Saving Baby Madeline

Today is Baby Madeline’s moms birthday. We know that she would like nothing better than donations for her birthday

Donations to help the next Baby Madeline that died tragically to distemper. If you followed her story, it wasn’t because of a lack of love. It wasn’t because of a lack of caring. We spent over $5000 trying to save her precious little life

You’d know the countless hours of lost sleep Kristi experienced staying up, as Madeline struggled to breath.

Please, in Madeline’s honor, donate

Southern California Pit Bull Rescue is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit all-volunteer animal rescue organization. We depend 100% on charitable donations to rescue our dogs. Without donations, we cannot continue our life-saving work.

Our PayPal is PayPal.me/socalpitties
Venmo is -Pitties

Federal Tax ID 82-3895019

I miss you every single day my sweet Madeline !! ♥️💔

My last post on this page....and my last request to those who loved our baby Madeline.

While everyone moves on, and understandably so, we do not. This is what we are left with....her empty bed. An empty space in our home and gapping hole in our hearts that was once filled with her incredible love.

It’s easy to say “Distemper took her from us”. But that is not completely accurate. It’s true, distemper is an ugly, aggressive, horrible and unpredictable disease!! But what is so much worse?? The vile, disgusting, pathetic excuses for human beings, the backyard breeders that are just trying to make a buck off of these sweet precious souls! The irresponsible backyard breeders who don’t care enough to vaccinate the parents of these innocent babies. Then they sell them off as cute little puppies that everyone wants. I see it every single day! Cute little puppies, that are now sick and dying. There is a special place in hell for these people!

If you followed Madeline’s story, if you were touched by her life...PLEASE we ask you to honor her life and her memory, by NOT supporting these disgusting backyard breeders! They DO NOT care about you or the puppies they sell you! They only care about your money.

I get it puppies are adorable, everybody wants one. They are also a great deal of work and they grow up. Then they are often discarded like trash left in shelters to die.

I ask you to keep Madeline’s memory alive and honor her by not supporting the backyard breeders that killed her. Save a life by adopting a dog in need. I promise you will love them the same and they will love you EVEN more! I know this first hand. I have rescued 3 of my own and fostered 5 more. Their love is unconditional and they are forever greatful! 💗

Thanks to all who follow and share

Our little girl loved life and she loved her family!💞

To my sweet baby Madeline...my light, my heart, my soul...

You were such a strong and brave little girl. I’ve never seen anyone or anything fight so hard to live. Your determination and will were beyond measure and you were just a baby.

We tried...SO HARD to beat this together. The roller coaster of extreme highs and extreme lows was so difficult, but you never gave up, my little fighter.

I was supposed to be your “foster mom” but you knew I would be so much more. I would be your healer, your safety, your protector, your comfort, your love. You knew I would be your FOREVER MOM. You knew you were loved and you knew you were home. I wish with all my heart I could have shown you the world as I promised.

Today you earned your angel wings and though your sister and I are so very sad to see you go, we are so proud we were chosen to watch you fly. You will be remembered and loved for eternity. We love you Madeline❤️

To those who adored her...thank you for your prayers and support. I wish they were enough. But the distemper disease was just too horrible. The last few weeks were extremely difficult. Madeline was completely dependent upon us, she could not walk on her own, drink or eat when she wanted. She couldn’t play or be a puppy. And still she continued to let her light shine. Her little body wiggled with joy when we walked in or it was time for a golf cart ride. Still we held on and hoped and prayed for any sign of improvement. But it never came, it was getting worse. And this morning we knew our worst fears were upon us and it was time to say our goodbyes. We held her, we loved her. We took her for one last ride. She nestled her head in my neck like she always does & I swear she smiled. She left us peacefully in my arms surrounded by tremendous love. ❤️❤️

Thank you to Mark Rulon
and Southern California Pit Bull Rescue for choosing us to be her family and for 100% support throughout this journey.

Sadly we don’t have much to update. I wish we had positive signs of improvement but we just don’t. We thought the new antibiotics would be enough to knock out the pneumonia. They have definitely helped, but it’s not gone. She still has some green mucus discharge indicating that the infection is not completely gone. She still cannot walk on her own. 😢

Having said all of that, Madeline’s eyes are bright, she still eats & drinks. She is very excited for her favorite part of the day...her golf cart ride!

We continue to watch closely for any signs in neurological improvement and help her live her best life. ❤️ ☀️

We ❤️ you Madeline!

Madeline update....

For the most part Madeline is in good spirits. She’s still eating & drinking but sometimes needs encouragement to get started. The new antibiotics seem to be working. The bacterial infection appears to be almost gone and the pneumonia is significantly improved.
We were hoping that if these things got better she might feel well enough to walk on her own. Unfortunately that is not the case so far.

I spoke with our vet in Texas yesterday. At this point we are monitoring her closely looking for signs of improvement in her neurological state. This can go one of 3 ways...

1. The spinal tap kicks in and we begin to see reverse neurological effects, and she may begin to regain her strength and balance and walk on her own again. We pray daily this will be the case! We would expect to see this within the first month after the spinal tap.

2. The neurological effects stop in their tracks exactly where they are now. No improvement and no progression to become worse. Meaning she would forever be 100% dependent on our care. She cannot eat or drink when she wants, go outside when she wants, play on her own, walk on her own. This is not the quality of life any of us would ever want for Madeline.

3. The neurological effects of distemper continue to progress attacking her brain and spinal cord. She could lose her eye sight, her ability to swallow and much worse. We cannot and will not allow this to happen to our precious girl.

So ultimately our only option is scenario #1. While we wait I promise you we are helping Madeline to live her VERY BEST LIFE! She eats all her favorite foods, she gets constant love and attention, a couple golf cart rides a day which really brighten her spirits, hose play time, lazy relaxing boat rides, night time secret trips to the lake where she gets to dip her toes in the water (dogs are not allowed). We are showing her all the things we promised her we would. We are loving her with everything we have!

Please keep her in your prayers 🙏🏻❤️

For everyone who has been following and loves our baby Madeline, my apologies for not posting recently. My focus has been on her as much as I possibly can. If you aren’t already following you can get current updates by following the rescue page or Mark Rulon

We have been on a crazy roller coaster ride with some highs and lows. Distemper is horrific and it is trying to steal away our girl. Madeline is fighting, but she is getting tired. Pray with all your might for God to carry her and help her through this. The next couple of days will be crucial.

She is loved beyond measure and she knows it ❤️

Madeline has had a rough couple of days as she battles pneumonia along with some initial neurologic issues. She still doesn’t feel very good. But today is better than yesterday and we pray that trend continues.

This little girl has more heart in her tiny little body than most humans! ❤️



Our baby girl has had a rough few days with lots of ups & downs. But In true Madeline fashion she has fought through it and seems to be feeling better today!  She is still pretty wobbly when she walks. We have no idea if that will go away or just be a part of her now. But Bambi was adorable and so is Madeline! If that’s the worst of our problems then so be it! She is happy and playful this morning which is all I could ask for! ❤️


Madeline is still having some issues with balance this morning and possibly her eyesight. We think her pneumonia is back contributing to green gunky eyes and nose. She overcame this before and she can do it again! We have to let the spinal tap vaccine work and do it’s job now.

She is hungry, happy, playful and curious just like always. And she still wants to brush her teeth when she sees me brushing mine. ❤️

For everyone bombarding us with suggestions to try homeopathic treatments....Please do your research!! THERE IS NO HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT TO CURE DISTEMPER!!! We have contacted MULTIPLE homeopathic veterinarians and have been told the same thing repeatedly!! The only thing they can offer is supplements to help support her immune system and secondary infections. WE ARE DOING THAT! When we tell you we have done our research, we are not joking! We are not taking this lightly. We have spent countless hours researching and consulting to come up with the very best plan for treatment possible for our sweet Madeline!

For those who actually want to help and would like to donate something specific to support her immune system, feel free to donate to the rescue and if her team of veterinarians agrees it will be helpful we will gladly accept.

The last few days have been extremely challenging. Our worst fear, noticing Madeline was developing persistent neurological symptoms with Nystagmus (A condition in which causes her eyes to bounce and affects her equilibrium). Then making the decision to have the Newcastle vaccine for distemper administered directly into her spinal canal. Watching her recover from the procedure was heartbreaking when I could do nothing to quell her cries but hold her. Just like in the beginning, her eyes and nose are crusted over in the mornings and throughout the day requiring constant cleaning. She needs constant monitoring to make certain she can recover after losing her balance. As difficult as it has been, there has not been one second when we have considered giving up the fight for our baby girl!

With all she’s endured she’s still happy a puppy who is loving her life! Madeline looks forward to Mom coming home from work, playing with her sister, searching through her toy basket for her favorite toys, golf cart rides, and especially her meals & snacks!!

Although every dog is different as distemper is completely unpredictable and attacks in various way, we believe the next 7 days is crucial for her recovery. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers while we continue her battle.

Madeline’s spinal tap procedure to inject the Newcastle vaccine was done today. She had a rough time when I went to get her. She buried her head in my neck and cried. It was heart breaking 💔. She’s doing better now and resting comfortably.

From this point on she is in Gods hands. We pray she beats this dreaded disease.

In an attempt to save her life, Madeline will shortly be having the distemper vaccine injected directly into her spine, a procedure that could leave her paralyzed

Even with the injection, the vets give her a 50/50 survival rate. As everyone knows, she’s a fighter and we expect her to win this battle too!

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers

This is a very difficult post to write. Our baby girl Madeline has been doing so well, but unfortunately distemper has reared its ugly head. My biggest fear was that we were too late and the nasty disease had crossed the blood-brain barrier and it appears it has. She is now presenting with “Nystagmus”. This causes her eyes to bounce up and down/ side to side involuntarily. This intern disrupts her equilibrium and causes her to loose her balance easily. We are giving her meclizine to try to help with the side effects. We are awaiting a reply from the vet in Texas to determine if the spinal tap treatment will be of benefit at this point. While we wait we have our team of vets here on standby.

Our girl is still eating, drinking & playing as best she can. Mama’s little shadow is getting more love and snuggles than she knows what to do with. Madeline knows she is loved! She is strong! She will fight for us...and we will continue to fight for her!❤️

What are you trying to tell us Madeline?

Madeline is doing FANTASTIC! Thank you to everyone who has been asking. She is loving life and can’t wait to explore all the things she hasn’t been able to. Her next round of vaccinations is coming up and we hope they won’t be so hard on her.

Madeline had her very first play date with her new friend Sophie! The smile on her face says it all!

Good morning from Baby Madeline!☀️
She is happy and thriving! 💛 She fills our hearts everyday!

Madeline hates that Rylee is in school now and can’t play with her full-time.She doesn’t think school is as much fun but she’s willing to give it a try...

Madeline is doing really well! She is strong and healthy, in spite of distemper. Her neurologic signs are minimal. We still have no way of knowing at this time if they will progress, stay the same, or go away all together? Only time will tell...
Her veterinarian says it’s time for her first set of vaccines. We are heading there soon. Keep her in your prayers today and the next several days. We are hopeful the vaccinations don’t cause any setbacks but they have to be done to keep her safe from all the other horrible diseases.

She would rather stay home and play ball! 🏀


$$!

As long as you’re comfortable my sweet Madeline ❤️

🔥

Madeline learning to brush her teeth this morning 😬😊☀️

BUSTED!! Madeline...we talked about this...the toilet paper is not your toy. You have your own toys.

Our little girl had another head tremor this morning. She is very confused about it when it happens. This could be her “new normal”. We just continue to pray that they don’t progress to a point where they become debilitating. 🙏🏻


Good morning from this little fighter! 🐶☀️ Madeline is ready to help mom water the plants...

Thanks to the jack ass backyard breeder and and worthless human who abandoned her, Madeline doesn’t get to go on walks like the rest of the puppies her age. She can’t do that until she has had all of her vaccinations. And she can’t have her vaccinations until we are out of the woods with distemper. So instead we take golf cart rides in the evenings so she can get some fresh air but still be safe. She loves her rides and can’t wait!! (The look of concern on her face is not because of the ride. It’s because she’s worried mom walked away and left her.🙂

Madeline doesn’t know she’s sick. She refuses to believe it. For her, life is about play time, eating, snuggles and belly rubs, of course 🤗. She had a really good day yesterday but we are waiting for the vet in Texas to evaluate her videos and let us know how to proceed. Until then, “let’s play ball Mom!!”

Good morning from baby Madeline ☀️❤️

Those of you following know that Madeline has been feeling pretty great the last few days, aside from diarrhea (that I think we finally have a handle on). Unfortunately late last night she had a little head tremor while relaxing before bed. This could mean so many things. It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since she left the mucus stage of distemper. The “average” time for a dog to enter the neurologic phase of distemper is 3 weeks. We don’t know yet if that’s where we are headed, but we are ready. She has a good appetite, an amazing heart and she is strong!

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Please donate to her cause. She is going to kick distempers A$$ with all of you behind her.

She is feeling good this morning, already out hunting birds.

Madeline...are you supposed to be on the couch? What am I saying, you can do whatever you want my little love bug❤️🐞 🐶👑

Mom...I think you forgot something. Where’s my yogurt?🤗

Woke up to a poopy puppy this morning 💩 🐶. She wasn’t too sure about her sink bath so early in the morning. But the towel dry snuggles made it all worth it 😊

Baby bean LOVES when mom gets home from work! Belly rub time!! 🤗

Madeline doesn’t want to go in the house! She wants to stay outside and play!

Wherever Momma is Maddy isn’t too far away. My little shadow is not even phased by the hairdryer.

Baby girl isn’t feeling so great today. She’s normally mom’s little shadow with a ferocious appetite. But not today. She just wants to relax and get belly rubs and isn’t too hungry. She has her ups & downs and unfortunately today she’s a bit down 😢