A rescue described the 12-week-old French bulldog discovered abandoned in a trashcan as being their “saddest rescue” ever.
The fragile puppy, named Oscar, was seemingly discarded by the breeder for his poor health. Thankfully, he is now under the care of rescue Mac’s Mission in Jackson, Missouri, but he was found in a poor state, with an umbilical hernia, a grade 2 heart murmur, and a severe upper respiratory infection.
“Oscar was found in a trashcan by a broker who visited a breeder to buy puppies to sell,” Rochelle Steffen, founder of Mac’s Mission, told Newsweek. “The breeder had quite literally thrown him away because he had ‘no value and couldn’t be sold.'”
Mac’s Mission
“He was pretty much lifeless when he arrived, and I rushed him to our veterinarian as an emergency case,” Steffen said.
Despite an initially dire prognosis, Oscar’s spirit began to shine through as he started responding positively to medical care. “He started doing great, and his personality started coming out,” Steffen added. “He hops like a bunny and is so cute.”
However, Oscar’s journey to recovery hit a devastating roadblock when his heart murmur worsened, prompting urgent action. “They found his grade 2 murmur had gotten far worse and is now a grade 4/5 out of 6,” Steffen said.
Despite the mounting challenges, Steffen emphasized Mac’s Mission’s commitment to helping animals in need. “Our sole focus of the rescue is taking on extreme medical cases and special needs,” she said.
As medical professionals continue to help Oscar, the whole team hopes for a positive outcome—but it doesn’t come cheap.
Mac’s Mission
“The initial consult with a cardiologist is $700 to $1,200, and that is for each puppy. Then, depending on the ability to fix it, that could run upwards of $10,000 each puppy. We currently have four defective-heart puppies,” said Steffen.
Despite all of this, Oscar’s quality of life is still good as he shows zero signs of heart failure and loves to run around and play with the other puppies.
“To think about him sitting in a trashcan wasting away alone and terrified makes my blood boil and makes me want to fight even harder to save the lost causes like sweet little Oscar,” Steffen said. “Our team is all in on Oscar and whatever he needs to feel loved and to be happy.”
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.