Everyone is born just a little bit different than others. Those differences are meant to be celebrated. But sometimes, they can negatively affect a person’s life. That’s when you have to start looking for solutions that might help.
That often true for humans with cleft lips. But did you know that animals are born with this same condition, too? Just like people, they sometimes need help to live normal, happy lives.
Felix the Black Lab
Lately, this adorable pup has been getting a lot of attention online. The reason…he looks a little bit different than other dogs. This cute guy was born with a cleft lip and palate.
A word from his rescuer
Jamie not only rescued Felix but also became his owner. She said,
“I got Felix as an 11-day old puppy. I was the rescue worker who was called in by the breeder after they noticed that one of the puppies from their litter was not thriving, and was, in fact, dying because he had a severe cleft palate and cleft lip, and was not able to nurse off of his mother properly.”
A very sick puppy
Unfortunately, Felix wasn’t doing well at the beginning. With a bad case of pneumonia, it looked like he only had a few hours to live. But Jamie didn’t want to give up.
Nursing him back to health
It took a lot of work to get Felix back to a healthy state. Jamie had to tube-feed him for seven full weeks. But luckily, this precious pup was able to pull through.
Ongoing problems
Even though Felix was able to overcome his immediate health issues, he was still facing challenges. After all, his cleft lip and palate caused the initial health-related problems. So, Jamie made plans to get this pup some much-needed help.
A better future
She arranged for Felix to have surgery. The purpose of the operation was to fix the cleft lip and palate. Fortunately, it ended up being successful and Felix healed nicely.
Enjoying a new life
Now, Felix is living the best life ever. He was able to go swimming for a while following his surgery. He had so much fun splashing around and playing in the water.
A few remaining issues
Although Felix is doing remarkably well, he still has a few health issues remaining. Jamie explained, “Felix also has some digestive issues because his colon formed on the exact opposite side of his body that it was supposed to! Weird but it works. He only has one functioning eyeball, his jaws don’t match up, and the right side of his face looks like a melted candle, but other than that he is ok I suppose.”
Nothing seems to stop him
That all sounds like a lot but they’re not going to bring Felix down. He’s far too busy having fun with all of his dog siblings. Considering there are four of them, he has a big family.
An overall happy dog
According to Jamie, “Felix is the happiest dog I’ve ever had. He is blissfully ignorant of his health problems, and he has more energy than he or I know what to do with.” Sounds like this cute dog is as happy as can be and he won’t let anything get him down.
Maybe we can all channel more of Felix’s energy into our everyday lives.
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Source: Success Life Lounge, Imgur
