Big Little Life Animal Rescue

Remember Rexanne?

A German Shepherd we rescued from a rundown shelter in 2025.
She was painfully thin, dehydrated, and looked so defeated. It was clear life had not been kind to her.
The road home turned out to be a long one. Along the way, Rexanne was surrounded by love and dedication, especially from our volunteer Tanya, who stood by her every step of the journey.
Then, just as she was preparing to leave for her new life in Germany in January, Rexanne was diagnosed with transmissible venereal tumor (TVT). Her trip had to be postponed while she underwent treatment.
Many people would have moved on.
Her future mom didn't.
She waited. Through months of treatment, updates, and uncertainty, she waited for Rexanne.
We rescue many dogs, and every now and then one steals your heart a little deeper than the others. Rexanne was one of those dogs.
Now she is finally home in Germany.
We're keeping our fingers crossed that she loves her new life as much as we loved being part of her journey. Although knowing Rexanne, we're pretty sure she's already busy stealing her mom's spot on the couch, her heart, and possibly an impressive amount of undercoat-brushing time. ❤️

Join us in wishing this wonderful girl a lifetime of happiness.

An important update on Naida.

Today is her second day back home after the clinic. Naida is receiving all of her medications. Her wounds have been cleaned and treated, and we are continuing to monitor her closely.
We are still taking things one day at a time, but today she gave us so many reasons to smile.
Naida drank water on her own. She spent time outside in the fresh air. She watched the world around her. And she even ate a little puree from a spoon.

Today we also rented an infusion pump so Naida could begin home infusion therapy. The goal is to support her kidneys, help restore her body's fluid and electrolyte balance, and give her liver the support it desperately needs. Because of her fragile condition, fluids must be given slowly and consistently. The infusion pump allows that to happen safely and accurately.

And then Naida gave us a little more hope. She started peeing on her own. After everything we learned about her kidneys, this is something we were desperately hoping to see. We know it does not change the seriousness of her condition, but it is encouraging nonetheless.

Later today she surprised us even more. After lying comfortably for a while, she suddenly decided she had somewhere important to be. She picked herself up and tried to head off on her own little adventure. It felt like Naida was saying:"Well, thank you everyone, but I have places to be."

We know how serious her condition remains. We know the road ahead is uncertain. But today, Naida gave us a little more hope. The infusion pump is currently rented. Unfortunately, the rental has already cost nearly a third of the purchase price, and if Naida needs it longer, continuing to rent will quickly become more expensive than owning one.

Thank you for continuing to stand with this old girl.

Naida: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAvU2JaKG8IdtsTMvr4sPozmbelmiHPiK

☑ Venmo:
☑ Zelle: [email protected]
☑ Cash App: $biglittlelife
☑ Benevity: Big Little Life Rescue
☑ PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WT6BL9QQLY3BE
☑ Website: www.biglittleliferescue.org/donate

We do not even know how to write this update. 💔

Naida was admitted and fully re-evaluated at the hospital. New bloodwork came back far worse than anything we expected. We were told her kidneys are failing and her liver is no longer functioning properly. The doctors told us the most humane thing to do would be to let her go.
We were devastated.
What makes this even harder to understand is that just four days ago, her bloodwork, while already concerning, looked very different. We knew Naida was sick. We knew she was fragile. But none of us expected to be discussing end-of-life decisions only a few days later.

Just yesterday we handed over a dog who was looking around, interested in her surroundings, watching people, still very much present.
Our first thoughts were not about treatment. They were about how to give her a peaceful goodbye. But we were not ready to leave Naida alone with strangers for her final moments. Not after everything she had survived.

So we consulted with three more doctors. Two agreed there was little to no hope. But one doctor said he was not ready to tell us that.
And we held onto those words.
We may be wrong. But we were not ready to stop fighting for her today.
So we ordered the medications. We adjusted the plan.
The doctors see the numbers. We see them too.
But we also see Naida.
When we picked her up from the clinic, she recognized the car and stopped worrying. She laid down and relaxed.
For today, she is home.

Whatever tomorrow brings, thank you for giving Naida comfort, dignity, and a chance to be loved.

For those asking how Naida is doing tonight, we uploaded videos of her at home after the clinic here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAvU2JaKG8IdtsTMvr4sPozmbelmiHPiK

Not everything is going well with Naida.

After she vomited blood, Naida stopped eating. Our first thought was that one of the plastic bags she had vomited earlier may have caused an intestinal blockage. Panic started immediately. We were trying to understand where to run, what clinic to call, what to do next.
Only later did we realize this reaction could also have been caused by the anti-inflammatory medications. We contacted the doctor right away, stopped the medication, added stomach protection medications, and thankfully the bloody vomiting has not repeated so far.
But another terrifying problem remains.
Naida still barely eats. At first we thought it was because of a possible blockage, or because something serious is happening inside her body that completely took away her appetite. Without nutrition, hydration, and stabilization, her body may simply stop fighting.
She needed hospitalization urgently.
And that opened another nightmare.
Not every clinic accepts an unvaccinated dog into hospitalization. Some hospitals are extremely low quality. Others are so expensive they feel impossible for rescuers. And Naida remains in extremely fragile condition.
Because of her suspected Cushing’s syndrome and very high cortisol levels, even IV fluids are complicated. Too much fluid can overload her heart and cause dangerous swelling. But without stabilization, fluids, electrolytes, and nutritional support, her body can start shutting down too.
We reached a point where every option felt dangerous.
Her foster could no longer safely manage this level of medical care at home.
So we rushed her to a hospital.
Right now it is after 1 AM. The clinic will not admit her without a very large deposit. Her foster only has a fraction of the required amount on hand.
While volunteers continue desperately searching for local funds overnight to admit Naida, your donations are what allow us to keep saying “yes” to her treatment instead of giving up.
We are begging for help tonight.
Please do not let Naida die after surviving everything she already survived.

☑ Venmo:
☑ Zelle: [email protected]
☑ Cash App: $biglittlelife
☑ Benevity: Big Little Life Rescue
☑ PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WT6BL9QQLY3BE
☑ Website: www.biglittleliferescue.org/donate

We received these photos yesterday and a note that this dog had been lying in this puddle of dirt for days, unable to get up. In 85 degree heat. Right behind her is an active train station. And people just kept moving around her.
When our volunteer rushed to pick her up, station workers said she had been there for days.
Five days.
Trains came and went. People passed her. Workers saw her every day. Nobody moved her into shade. Nobody gave her water. Nobody stopped.
She was dying right there in plain sight.
When we picked her up, maggots were crawling out through her skin. Eating her alive while she was still breathing. Her hind legs are not moving and we still do not know why.
We named her Naida.
A vet examined her at the house and already found swelling in her abdomen. Her bloodwork shows severe inflammation and damage throughout her body.
For hours a friend groomer worked to remove maggots from her wounds. When Naida was finally placed into warm water, she fell asleep instantly. The kind of sleep that comes after a body has been exhausted for far too long.
Her body has so many holes in it she looks like a sieve. Her skin is raw and destroyed from days of being eaten alive while unable to move.
Today she is resting. On Monday we are taking her to a clinic to try to understand everything that is happening to her body. She is an older girl and we do not know what her life looked like before she became a stray. But we can still change what happens next.
Please help us be the people who finally stopped.

For those who want to see more of Naida’s condition and rescue process, we uploaded the videos here (warning: graphic content):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAvU2JaKG8IdtsTMvr4sPozmbelmiHPiK

☑ Venmo:
☑ Zelle: [email protected]
☑ Cash App: $biglittlelife
☑ Benevity: Big Little Life Rescue
☑ PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WT6BL9QQLY3BE
☑ Website: www.biglittleliferescue.org/donate

So we got Gigi out on Monday, and she’ll be taken great care of from now on. She still needs to be spayed, vaccinated, brushed, and most importantly, loved.

I wanted to thank everyone who helped — starting with my dad for taking her in. He’s the reason I made a deadline given by former owner.
A huge thank you to Amy Shroff for connecting me with amazing people who will help find Gigi the best home possible.
I does take a village..

We’ll share updates.