This ‘Pearl’ is Precious! A Pit Bull Defies all of the Odds Against Her

At first glance, you would not know that Pearl the pit bull was once near death and horribly neglected. 

Abandoned at a local vet’s office as a puppy, Pearl was in such bad shape.

Her little body was so emaciated with bare-bones poking through her skin. She had mange so severely that there was little fur left.

However, the worst part of it all was that she was septic. The infection had overcome her entire body.

Within her uterus lay an entire litter of dead puppies. 

The veterinarian and medical staff attended to this 1-year old puppy doing every possible thing they could to restore her health.

Pearl’s will to live was so strong that she pulled through. She became very depressed over the loss and absence of her puppies.

Coincidentally, there was a litter of puppies at the vet’s office that lost their mother.

The medical staff decided to try and see if Pearl would mother these little newborn pups.

Without hesitation, she accepted the puppies as her own and nursed and mothered them. 

This gave Pearl the lift in spirit that she needed. 

Eventually, Pearl was transferred to a rescue organization in nearby Raleigh, NC.

She was still unable to walk on her own and needed continued medical care.

LoveMuttsRescue foster parents took Pearl into their home.

Jim and Jen Raschella lovingly cared and nurtured this little pit bull knowing that she has medical issues to contend with. 

The Raschellas fell in love with Pearl and ended up adopting her. Pearl became one of the canine kids.

Their home was a dog-friendly home, which was evident from the other three dogs that also lived there. Pearl was right at home!

Within a year, Pearl began to lose so much weight that the Raschellas began to grow concerned. 

Vet visits pursued with no answers, which led them to seek the opinions of four other vets — still, no answers.

Pearl went from 45 lbs to 28 lbs, and her rigor for life was slowly diminishing. 

With one last hope for help, Jim and Jen took Pearl to North Carolina State Veterinary Hospital where she was admitted to ICU.

Tests confirmed that Pearl had Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, hookworms, anemia, and some other issues.

All of which were treatable.

Jim and Jen were relieved that their sweet Pearl was going to get the treatment she needed for so long.

After a 6-day stay in ICU, Pearl was released and back home with her canine siblings.

She was so happy to be back home.

Within a matter of days after getting home, a bacterial infection set in causing her to be readmitted to ICU again. 

The costs of her medical treatments were increasing quickly, causing a financial hardship on the Raschellas.

They kept pushing forward to save their girl.

A GoFundMe page was set up by a family member where donations began to come in.

Ellen Degeneres found out about the Raschellas fighting for Pearl and the toll it has taken on their wallet.

Pearl’s medical care was approaching $16,000!

Amidst all of the chaos of Pearl’s treatment, Ellen flew the Raschellas to Los Angeles where they made a guest appearance on “The Ellen Show.”

Ellen donated $10,000 towards Pearl’s medical bills. 

In addition to donations pouring in, Jen’s second-grade class organized a lemonade stand donating the $120 proceeds to Pearl’s care.

This was heart touching to know that not only adults around the world cared for Pearl, but children as well.

The love for Pearl was coming from so many that have never even met her.

Pearl recovered from the bacterial infection and has managed to get her weight back up to normal.

She is still under medical care and probably will be for the remainder of her life.

She doesn’t mind that she has had to fight hard because she is in a loving home where she is happy and knows that she is valued and well-cared for.

Thank you to the Raschellas, the vet clinic, Ellen Degeneres, and those who have helped through donations.

This is what it’s all about in the world of loving dogs! You are all an inspiration.

Pearl, you are well-loved from every corner of the globe!