Toebean (our tailless kitty)...

Toebean (our tailless kitty) just rubbed his nub against Cub. It was very cute. I've never seen him do that before. ❤️

Despite how many times he was shot...

Despite how many times he was shot, Oreo is shockingly chill about fireworks. This boy never ceases to amaze me.

Migraine day.

Migraine day. Waiting for these meds to kick in. Boyfriend is a great care-taker.

Stay safe today and secure your pets. ❤️

I'm terrible. I can't stop laughing right now. 😂😂😂

I'm terrible. I can't stop laughing right now. 😂😂😂

Before I say what I'm about to say, some backstory:

I like lights on. I like it bright and light in the house.

Shaun is the opposite. He likes it dark. He is always complaining about me turning lights on without warning him, even in the daytime when there is a lot of natural light and it's not super jarring to turn lights on.

So it's late right now. We're in bed with the lights off. I'm on my side facing Shaun while scrolling on my phone. I decide it's time to dim my phone by turning on the "Night Light" feature.

I, (really and truly) accidentally turned my flashlight on directly into his eyeballs. 😂😂😂

He laughed it off and I can't stop laughing, but I do feel bad at the same time. I might need to rearrange my menu so that doesn't happen again.

I don't know why he puts up with me and my nonsense, but I'm glad that he does. 😂

Me and Kira went out today.

Me and Kira went out today. We saw some balloons this afternoon. We could see them from the back yard, but one was landing near the road as we were heading to our appointments. That will probably forever be one of my favorite things about here.

We went and got some piercings today. Kira got her other nostril pierced, so now she's symmetrical. I got the second holes in my earlobes redone. They were done with a gun 1000 years ago and one of them was a bit lower than I wanted it. I've been wanting them redone since I was in Cincinnati and finally got around to doing it.

The shop (Evolution Body Piercing) was not only efficient and clean and super professional, but gorgeous, too. It had this weird dark, nature-meets-industrial vibe. It was decorated with all kinds of rocks and plants and geodes and a fountain. It also doesn't do anything but piercing, which I thought was neat.

We had a pretty good day. Now I'm off to do my sadly-neglected nails. I've been super bad about leaving my gel down for 3+ weeks and I have some breaks to show for it. Time to get right. 😂

New collar, a tag, and a house key.

New collar, a tag, and a house key. We're ready! ❤️

Some light reading for anyone interested...

Some light reading for anyone interested. This describes Oreo - down to the itching skin. 😳 It's so wild to me that his body can be starving despite him being fed.

This was sent to me from the amazing Aunt Taimi. She deserves some serious credit for keeping this kid alive since he was released from AMC. She's figured out the fat content he does best on and everything. I'm going to need her to show me how she's been caring for him before I bring him home. I'm terrified that I'll mess up his progress.

I can only take credit for picking him up. I have no idea what I would have done if he'd been able to come home with me initially like I'd planned. Best case scenario is that the vets here could have figured him out. Worst case is that he reached a low too low to come back from.

I don't think I can properly express how grateful I am to Taimi for the way she's cared for and advocated for Oreo. She has put her time and energy and effort into investigating his symptoms and helping him. I have never had a foster so intense. But I credit her and her years of experience in every one of his health gains.

I guess I am off to search up some EPI groups on here. I am so looking forward to being reunited with Oreo, but I feel like I'm going to need the support. This is 100% new to me and I want to do the very best I can for him.

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency-in-dogs

Oreo went to the vet today.

Oreo went to the vet today. He got his vaccinations, so now that's done. He still didn't like it. He's just not ok with being poked, poor buddy.

He's up to 41.8 pounds now, so he's gained ~4.5 lbs.

He didn't feel great today when he woke up, so Aunt Taimi was quick with the anti-nausea meds again. He was also doing the "downward dog" type posture which is a sign of pain in the tummy area. She's been keeping a log of his meals and nothing had changed. He has managed to keep his meals down today.

They were unable to test for it today, but he is almost certainly pancreatic insufficient based on everything we've noted and what the vet observed. They gave him an enzyme to start that should (eventually, in like a month) help him have fewer bad days.

Until then, our sweet boy is doing pretty well. The vet trip didn't wipe him out today. He played with Kiwi after he got home. That's a great improvement over having to be carried into the house and tucked into bed.

His lows have also gone from "I might be dying" to "my stomach hurts and I'm not feeling well" so we'll count that as a win, too.

I've gone ahead and ordered him a tag for his collar and am anxious to bring him home. I've missed that sweet boy and am practically counting the days now! ❤️

Toebean went to the vet again today.

Toebean went to the vet again today. He's now on Gabapentin plus an antibiotic, as well as got an anti-inflammatory injection. They couldn't see anything wrong with his mouth that would make him cry and can't find a reason other than anxiety or pain for him to be pulling his hair. 🙁

I guess if none of these things help he'll be seeing a specialist soon. Poor buddy.

Aunt Taimi got a wild wake up this morning.

Aunt Taimi got a wild wake up this morning. Oreo and Kiwi were wrestling on the bed!

I hear that our sweet boy has had a good day. I'm glad to hear that. He's currently snoozing and hopefully he and Kiwi will let everyone get some rest tonight. 😂😂😂

I didn't want to bum anyone out yesterday, but...

I didn't want to bum anyone out yesterday, but Oreo had no appetite and ended up vomiting yesterday. Aunt Taimi got fluids in him and he seems better today on that front. At least he seems able to bounce back faster than before.

He's been itching since I found him and we thought that might resolve once he was more nourished, but it seems to be getting worse. Aunt Taimi had to give him Benadryl so he could sleep last night.

He's still doing better overall, but not 100%. I'm sure it will take time and many more vet trips to get him sorted out.

For now, he's resting like a good boy. Just look at that snoozing pup! ❤️

Sweet Oreo played today!

Sweet Oreo played today! Look at him go! ❤️

Oreo is doing well!

Oreo is doing well. He's been barking and wagging and having a good time!

In other related news:

His Girlfriend and 5 puppies have been rescued from the streets, as well! My understanding is that they are going into a rescue in Georgia.

This is an old photo of Oreo and his girl. The up close is Girlfriend alone. She's so precious and has a face I just want to squish! ❤️

This makes a total of 7 dogs saved from one area of Noble Street in Anniston, AL.

My heart is happy. I just wish there was a way for me to let him know that they're ok, too.

So we found out today...

So we found out today that Oreo doesn't like hats - on people. 😂 I don't know what my brain was doing, but when Taimi told me that he didn't like hats I was like "Ok. Good to know. We won't put hats on him." 😂😂😂 Anyway, he growled at one of her guests with a hat, but was fine with her once she took it off, thank goodness.

Oreo is looking pretty great. He's filling in nicely. Aunt Taimi is taking him to the vet next week to see if he can be vaccinated yet. He might also restart doxycycline so we can get on top of his heartworm treatment. I'm pretty excited for him.

Look at this sweet boy. Look how well he's doing! ❤️❤️❤️

Aunt Taimi said that Oreo has been a great dog having a great day. 😊

Aunt Taimi said that Oreo has been a great dog having a great day. 😊

I might hold off on the daily updates unless there is something to tell or a photo to share. With the holidays upon us and him on the mend it's a busy time and things are going well. Consider no news to be good news.

In the meantime I'll be counting down the days until I see him again. If everything goes as planned I'll have him home in about 2 weeks. I have missed him a ton, but I'm so grateful he's been with Aunt Taimi. I truly believe that she and her network saved his life and I will never be able to thank her enough.

❤️❤️❤️

Yesterday was cloudy and cold and rainy...

Yesterday was cloudy and cold and rainy and it was snowing on the mountain and I was NOT a fan. Today it's back to sunny. It's 50°F out right now, but even when the temperature is lower it's still usually nice to be out when the sun is.

On average we have about 310 sunny days every year. We do get rain and snow, but those clouds are usually just passing through rather than sticking around like they did yesterday.

I am so spoiled. I definitely should NOT complain about 55 little cloudy days. 😂😂😂 Let me go be quiet now. 😂

Our sweet Oreo cookie has had another great day.

Our sweet Oreo cookie has had another great day.

From Aunt Taimi:  He's played a little, barked a lot, slept, ate, came around for more cuddles....he's been hanging with the girls all day long and doing amazing.

I hear he only had one coughing fit, so hopefully he'll be over the kennel cough soon.

I am so excited for this precious boy. I bet he feels better than he has in ages. ❤️❤️❤️

Oreo is doing really great today.

Oreo is doing really great today. Still no vomiting, healthy appetite, and he ate his meals and snack today without begging for more food or raiding the trash.

I bet this is the longest he's gone without throwing up since before I picked him up. If he was having vomiting / gut issues as well as having to scavenge for food, then it's no wonder he was so thin. I really don't think he would have lasted much longer on the streets.

Anyway, look at this handsome face. You can just tell he feels so much better. ❤️❤️❤️

Featured is sister Kiwi. She's a playful girl and it looks like she's trying to entice him to play with her and her ball. 😂

To quote Aunt Taimi about Oreo:

To quote Aunt Taimi about Oreo:  "He's had a most excellent day."

I am so glad to hear it. He didn't have any anti-nausea meds today at all and is down to every other day on Prednisone. He let her know he was ready for dinner early and other than that has been a good boy.

My heart is happy. Maybe our boy is finally on the mend! ❤️❤️❤️

Edited:  Look at these snuggles!

I haven't had caffeine in like, almost a year...

I haven't had caffeine in like, almost a year... Except for the day before I had my last migraine a few months back. I had my first matcha tea that day and (stupidly) assumed that it had less caffeine than black tea and that was NOT the case. Lesson learned.

Shaun wanted to go out for breakfast this morning. I thought "I guess I'll grab a tea." I got Earl Grey - hot, and took it home to put in my milk.

I put maybe 4 TABLESPOONS of tea in a 22 ounce cup of milk.  I haven't even drank half of that yet.

That might sound like nothing... but I am FEELING it. For better or worse I am existing in Fast Forward for the next little while. 😂😂😂

That's crazy to me. Hopefully, there will be no headache. I guess I need to really be careful and only have caffeine on days that I am sluggish, not just because it sounded nice. 😬 I need to see if I can find decaffeinated versions of some of my favorites.

This boy... He's HUNGRY today.

This boy... He's HUNGRY today. He's been begging and stealing and scheming all day. They had to put the food bucket up high, but he's got street smarts and isn't easily thwarted. He's not making it easy to feed him moderate meals while he weans off medication to ensure he doesn't relapse into vomiting.

I love me a pup that's knows what they want and how to get it. They can be so much trouble, but they are so worth it.

We're putting a pause on the barium study because he's doing so well and we don't want to disrupt that.

If he can remain stable and get over this kennel cough I have plans to bring him home the first weekend in January. I hate to wait, but it would be better for him and trying to travel through the holidays with a dog that may or may not get deathly sick suddenly doesn't sound like a wonderful idea. We're gonna play it safe.

Super Thank You you to Aunt Taimi for being quick on the fluids when he needs it and super patient with him when he's feeling well and raiding everyone else's food. We have joked about renaming him "Yoyo" because of the severity of his ups and downs, but hopefully the downturns are behind him! ❤️

Me and Shaun were sitting here watching TV...

Me and Shaun were sitting here watching TV when we heard something messing with our bird feeders (the low ones on our front window). We checked the security camera and we think it was either a fox or coyote. All we got was the tail leaving that you can see on the left side of the video.

I love coexisting with wildlife out here on the Mesa. ❤️

https://www.facebook.com/blu.xenethos/posts/pfbid02VmXCrsD14ZEADXFSQTyARNgYETxPWeN55yXjDxfcuPE8YxxkeP19nXkcGbg3cFYl

Oreo started the day needing fluids, but...

Oreo started the day needing fluids, but ended it walking around and trying to beg for / steal food. Aunt Taimi is being very careful with his diet and food intake. Even though his recent test for pancreatitis was negative, his last bloodwork showed an elevated enzyme that may indicate we missed the flare with testing. At this point we are playing it safe and treating him as though it was the problem.

We have decided that if he crashes again he will be going to Auburn. If he holds steady over the weekend and the vet can do his Barium test with him having kennel cough, that will be happening on Monday.

It's so very hard knowing what to do with him swinging from ok to near-death like he has been. But he hasn't given up and it feels so unfair for us to give up on him. His Aunt Taimi loves him and so do I. He is a really good boy and I so want to give him a good life.

I know it's the wrong time of year to ask for donations and you all have been so generous already, but if you feel like you want to help this sweet cookie his GoFundMe is linked below.

❤️❤️❤️

https://www.gofundme.com/f/bjs7z-oreos-recovery

I've been home for ~2 weeks and...

I've been home for ~2 weeks and I have been exhausted the whole time. I think the trip to Alabama took a lot out of me, not to mention the toll that near-constant worry over Oreo has taken.

I haven't been sleeping super well and I napped late in the day today, but the weather was pretty nice considering the season and I felt like going out. So me and Shaun took Cub to the park and had a little walk. I think I needed that.

I don't know the reasoning behind it, but you usually only see afternoon balloons in the winter. Most of the rest of the year they are out in the early morning. So it was nice to catch one in the sky today. 🙂

Oreo has had a good appetite today.

Oreo has had a good appetite today. He's been begging for food and even trying to steal it. But he's been stable and not vomiting, so Aunt Taimi has been very careful with his portions and what he's allowed to eat.

I know it's weird to say, but I'm bummed out that he doesn't have pancreatitis. The symptoms line up really well and it's so strange that the test was negative. It would be great if we had something to treat. We're still going through with the barium test on Monday. Maybe that will give us more insight into what is going on with him.

We have more vets looking at his records and I've even had everything sent to Auburn. Maybe they'll give me a call next week to set something up. Paws crossed.

The only bad news for the day is that he might have picked up kennel cough at one of his appointments. Hopefully, it won't cause him any major issues since he hasn't been well enough for vaccinations. Seems like he just can't catch a break.

Look at this dummy. 😂

Look at this dummy. 😂 It's Harley - the cat I pulled out from under the hood of a running car when he was a kitten. He had badly burned paws from that adventure.

This is the cat that hides and plays and tries to get outside. I guess he's always been one to get into things.

But he's being super love-y and knead-y and purr-y and cuddly right now. I'll take it. 😂

Oreo's test was negative. 🙁

Oreo's test was negative. 🙁 But we're not giving up.

It's been a minute since I posted about Kira, but...

It's been a minute since I posted about Kira, but last night she made these cookie brownies and I got to try them today. They're really good! I like the texture a lot and the edge was my favorite part.

I love it when she makes new tasty snacks for us to try! ❤️

Oreo is down, but he's not out.

Oreo is down, but he's not out.

Aunt Taimi thought he wouldn't last the night, but just as he did to me right before he was hospitalized, he got out of bed this morning and just kept on keeping on.  He is not giving up, so neither are we.  We are all in.

I don't want to say too much until we know something for sure, but Oreo is having a test run for pancreatitis tomorrow morning.  He is also scheduled for a barium test on Monday.  Both of those things are thanks to Aunt Taimi; she has done some investigation and he has all of the symptoms for pancreatitis - down to vomiting after eating a high-fat meal.  Pancreatitis is a treatable condition, so we are hoping for a positive result.

If I had known that a test for pancreatitis was an option it would have been done already.  I don't understand why exploratory surgery on a malnourished, heartworm positive dog was offered and not a simple test that needs a drop of blood, but I am having some pretty negative feelings right now; me and Aunt Taimi both.  According to the email I posted yesterday the options were exploratory surgery, humane euthanasia, or luck with at home comfort care.

I will post the test results as soon as we get them, so that will be a morning update.  For now, the best boy is resting and hanging in there.

I have an Oreo update.

I have an Oreo update.

He's still vomiting and has become dehydrated. He went back to the vet today and the news was not good. ☹️ Here is the email from the vet:

"Oreo was rechecked today for recurrent vomiting, persistent despite re-starting ondansetron on Monday, December 11.

Recheck lab work is largely unremarkable apart from some mild deviations from normal: the previously elevated liver enzyme (ALT) is now normal.

Recheck ultrasound shows a small volume of fluid in the abdominal cavity and a segment of the small intestine that appears to be thickened. Thickening of the gut can occur with inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal lymphoma, a form of cancer. There is also some irregular tissue mid-abdominally that could represent inflammation in the connective tissue like we sometimes see with pancreatitis or could represent some sort of mesenteric mass.

Given the findings and clinical signs, options are (1) hospitalize for fluid therapy and stabilization with a plan to pursue exploratory surgery to lay eyes on the liver, pancreas, and GI tract (along with the other abdominal organs) to see if there are any grossly visible lesions and/or to take biopsies; (2) hospitalize for fluid therapy and medical care without a plan to pursue surgery -- this might include Vitamin B12, a specialized diet, and reinstitution of higher dose steroid therapy in case of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or intestinal cancer; (3) basic symptomatic outpatient care, including subcutaneous fluids, an injection for nausea relief, Vitamin B12, and continued monitoring at home; or (4) humane euthanasia due to guarded prognosis, co-morbidity (heartworms), and difficulty/expense of determining a diagnosis and pursuing treatment of that diagnosis.

I've CC'd Dr. Nelson on this email and we agree that we need to hold off on increasing the prednisone dose until you decide with certainty that you won't pursue surgery: high-dose prednisone delays healing and increases the risk for leakage at biopsy sites.

I certainly wish things were more cut-and-dry in Oreo's case, but unfortunately there's still a lot of uncertainty. Let us know what you decide or if there are additional questions."

Me and Aunt Taimi have decided against hospitalization. She is giving him subq fluids in the comfort of her home on a heated blanket. He did receive the nausea injection and B-12. Oreo is currently resting.

He has only gained back to 37 lbs. Neither of us feel that he will survive an exploratory surgery. I personally don't feel that it would be humane to subject him to that at this point. We have asked his vet to put him back on Prednisone since tapering off seemed to coincide with the nausea and vomiting.

My hope is that he will rally and live long enough for other symptoms to present so that we can tell if he is having an inflammatory disease or something less treatable. If he doesn't show some improvement by the end of tomorrow, then I will fly out this weekend to be with him as we say goodbye. He has been such a great boy and we've been on this roller-coaster for a solid 3 weeks, pushing 4 now. It's been so hard.

I will keep the updates coming as we learn more. ❤️❤️❤️ to you all.

Oreo had some stomach upset today.

Oreo had some stomach upset today. He threw up this morning and it took some meds and some time before he ate again. But thankfully he eventually did and has held it down so far.

He's ready to snuggle in for the night. Me, too, buddy. Me, too.

Toebean said...

Toebean said these meds got him feeling a little glonky. 😂

Look at these sweet babies. 😭😭😭

Look at these sweet babies. 😭😭😭

Oreo is filling in a bit. He had a good day. No nausea meds. Ate and kept it down. Barked a lot! I'm glad he's feeling up to it!

I'm so happy to see his face. I miss this kid like crazy.

Super 1000 "Thank you's" to his Aunt Taimi. She's taking wonderful care of this boy. ❤️❤️❤️

Balthazar tried to sit on my lap...

Balthazar tried to sit on my lap about 3 different times before I was ready to settle down. He's like "Finally!" 😂😂😂

Toebean went to the vet today. After he had his bad tooth extracted a few weeks ago, he didn't stop crying when he yawned. Then a couple of days ago he started pulling fur. The vet has him on pain meds and said that his extraction hole looked fine, no infection or anything like that. So we have a referral for him to be checked for TMJ. Poor buddy. I was hoping having the tooth removed would solve his problem. 😢

These things were so good all day..

These things were so good all day... Until I got into a meeting, and then Scar just needed to be part of it. He does this weird purr/meow thing when he wants attention, and he did it several times. Guess I'd better charge my headset so it will filter him out next time. 😂

Oreo Update:

Oreo Update:

He had a good appetite today with no more upset tummy. In fact, he decided that he was hungry enough after he was fed to raid the trash. 😂 I'm sure that scavenging is just second nature to him at this point. Thankfully, his Aunt Taimi understood and didn't hold it against him. ❤️

This is the only time she's not awful...

This is the only time she's not awful - when she's sleeping. 😂😂😂

Didn't forget my daily Oreo update.

Didn't forget my daily Oreo update.

He had a pretty good day, but threw up once a while after lunch. Aunt Taimi was quick with the anti-nausea meds and thankfully he kept dinner down and participated in the nightly cheese ritual.

Here he is all tucked in. These are my favorite pictures! ❤️

Look at this handsome face. Look at this GOOD BOY.

Look at this handsome face. Look at this GOOD BOY. I'm literally in tears. He looks so much better!

He had another good day. Strong appetite. And he's barky! He keeps an eye on things. Taking meds and keeping them down.

Aunt Taimi is taking excellent care of Oreo. I am so thankful for her! ❤️❤️❤️

I heard that Oreo had another good day.

I heard that Oreo had another good day. He ate well, and was alert and lovey. He even tried to play a little! ❤️❤️❤️