Thanks for saving Nina and RIP Joe

Since I'm no English expert, I'll just put this into Google Translate.

I usually avoid discussing personal matters online. There are too many trolls and cruel people. But last week, something happened that made me feel the need to thank my supporters and warn anyone who has pets.

I had to move out of my old house. My father is a violent man; he's hit me several times, thrown me against a wall, and in recent years, he's started threatening to kill me.

My old house is falling apart. Holes in the walls, where plants would grow, floors made of pure cement, which causes a lot of cement dust and gave me allergies, the roof leaks so much that I had to carry an umbrella inside the house—it was a scene straight out of Resident Evil or The Last of Us. Over the years, I'd been able to save money through some freelance work I did online, and I asked my father for permission to pay someone to do the house renovations myself. Initially, he let me, and I spent $200 on it, but then he forbade me from continuing because, according to him, he enjoys seeing us suffer in the house. In late 2024, he began becoming violent toward my mother, so I realized I had to do something to get us out of that hell.

My grandparents' roof is made of cement, and years ago, they had built pillars and installed an asbestos roof over them. They also built a ladder for access. With the money I'd saved for renovations on the old house, my grandparents allowed me to build a house on top of theirs. Since there was already a roof and a staircase, and a relative agreed to take care of the construction for a low price, I started building. The first few months of this year were filled with extreme stress, exhaustion, and sadness for me. I helped with the construction and ended up injuring my shoulder, which I still feel a lot of pain from.

We managed to move in. It's not a perfect place; I almost lost my computer twice because heavy storms cause leaks here, as the roof is old. But it's a much better place than the old one. The construction isn't completely finished yet, but I'll gradually finish what's left.

In June, my grandparents got a puppy, Nina, and about a week later, someone abandoned a male puppy in front of the house on a rainy day. We named him Joe.

Nina and Joe stayed with us for about four months, and unfortunately, at the end of September, they contracted a highly deadly virus called parvovirus. I haven't had dogs since I was a child, so I had no idea such diseases existed, nor had I ever seen a dog suffer from it. Otherwise, I would have paid for the vaccinations myself. My grandfather said he would vaccinate them at some point, but unfortunately, they contracted the disease before my grandfather could vaccinate them. I'm not sure, but I think my grandfather was waiting for them to get older to vaccinate them.

Nina was the first to show symptoms, suffering from bloody diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and stopping eating. Veterinarians in Brazil are extremely expensive, but I was able to hospitalize her for a day. They took care of her and gave me a list of medications to buy. Nina came home practically 100% recovered and full of energy.

On Wednesday, Joe started showing symptoms, so we started giving him the same medications we gave Nina. On Thursday night, his condition worsened; he stopped walking and had profuse bloody diarrhea. On Friday, I borrowed R$1,000 to hospitalize him and pay for his medication. I spent the entire Saturday morning crying, afraid he wouldn't make it, as the disease affected him MUCH more intensely than Nina. On Saturday morning, the vet called me and confirmed he hadn't made it. Due to the severity of the disease, unfortunately, nothing could have saved him, even if he had been hospitalized on Wednesday.

I did everything I could to care for and save them both. My body and mind are exhausted, and I haven't slept well in a week.

I'm currently caring for Nina. I brought her home, and I'm giving her medication and food. She's recovering very well, helping me cope with my grief. She managed to put a smile on my face even during this difficult time.

I want to thank all of RoSA's supporters. Without you, Nina wouldn't have survived. I spent all my savings and borrowed money to top it up. Veterinary admission is the only option to try to save the life of a dog with parvovirus, but it all depends on how well the dog's body fights the virus.

If you have pets, research which vaccines are necessary and vaccinate your pet annually. This would have saved Joe. Pets are sweet, innocent creatures and don't deserve to feel the pain these diseases cause.

Thank you for reading this far. And don't worry, I'll be releasing this month's RoSA as usual.