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.