Gia’s Story

Age at diagnosis: 4 years 3 months

Breed: Korean Maltese

Gia is our fifth Maltese. We purposely sought out a good breeder. Sadly, Gia has elbow dysplasia, which we realized at about five months old.

When our holistic vet first examined her as a pup, she said she didn't like the shape of her head. We spoke to the breeder and she assured us it's a "Korean" characteristic. We never thought about it again until this happened three years later. Now I question my choice of breeder.

Before this devastating diagnosis, Gia was a sweet, easily trained and very fun-loving social pup. She loves going to work with me daily and greeting my clients. She rarely barks and simply loves being held by anyone who will pet her.

We pray she will go into remission and live a better life than one filled with prescriptions and doctor visits. While she's made remarkable progress, we know the risks and it scares us. We also miss her fun playful side and often wonder if we are truly doing the right thing. I won't ever let her suffer.

But we take each day as it comes, trying not to worry and trusting she will get better.

Thank you for what you are doing with The Theo Project.

Gia is part of The Theo Project's canine meningitis registry - a growing global collection of MUE, MUO and SRMA stories shared to help families facing this diagnosis.