A couple continues to fight for their dog born with a deformity — a condition causing her front legs to be higher than her head.
At about 10 weeks old, Rachael Woertink and James Cassity from noticed something was different with their golden retriever dog named Rexi – named because of her similarities with a tyrannosaurus rex.
“She was limping, so I took her to the vet thinking that she sprained her leg or something and got X-rays, completely normal,” Rachael Woertink tells ABC 7.
But after the vet was unable to determine a prognosis and Rexi lost complete use of her front legs, the family brought her to another vet. This time they heard some heartbreaking news: Rexi had a neurological disorder. Professionals suggested amputation or euthanasia may be the best option, but the couple wasn’t having it.
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“Even one of the vets said, ‘Maybe you should think about putting her down.’ She is like family to us you know. We don’t have any kids so this is kind of like our kid right here and we treat her like that,” James Cassity, Rexi’s owner, told the outlet.
Now nearly 1 years old, Rexi is getting by the best she can. Her family tried setting up the dog with a wheelchair or a protective vest, but it proved to be difficult for Rexi. So, she now uses her back legs and scoots on her chest, which can cause scraping. Now the pair looking for a solution to improve her quality of life.
The have reached out to the public to see if there are other solutions out there for dogs with her condition and have started a GoFundMe page to try and get her issue resolved.
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“Any kind of invention, somebody who knows something about dogs missing their front legs or handicapped, maybe some kind of doctor who knows about a surgery,” Cassity told the outlet.
To date, the campaign has raised more than its goal of $10,000, but the best news is a doctor stepped forward and believes she can help Rexi.
Here is a video of Rexi in action:
