This sweet little bundle of cuteness is Bonsai. He’s a rescue English bulldog from Arkansas and was born on April 17. As adorable as he is, Bonsai was born with a combination of rare ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀs that sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇly affected his chances at a quality life. His chance of survival was looking slim.
He also has a condition called swimmer puppy syndrome. The condition basically spreads the legs out, flattens the chest, and leaves an animal unable to stand normally, putting a lot of pressure on internal ᴏʀɢᴀɴs.
Not sure of how to care for Bonsai, his owners contacted Friends of Emma, a rescue organization dedicated to helping dogs with special needs in Fort Worth. Doctors for the rescue determined that Bonsai’s biggest ɪssᴜᴇ was his hind legs, so both were ᴀᴍᴘᴜᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ in late June.
With the support of his adoptive humans and the support and care of the association, Friends of Emma, he benefited from a lot of care that enabled him to get through it. The pup is reportedly recovering just fine.
He is recovering well but will require multiple in-depth diagnostics on his internal anatomy to help manage his conditions, including a costly MRI scan and other advanced imaging procedures. Those caring for him have yet to find a single documented case of Bonsai’s specific conditions being found in any other living animal.
“We’ve always been aᴡᴀʀe that Bonsai may not live a long life due to his rare combined conditions — he hadn’t been sick, there was no warning, and we are still shocked at the sudden happenings.”
They tell that the bulldog lived a relatively healthy life before he ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ quietly in the middle of the night: “I tucked him into his little bed as I do every night. A few hours later, I heard what sounded like a faint cough, little bark, and then nothing. His heart had stopped, just that quickly.”
Bonsai is a special character and we just hope to spread the word about him and bring awareness that those born different (animals and humans alike) can still MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives and hearts of many!’