Since Tort Baby has woken up...

Since Tort Baby has woken up he's been SUPER walky, so we've been putting him outside in the kennel to get some sunshine and exercise. By the time I've gotten off work, Tort Baby has played "Hide & Sleep" and it's our turn to find him. Bear and Cub decided to help us today, and Bear was spot on! It's kind of a boring video, but I was pretty shocked at how deep Tort Baby had buried himself.

He's not on the couch with us...

He's not on the couch with us; he's fallen off just about every time he's been on it... Other than the times he's tried to fling himself over the back because he saw Cubba parkour over. 😂

But he's here in the room with us sleeping - stretched out and chill. I'll take it.

I moved my office downstairs (Scar hates it, but he sleeps on my face all night so he'll live), so I'm with Bear and Cubba all day. They alternate between playing and napping. The worst thing Bear does at this point is take our shoes. He loves them. 😂 He still gets hype about the ice dispenser. If he gets too excited he tries to bite our legs or feet, but it's easy to redirect him to something else.

He likes to play with balls. We have tennis balls, and some Hol-ee balls, and I bought him a giant Collie Ball, too. He likes to run after the Collie Ball, but he doesn't have a long attention span for it. The longest he's played anything has been fetch with a tennis ball. It seemed to come naturally to him.

He's a super sweet and gentle boy. Still goofy as hell. His face makes me happy. He heard another dog outside today and he got his hackles up and roared. He growls when he's playful. He roars when you get ice or there is something going on. 😂 He's a funny guy who was definitely named appropriately. 😂

Anyway, little Bear update for ya. We've been keeping the boys home since they have giardia and pink eye, so no adventures lately. We're not trying to spread any of that around.

From a friend...

I'm not feeling well at all today.

I'm not feeling well at all today. I woke up with a tension headache and it's only barely let up with medicine and naps. I'm still so ridiculously sleepy after sleeping all night and napping off and on today.  🙁

I am starting a new project at work and I'm excited about it, but also very nervous. I've moved my office downstairs so I can watch Bear since he'll probably never have the knees to go up, so the house is in disarray and that adds to my anxiety. Also, that sweet boy is like having a toddler around, so he's keeping me on my toes. 😂

In other animal news, Tobi (orange kitty) is still being medicated twice a day. We're about to try to wean him down and see if his pain / hair pulling resumes. Balthazar (old man kitty) had a senior blood panel done on Friday and we are awaiting the results of that. And to top it off, Bear came with free pink eye and giardia, both of which have spread to Cubba, so we're medicating the boys several times a day. It's kind of a lot.

Anyway, I'm off to rest and hopefully get right before Monday comes. I hope you all are doing well. We're a bit of a mess over here, but I know it'll pass. Just gotta keep working at things and hang in there.

❤️❤️❤️

🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻

🤦🏻🤦🏻🤦🏻

Y'all, Bear sleeps in the floor all the time. He rarely gets on the couch. (We even got this dog a ramp and he just won't get on the couch). So he was asleep and Shaun wanted to show him that it was ok to sleep on the couch. Shaun went and picked the sleeping Bear up and put him in this spot by his ramp.

Not 30 seconds later Bear went to scratch himself and rolled off onto his ramp and into the floor. 🤣🤣🤣

He's back to napping in the floor, and I guess we're just going to let sleeping dogs lie. 😂

There weren't any other pups at the park when we went, but...

There weren't any other pups at the park when we went, but Bear and Cub got their sniffs in and played for a while. When Bear got tired / bored he came and laid under my seat on the bench.

Then when went out for doggie bagels. ❤️

I know I need to clean my floor, but I do housework on the weekends.

I know I need to clean my floor, but I do housework on the weekends.

We took these boys to the vet. They're having nasty eye boogers, so they are both being treated for that. Bear has some extra meds because I think he got cat-slapped in one eye.

Also, the vet checked Bear's knees. He's got luxating patellas in both (we've been putting his knees back in place when they get jankey. He doesn't mind.) It's looking like a surgery situation, which we knew was a possibility when we adopted him. They said it's Grade 2 now and it's better to try to get them worked out while he's young so he doesn't have more issues as he ages. We're waiting for the surgery center to give us a call.

Unrelated to vet stuff:  I've never had dogs who would share like this, but these boys share pretty much everything with no growling or other issue. It was uncomfortable to witness at first because I assumed that one of them would growl or snap, but nope. They share. I kind of love that. ❤️

You can't SEE Bear bust through the door...

You can't SEE Bear bust through the door... but you can hear it. 😂😂😂

When I say that Bear busted the door down...

When I say that Bear busted the door down... He really came through. 😂😂😂

Shaun had the backyard camera up so he could watch the dogs, and apparently he had a running start from the other side of the yard.

It makes a noise when it locks and unlocks, but Bear clearly ain't got the time to wait for that. 😂😂😂

I've never seen Cub do this to another dog before.

I've never seen Cub do this to another dog before. Sweet boys. ❤️

Snugs. ❤️

Snugs. ❤️

Bear just broke the electronic doggie door.

Bear just broke the electronic doggie door. He busted that bitch straight off the hinges. 😂

We have to find a way to keep the cats from getting out now until we can find a replacement locally or get one delivered. 😬

He said "I'm definitely your problem now? BET." 😂😂😂

Edited:  Shaun's heading to PetSmart. Supposedly the door is in stock. 🤞🏻

Edited again:  New door acquired and installed! 😊

The excitement is just too much...

The excitement is just too much. He can hardly keep his eyes open.

He's officially ours! ❤️

Ash (one of the cats) growls anytime she sees Bear...

Ash (one of the cats) growls anytime she sees Bear, whether he's near her or looking at her or not. She literally draws attention to herself.

So she was growling and eventually he started growling, but not at her... It was just like, into the air, like "This what we're doing?" 😂

So I was like "Don't get riled. Come over here." and walked him away from her. And he grabbed my hand so gently in his mouth and walked with me, holding my hand the whole time. It was so weird. 😂😂😂 Literally, no teeth pressure. Just "Feel my mouth." 😂😂😂

What in the world. This dog confuses and delights me daily.

This is the face of a dog...

This is the face of a dog who just tripped over the TV stand and somehow turned that into a rolling tumble. 😂😂😂

My dude.

How!?

...

Y'all, before I even got this posted he's on some other goof shit. He likes this gap between the couch and the wall. 😂

I may as well tell y'all that he has feelings about the ice dispenser. He gets so hype when you get ice. He runs around the kitchen roaring. 😂

He also got a puzzle toy today. He very quickly found how to dump the treats out. Cub ate all of them because Bear didn't notice. TEAMWORK! (I guess). 😂😂😂

Tired puppy is good puppy.

Tired puppy is good puppy. Look at that tongue! 👅😂😂😂

Me, too, Cub... me, too.

Me, too, Cub... me, too.

Goodnight, y'all. ❤️

Someone has finally agreed...

Someone has finally agreed that the couch is comfy. He can't decide if he's sleepy or wants to watch TV. 😂

I... This dog. 🤦🏻

I... This dog. 🤦🏻

I don't know what it was about Shaun looking for a nail clipper in my bag of tools here, but THRICE now it has caused Bear to come running and take a leap onto the couch... where his clumsy ass immediately rolled / fell off. 😂😂😂

We also got a ramp for the couch today. He walked up it, turned around, and walked down it. Two minutes later he approached it from the side and tried to jump over the guard rails. It, uh... didn't work. 😂😂😂

He is so weird. I don't really know what to say. But he's laying in the floor in front of the couch where we're sitting, so... It's nice he's hanging out with us, I guess. 😂

Also, Cub is dead tired. This boy wears him out. Here he is trying to hide behind Shaun. 😂

Bear's goof-ass just ran in a circle roaring...

Bear's goof-ass just ran in a circle roaring, then tried super hard to entice Cubba to play. He looked like he was trying to get the crowd hype. 😂😂😂

My precious Balthazar.

My precious Balthazar. I'm pretty sure he's our oldest kitty now. He's looking like an old man. Got an appointment Friday because he's feeling thin. I just love my sweet companions and I hope he has a few good years left. ❤️

(I know my blankets are furry. These fleece ones are so cozy, but nearly impossible to rid of hair. Oh well. 😂)

So Bear has OPINIONS. 😂😂😂

So Bear has OPINIONS. 😂😂😂

Shaun is heading out to get some snacks. He was gonna take the dogs with him. Cubba is always down to do whatever. But APPARENTLY, Bear didn't want to go and kept trying to get out of the car and biting things. 😂 Shaun had to turn around and bring him back.

The other day we noticed he'd been playing with one of the dog treat puzzles we'd bought for Cub. He managed to get the treat compartment open... but he couldn't get the treat. 😭😂 Poor little goofy-faced boy!

He's been doing a little better at being redirected from the cats. I'd like more time to work with him, so I'm going to ask the rescue about a possible extension on his trial adoption.

He's not a very cuddly dog. He's pretty independent. He makes laps for most of the day. In and out and in and out and all around. I call it "patrolling." He checks on me every lap he passes by. Greets me, gets petted, maybe gives some kisses. That's about it. He did sit on my feet this morning, though. That was a first.

Anyway. That's how things are going with this goofus so far. 😊

I'm glad for snuggle buddies this winter. ❤️❤️❤️

I'm glad for snuggle buddies this winter. ❤️❤️❤️

Aww, look who's awake!

Aww, look who's awake! I've missed my Tort Baby these last few months! ❤️❤️❤️

He can do 1000 laps...

He can do 1000 laps through the yard and house, but take him to the park and he nods off as soon as he's back in the car. 😂😂😂 He literally started snoring.

Little photo dump of this boy.

Little photo dump of this boy.

He loves being under the dining room table and tucked into the corner near the couch. Rare photo of him ON the couch. I'm sure it's hard on his knees to get up there, but he doesn't stay even when we lift him up on it, so... 🤷🏻

Also a little video of him playing with his toys. He's pretty gentle compared to Cub. What a sweet goof. 😊😂

We went out for snacks!

We went out for snacks! Cub demolishes his pup cups in about 4 seconds flat. Bear is... a little slower. 😂😂😂 But look at this sweet boy. ❤️

Y'all, please don't judge me for how hard I was laughing at these dogs, but...

Y'all, please don't judge me for how hard I was laughing at these dogs, but...

This goofy goober got brushed and bathed today.

This goofy goober got brushed and bathed today. He rolled around about being brushed, but did ok for his bath.

We had a bit of a rough start this morning.

We had a bit of a rough start this morning. Bear decided to chase the cats. He was not easily redirected and Shaun and I were feeling pretty down. We like Bear, but we have to coexist peacefully here or this adoption isn't going to work.

Shortly after that, Bear and Cub went outside and played pretty vigorously. I kind of felt bad for Bear because he's just not... agile. 😂 He seems happy to play, but my gosh he is clumsy.

Something to note:  We have a locking doggie door and it takes a few moments to unlock once the dog approaches it. It makes a sound so it's obvious when that happens.

Keeping that in mind... When Bear and Cub were playing this morning Bear took off so fast and ran head-first into the doggie door. Hard. TWICE in a row. 😂😂😂 Poor buddy. Me and Shaun were watching them play through the window and lost it when he did that. He did fine with the door yesterday, but maybe in the heat of the moment forgot to give it a second to unlock.

Anyway, since the boys played together this morning Bear hasn't chased the cats again. He's been polite. He's approached them and sniffed and left them alone and we have praised him every time he's done that. I'm hoping it was just a case of the morning zoomies in which case we can send the boys out to play and prevent that from happening again. We're going to do our best to work this out.

Pictured here is Bear, confused by why the couch is growling at him. (Harley hides under the couch cover all the time, so it's him under there - probably scared because he doesn't want to get sat / laid on). 😂  Zoom in on this dog's face. He sure is expressive. 😂

So... This wasn't planned.

So... This wasn't planned. Shaun and I had discussed getting a friend for Cub - but in a few months after some work on our backyard is done.

For whatever reason, Shaun has been on PetFinder and some local pet adoption sites. We were back and forth about meeting anyone, but Cub has been really down and obviously I have a dog-shaped hole in my heart. Ultimately, we thought this guy looked sweet and decided to take Cub to meet him.

When I say those boys hit it off, I mean... The introduction went REALLY well. The rescue had us fill out a questionnaire, and before we knew it we were signed up for a trial adoption. We have a week to decide if he's staying, but so far, so good.

His name is Bear. He's about a year old. He does have a luxating patella (basically his knee cap slides around), but we're going to have that checked out and already have some ramps on the way to make the house more accessible. He was at the shelter through his prime puppy years, but never was adopted despite attending adoption events. I have my suspicions on why that may be, but to be honest when I saw him in person I loved him even more. 😂😂😂 To me, that Glamour Shot on his profile just didn't do him justice.

I'm gonna be honest and say that he's about as goofy as he looks. 😂 He's a little chaotic, but in the sweetest way. He trips over things and runs into things. He can definitely see and hear, but I'm not sure how well. He seems to really like feet. He also likes toys more than Cub does, so that's neat. He gives sloppy, toothy kisses. He plays well with Cub and both Kira and Shadow like him already.

I guess I can give it a few more days before I call it official, but he's doing well. He's had no accidents inside. He's figured out the doggie door. He spent the afternoon / evening making laps through the house, out the door, around the yard, and back in again. 😂 I counted about 8 laps before he stopped. I don't know what that was about, but whatever floats his boat.

Anyway, meet Bear! Hopefully, you'll be seeing a lot more of this funny face in the future. ❤️

The ride home

Checking out the view

Bear had Shaun retrieving a toy from under the couch

😛

Sibling snuggles. 😍

Sibling "snuggles." 😍

These boys love each other, but...

These boys love each other, but Toebean (the orange one) isn't usually a lap kitty. I guess he decided that he needed to snuggle Balthazar regardless of the fact that he was in my lap. 😊❤️

When I say that Cub never snuggles Balthazar...

When I say that Cub never snuggles Balthazar, it's not an exaggeration. Cub is uncomfortable with Balthie coming up to him and laying near him; Cub will even look for a way to get up and leave without disturbing the cat and getting "in trouble."

This is highly unusual. I think Cub is having feelings. He was so excited to have another dog around. Even though he didn't understand why Oreo wasn't playful or why he barked at the things he barked at I think he was really happy to have him here.

Cub is usually a Papa's boy, but he's been up my butt the last few days. Even when the "mean" cat was in my lap.

It's ok, buddy. I appreciate the extra love and I know you need it, too. ❤️

I promise...

I promise that I will get around to responding to everyone's comments individually in few days, but right now I'm still raw and trying to process.

I do want to say that I've been reading every one of them, though, and I am overwhelmed by the love and support that has been shown to me, Aunt Taimi, and Oreo. This is not the ending any of us wanted or expected.

I am mourning not only the loss of one of the sweetest, cuddliest boys I've had the pleasure of knowing, but the loss of the life I'd planned to give him.  I wanted to spoil him. To have him crawl over everyone and everything in his way when it was time to snuggle. To have him stand politely with his face inches away from my face so I could kiss him easily. To kiss his kissy spot on top of his head. To see him outgrow his clothes and his need for clothes. To get him his first pup cup. To watch him feel well enough to play with Cub. I am beyond sad that none of those things will ever happen.

Instead of being able to look forward to all of those things, I'm fighting to accept that the short time we had was enough.

I'm trying to hold my focus on his good days. On the small health gains he made. On him enjoying his first plush bed. On him wanting to explore the house and be near us. On the bones he got to chew. On him resting on his back with his legs in the air. On him snuggling in with Carla, cuddling his Aunt Taimi, and playing with Kiwi. On his nightly cheese ritual. On the deep sleep he got knowing he was safe. On being welcomed home by Cub and the cats, like he just belonged.

The love we all (I'm including everyone who has been following his story) share for sweet Oreo was brief, but beautiful. It was big. I can't claim to know how the universe works, but I hope he felt every bit of love and support sent his way. I know that I sure have. And I am so grateful to not be going through this alone.

Thank you. Thank every one of you for your love and support and prayers and good vibes and kind words. It matters. It helps. I am not ok today, but I know I will be eventually. Because if we learned anything from Oreo, it was to hold on through the bad times until the better ones came back around. ❤️❤️❤️

Our sweet boy didn't make it, y'all. 😭😭😭

Our sweet boy didn't make it, y'all. 😭😭😭

He was full of growths (could have been cancer or a fungal infection). Like, it was bad. He had a mass at the blood supply to his intestines. His lymph nodes were affected. There were lots of adhesions. At least 18 inches of his small intestine were thickened to 4x what it should have been. The surgeon said there was no way to remove it all. She's surprised he was even eating at all.

I take solace in our cuddles last night. He seemed to feel pretty good, considering. No nausea or vomiting. I'm glad it ended on a better note. It could have been worse.

I am pretty devastated. He was such a tough and good and sweet boy. I don't really know what to do with myself. My heart feels shattered - like I'd had him for years. I am so glad I kissed his kissy spot one last time before we left him. 💔💔💔

We just got the call.

We just got the call. Oreo is sedated and going back for surgery. If we don't hear anything before an hour and a half or two, that's good news.

We're back from Oreo's consultation.

We're back from Oreo's consultation.

To manage expectations, he's either going to be ok or he will no longer be with us. I definitely didn't realize yesterday that this was so black and white.

Best case is that he's ingested a foreign body (which is entirely likely given his past) that can be removed.

Worst case is that he has a mass or some other complication that would require resection at the duodenum. That is complicated because the duodenum is short and contains two very important glands and there's not a lot of room to work without disturbing them.

If it comes to a resection in that area, there is a work-around surgery that requires a lot of "re-plumbing" of the area and the surgeon said she does not recommend it because it comes with a lot of complications and she's seen dogs suffer from it. She wouldn't choose that for her own dog and we won't be choosing that for Oreo, either.

If the surgery goes well, he will also be neutered while he's under today.

We will be called before surgery. If things aren't going well, we will be called during surgery. We will also be called once he's awake afterwards. I will post as soon as I get any calls and keep you all in the loop.

Paws crossed it's just a foreign body and that his duodenum is ok. I'm trying to stay positive over here, but I'm definitely having nerves. Thank you all for going through this with us! ❤️

Today has been so, so good.

Today has been so, so good. I can't even express how relieved we are to have answers to what is wrong with Oreo (see previous post if you missed it).

I was holding back tears when the vets gave me the news. We know what is wrong and it can be fixed. No more watching this boy yo-yo between good days and bad days. No more seeing him act so hungry and then throw up what he ate. No more stretching his tummy because it hurts so much. No more rumbling gut and smacking lips due to nausea. No more thinking that it's all happening because you fed him the wrong thing. The only other person who knows any of this better than I do is Aunt Taimi and she's tough as nails for enduring it with him for the past month - and for somehow getting him to a healthier state while all of this was going on. I will never be able to thank her enough for how she cared for this boy.

I know we have to get through the surgery, but when I tell you I was giddy this morning... I was on Cloud 9. I made 2 wrong turns trying to take us home and I damn well knew where I was; our vet is less than 15 minutes away from our house. I have been messing up my words and bouncing off the walls. One of my current biggest fears was that we wouldn't figure this out anytime soon, and then poof - it was gone! A weight was lifted. I feel like I am only just now starting to calm down from the news.

I have turned in the paperwork to the surgeon's office and I'll let y'all know how things go tomorrow as soon as I know something. ❤️❤️❤️

I literally had to hold back tears at the vet's office.

I literally had to hold back tears at the vet's office. We finally have some answers! Oreo has an obstruction of the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine immediately beyond the stomach.

This explains so, SO much. His stomach is huge and inflamed, which is obviously painful and explains the "bowing" posture he does many times throughout the day. Very little of anything he eats is getting through to his intestines, which is why he is constantly throwing up / regurgitating his food and water - it literally can't go through. It also explains why he is so thin. There are no problems with his intestines or bowels which is why his poops look normal.

The vets he saw today wasted no time in taking labs and comparing them to past labs and ruling things out to find the answer. They said that he is healthy (besides the heartworms) and despite the challenges he's faced since I picked him up the labs show he is healthier than before (thanks in large part to Aunt Taimi). They feel that he is in a good position to undergo surgery, so he is going in tomorrow morning at 9 am. Both vets feel optimistic that this will be life-changing for Oreo.

Today's vet visit was $850 and surgery + a short hospital stay will be $3000-$5000. I'm sharing his GoFundMe again and if you feel compelled to donate or share then it would be much appreciated. He's officially our dog as far as we're concerned, so we are prepared to foot this bill. But I know so many people have been rooting for this sweet boy and want to help him and hopefully this will be one of the last chances to do so.

I will let you all know how things go tomorrow! ❤️

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

I have some big news...

I have some big news that I will share as soon as I get it typed up and making sense.

For now, look at this boy. He's glad to be home from the vet.

We're tucked for the night. ❤️

We're tucked for the night. ❤️

Not even Cub will snuggle Balthazar. This is pretty sweet. 😍

This story is unrelated to this photo of Harley in my storage cube.

OMG. This story is unrelated to this photo of Harley in my storage cube. I just thought the cat was cute. 😂

Cubba wants to play with Oreo so, SO much. The dogs just came in from outside and Cub has ENERGY. Cub started squealing at Oreo like "Let's play!" and Oreo... Burped in Cub's face. 😂😂😂

The look on Cub's face was one of confusion and disbelief. 😂😂😂 He went away to behind the couch to sulk - he's literally not even laying with us. He's so excited to have a doggy friend here, but so sad that his new friend isn't up for playing. He does NOT understand.

Patience, buddy. We're working on it.

Today has been ok for Oreo. Long update ahead.

Today has been ok for Oreo. Long update ahead.

He's doing fine with the cats. He can use the doggie doors already.

He and Cub are getting along, although Cub can definitely tell the difference between dogs and vehicles on the TV and Oreo can't. Oreo barks at sudden noises, unexpected people, dogs barking, and cars coming and going. Even if he's dead asleep he'll wake up barking. When we were driving home yesterday and he was asleep in the backseat I made a noise with a bag and he woke up barking so loud that I jumped. 😂 I assume that's just a bit of self-defense from living on the streets.

Pictured is Cub's "What the hell is he barking at?" face. 😂😂😂

It's also funny to watch them go outside and have "peeing contests." They just go back and forth peeing on the same thing the other one just peed on. Goofy boys. 😂

The only trouble we've had is that he's marked in the house twice. We have carpet shampooers, though, so it's no big deal. We've corrected him both times it happened and he stopped, so maybe he's learning the rules.

He also regurgitated on the couch after a relatively good day regarding food and water. I say "regurgitated" because it was mostly water and he wasn't heaving or anything - it just came out. Again, it's fine. We have a hand-held steam cleaner and keep the furniture covered in sheets because we like animals and value their comfort.

I feel thankful that he's holding steady and not acting like he's about to die. I hate to admit how nervous I've been about taking over his care again. It was just so scary when I had him the first time; I was trying everything I knew and all of the vet recommendations and nothing was working. But so far it's going well.

Aunt Taimi brought up that she isn't sure about him having EPI and after some research I'm with her on that. The enzymes he's been on haven't helped anything, for one. He also doesn't have the typical diarrhea that accompanies that. If the vet wants to test for that on Tuesday then they can. I don't care. I just want answers and the more things we rule out the closer we get.

Other than that the only thing I can report is that Oreo is a lovey boy. He likes to lay near you and snuggle. He will climb over anyone / anything to get to you when it's snuggle time. Sometimes he also wants "hugs" which is where he puts his face in your face and we mash our cheeks together and I give him kisses. I think he eats up all of the loving.

He likes Shaun and Shaun likes him, too. But Shaun said he's scared to get attached. He says that Oreo seems so unhealthy that he's worried he won't live. I understand, but that just made me love him harder because it felt like he needed it. But hopefully we'll get him turned around and Shaun can stop being afraid to love him. That's the plan, anyway. ❤️

He's mashed against my legs.

He's mashed against my legs. His tummy is noisy and he's farting some stinky smells. I gave him some Pepto. Hopefully it will settle his tummy a bit. He refused dinner earlier. Maybe he'll be up for it in a bit.

His vet appointment on Tuesday can't get here fast enough.

Two days on the road and he's home!

Two days on the road and he's home!

Oreo is exhausted. Cub was FAR too excited to meet him. He's play-bowed to Oreo probably a hundred times. Oreo just doesn't have that kind of energy right now.

Oreo is not sure about the cats. We have so many personality types and he doesn't know them yet. A couple have hidden, one has hissed, but Balthazar walked right up and introduced himself with a head bonk. 😂

It's a lot to get used to, but it's going ok so far.

He's stretching periodically like his tummy hurts. He hasn't eaten anything since 11 last night. He's drank water today, though. I'm gonna let him rest and see if he'll eat before bed.

We're off to settle in and rest. ❤️