Adorable Pit Bull Born With Cleft Palate and Brain Disorder Defies the Odds to Live and Love
A puppy born with a cleft lip and palate and a whole host of health problems has defied all the odds to survive.
Sasha, a pit bull, was unable to nurse at just a day old, and is facing surgery due to her brain not growing properly.
But the puppy has pushed through all the difficulties and has just turned four months old despite only weighing two pounds and is living in a lovely home in Westchester County, New York.
When she was born in September, the litter’s owner called SNARR Animal Rescue Northeast, a center for animals with special needs in New York.
The rescue center contacted Marie DeMarco, a nurse practitioner who normally looks after cats with special needs, for help with tube feeding the small puppy, who couldn’t nurse because of the cleft lip and palate.
DeMarco, 46, who runs rescue charity FURRR911, said Sasha now needs life saving surgery.
The pit bull also has hydrocephalus and her brain is only about a third the size it should be.
She also has difficulty walking, breathing problems and developed a urinary tract infection.
In just one day she suffered four seizures before DeMarco rushed her emergency medical treatment.
The rescue center contacted Marie DeMarco, a nurse practitioner who normally looks after cats with special needs, for help with tube feeding the small puppy, who couldn’t nurse because of the cleft lip and palate. DeMarco, 46, who runs rescue charity FURRR911, said Sasha now needs life saving surgery due to her brain being too small
But foster owner DeMarco has hailed the dog a ‘miracle’ for surviving against all the odds.
DeMarco said: ‘She’s defying all the odds. For her to survive is an absolute miracle.
‘She has had medical conditions. She shouldn’t be her. But she has shown such an amazing and strong will to live.
‘We have had so many people wanting to adopt her. But I’ve had her since day one – she is in my heart.’
At DeMarco’s home, Sasha is fed every three or four hours a day, and wears sweaters to stay warm.
She also spends time with DeMarco’s many foster kittens and cats.
