Hello, my name is Lori and I would like you to meet Jax! Jax is a toy Chihuahua. Jax was born April 22, 2007.  I was hunting for a puppy back in 2007, was not sure what kind of puppy I was looking for but a Chihuahua never crossed my mind. I always thought they were mean little dogs! My boyfriend at the time came across this ad in the paper for Chihuahua puppies and requested a photo of the puppies. He showed me the photograph and that was it, I knew who my new puppy was going to be. He was the cutest of the bunch! We called the owners and scheduled a time to come play with the puppies. The day we went to pick him up, we got wind that three more couples where on their way to look at that very same dog! So of course being me, I made him rush to their house. That was my puppy!!! We were the first ones there, they brought out little Jax to us and I instantly fell in love with him. He was so tiny and fuzzy! I was so scared to hold him at first because of how small he was! He weighed in at a half pound and fit in the palm of my hand.

 

       So of course we paid for him and took off with baby Jax before anyone else even got there! The first night he was home he was so shy and didn’t play much. By the second night he was playing and having a good time. I locked him up in his little cage for bed and went to sleep. Or at least tried to! I never heard sounds come out of a dog like sounds that came from him that night. He didn’t want to be alone. Finally I gave in and let him sleep in the bed that night. He has slept with me every single night since that night. Jax was a healthy dog, fed well and very loved by everyone! He went everywhere with me! I couldn’t go five feet without being stopped by someone admiring him. Jax and I grew attached to each other. He followed me everywhere I went. It was the most special thing to me. After moving out of the apt and into the house, Jax changed a little. He turned mean towards strangers. After that point Jax had to get to know you before he showed his sweet side to you and boy does he have a sweet side.

 

       Jax is a very smart dog. He knows his toys apart, when you tell him to bring a certain toy he does just that. He knows a good amount of commands. Aside of stuff he was taught he knows a lot of stuff that he just caught on to as well. Like car rides, you can’t ask Jax if he wants to go for a ride unless you intend to take him.  He won’t stop barking until you do. You can’t even spell ride by him because he still knows what that means. One time I had to drive him down the street and back because he wouldn’t stop barking until he got his way. I could go on and on about this wonderful animal.

 

       Jax has been just the most loving and loyal dog in the world. I will be sitting on the couch and he randomly comes up and gives his "hugs". He just presses his face into yours. Yes my dog gives hugs. When I am upset, he is right by my side. He has been the best dog anyone could ask for. To make a long story short, Jax got sick in November 2015. He started having bad coughing fits so I took him into the vet. The vet told me it could just be some sort of infection or it could be congestive heart failure. She put him on meds and told me if the coughing stopped it was just an infection of some sort but if the coughing continued to bring him back and she would want to x-rays his chest. Well the coughing stopped. Until January.

 

       He started coughing again just not as bad. I knew he was going to need those x-rays. I didn’t have the money to test him so I started a go fund me for Jax. I was having trouble coming up with the money for him because I have some health issues of my own. I have trochanteric bursitis in both of my hips. Working overtime can be a bit of a challenge for me at times because of the pain. So I needed help. I got most of what was needed to do the testing in donations. Jax was getting really bad at this point. losing weight and was not eating but his breathing was the big concern. Jax was tested and diagnosed with congestive heart failure. My biggest fear. He had fluid in his lungs and barley any room to breathe, he also showed an enlarged heart on the x-ray. He was put on permanent medication for the rest of his life. A pill for his heart and a water pill to help get the fluid out from his lungs. He was diagnosed 2 weeks ago.

 

       Last Monday, a week after being on his medication he seemed to be doing ok. He went into the vet for a blood test to make sure his kidneys were not failing from the water pill. The water pill makes him pee a lot to help get those fluids out from his chest. They sometimes can cause kidney problems. His kidneys tested normal. The vet was so pleased to see how well Jax was doing. He was almost back to himself. The very next day Jax stopped eating and started breathing heavy again. This concerned me. I watched him on Tuesday and by Wednesday he was breathing heavier. I called the vet and set up an appointment for Thursday. I took him in and they gave him a shot of Lasix to help with the fluid on his lungs. Took him home and watched his breathing and it didn’t get any better. By Friday I called again because his breathing was even heavier. I took him back to the vet they gave him another Lasix shot and told me to call them by 4pm to let them know how he was doing and we would take it from there. By 3:30pm he was gasping for air. I called the vet and they transferred me to another vet for chest x-rays. His lungs were completely covered in fluid with no room to breathe.

 

       That vet then sent me to an emergency vet in Novi. I rushed him there and they immediately took him from me and put him in an oxygen tank. They told me they were going to drain the fluid from his chest and it also looked like there was fluid around his heart. They said they would call me if there was any issue, if they didn’t call everything was ok. I went to say bye to him while he was in his little tank. He looked so scared and when he seen me he tried so hard to get out of that tank and into his mamas arms. It broke my heart. They said I could come up at any time to see him. 11:30pm I get a call from them telling me that they drained a cup of fluid from his chest. A cup!? He is a 4 pound dog, a cup is a huge amount! They also told me that the fluid around his heart was blood.

 

       They then diagnosed him with heart cancer on top of the congestive heart failure! They told me I should come spend some time with him there tonight and suggested I euthanize him that night. I told them there was no way I was going to euthanize him that night. Jax was and has not been in any pain throughout this. Just discomfort from not being able to breathe. After I hung the phone up with them I rushed up there to see him. He was drugged up on morphine but breathing normal. They told me I could take him home in the morning. When I got there he was so happy to see his mama but still out of it. I took him home and he slept most of the day. When he woke up he stuffed his face like a little piggy. He seemed to be doing better. 3 days later, today (March 8th) he is 100% back to himself! He is eating, drinking, playing, giving hugs, running around being Jax. What blows my mind is they told me to put him down! He is still very skinny but I am working on helping him gain some weight!

 

       Jax was close to death on Friday but he is a strong little dog and pulled through! Hes not ready to leave this earth and his mama is not ready to let him go. His condition will never go away. His lungs will fill up again and they will need to be drained again, he will need blood test and x-rays every week to monitor him. It gets very expensive. After this week I have spent almost 2 grand on him in 3 weeks. So I came up with a way to try and help with the cost to keep Jax healthy! I am a landscape photographer on top of my full time job and to help with the cost of Jax I am doing a sale on all my prints for 35% off. All proceeds go to keep  Jax healthy! Everything is going to him to make sure he stays healthy and comfortable for as long as he can. Have you ever had a dog that you loved so much and couldn’t let go? Jax is not suffering by any means. But without the funding I can’t keep him healthy. So take a look around at my online store to see if something fits your needs and please share with your friends to get Jax's story out there! Please help me keep Jax healthy! Use promo code jax422 at check out to get the 35% off! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

 

Lori Morrow

LEM Photography