Jaxon's Story: Abandoned in an Empty House,
Unable to Bark for Help
Scroll down for Jaxon's 1-minute video.
Jaxon, a young Chinese Crested, and Foxie, a Pom, were once someone's pets, abandoned in an empty house. Left without food, they survived by eating their own waste.
If Jaxon were alone, he might not have been found in time to save his life: That’s because his vocal cords had been clipped to stifle his voice.
But with her voice intact, Foxie could bark loudly enough to be heard, and the dogs were discovered. The rest is what happy endings are made of.
A dog rescue group called Bald is Beautiful pulled Jaxon and Foxie from the county pound, and a kind couple—veteran rescuers and dog bloggers—fostered them. Another couple drove from Maryland to Chicago to adopt Jaxon, Foxie and a third dog, Maddie.
Now 4 years old, Jaxon is living the good life in a loving home. And he's extra lucky:
His adoptive mom, a nurse, knows how to manage the potentially fatal long-term consequences of devocalization. They occur regardless of the vet's skill, how little tissue is cut or how it's done, through the animal's open mouth or an incision in the neck.
LIFELONG SUFFERING AFTER NEEDLESS SURGERY
Becky waters Jaxon’s food to ease swallowing so he won’t die the terrifying way other animals subjected to voice-altering surgery have, choking on food.
And she monitors his play, because though he loves to do “zoomies” in the yard with Maddie, Jaxon becomes winded after just a few minutes. Heat stroke is another potentially fatal risk for animals who've had their vocal cords cut; even a little scar tissue can impede their ability to pant sufficiently to cool themselves.
Thanks to scarring in his throat, Jaxon also coughs intermittently throughout the day and night, sometimes so badly, his family worries he won’t be able to catch his breath.
Becky says, “No animal should ever be subjected to this surgery." Jaxon agrees.
Jaxon, a young Chinese Crested, and Foxie, a Pom, were once someone's pets, abandoned in an empty house. Left without food, they survived by eating their own waste.
If Jaxon were alone, he might not have been found in time to save his life: That’s because his vocal cords had been clipped to stifle his voice.
But with her voice intact, Foxie could bark loudly enough to be heard, and the dogs were discovered. The rest is what happy endings are made of.
A dog rescue group called Bald is Beautiful pulled Jaxon and Foxie from the county pound, and a kind couple—veteran rescuers and dog bloggers—fostered them. Another couple drove from Maryland to Chicago to adopt Jaxon, Foxie and a third dog, Maddie.
Now 4 years old, Jaxon is living the good life in a loving home. And he's extra lucky:
His adoptive mom, a nurse, knows how to manage the potentially fatal long-term consequences of devocalization. They occur regardless of the vet's skill, how little tissue is cut or how it's done, through the animal's open mouth or an incision in the neck.
LIFELONG SUFFERING AFTER NEEDLESS SURGERY
Becky waters Jaxon’s food to ease swallowing so he won’t die the terrifying way other animals subjected to voice-altering surgery have, choking on food.
And she monitors his play, because though he loves to do “zoomies” in the yard with Maddie, Jaxon becomes winded after just a few minutes. Heat stroke is another potentially fatal risk for animals who've had their vocal cords cut; even a little scar tissue can impede their ability to pant sufficiently to cool themselves.
Thanks to scarring in his throat, Jaxon also coughs intermittently throughout the day and night, sometimes so badly, his family worries he won’t be able to catch his breath.
Becky says, “No animal should ever be subjected to this surgery." Jaxon agrees.
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