure. Because of George’s tiny size – he only weighs a mere 4.5 pounds – this is not an option. Shunts are not made that small, therefore he will need surgery on his heart to repair the defect and save his life.

A board certified surgeon, with assistance from our veterinarian from Catskill Veterinary Services, PLLC, will need to open George’s chest cavity to make the repair so the blood pumps correctly and goes to both sides of his heart. This is a very risky surgery – but his only chance to survive.

In the spirit of the holiday season, won’t you give a donation now to our medical fund so we can save George and give him a second chance? This surgery must be done soon if George has a chance at survival.

Thank you once again for your help! Your support makes the difference for so many animals.