Sweetpea Says: “My Foster Mom said I had to wear my rain poncho outside today because she was afraid with all of the rain and storms I might melt because I’m so SWEET!

***sigh*** Moooom, why don’t my foster brudders have to wear a silly poncho?? Noooooo, PLEASE don’t post my picture on FB – you can’t even see my pretty ears with this silly hood on!”

Sweetpea is so smart he  has mastered sit, down, and come all in sign language – we’ve got a firm grasp on short stays, and we’re working on shake. Today he even came running in from the backyard when we “called” him with hand signals!

‎***Sweetpea Update***
YIPPEE!! WHOO HOO!! Sweetpea came out of surgery today and is doing great! We got an update from fantastic ladies at 4 Paws 1 Heart and spoke with the surgeon who preformed Sweetpea’s surgery – we couldn’t wait to share the great news!!

“He is doing fantastic, and is already out of surgery and up and alert. We removed a Lipoma from his chest area and cleaned up his teeth really good. We drew fluid out of the large cyst that is under his chin, and thankfully found just a clear liquid. It is completely external and not the source of any of his breathing issues. We also removed the little lump/growth on his shoulder and saved it for Gina to send out to histology. We are hoping that the antibiotics that he is going on for post teeth cleaning will also help clear up his breathing.”

Sweetpea will be staying at the ER vet until Sunday so that they can continue to monitor his breathing, incision sites/stitches, etc. We’re hoping to see an improvement in his breathing as he heals from having the lipoma from his chest, and cyst from his neck removed while on antibiotics. Praying for a quick recovery for the little guy – his foster parents miss him! ♥

THANK-YOU to everyone who posted a kind thought, said a prayer, and sent well wishes to Sweetpea – it was VERY much appreciated!! ♥

SWEETPEA UPDATE PROVIDED BY REBECCA AKINS OF NBS ANIMAL RESCUE:  I wanted to share a brief update with you on Sweetpea’s progress. I’m sure Gina will fill you in, but I wanted to touch base with you on what we’re seeing with him as well.

Sweetpea is having some breathing issues – potentially caused by the rather large mass on his neck. He frequently sounds as though he’s struggling to pass air efficiently, gurgles and rattles when he breathes (although, not all the time), and tends to snore/take very deep breaths when he sleeps. He’s still eating, drinking, pottying, and being affectionate towards us – but his breathing concerns are becoming more apparent. His skin sores have all but healed completely, with about 3-4 spots the size of a pencil eraser that still have scabs on them, his hair is starting to grow back, and he’s doing wonderfully at our house. He’s a doll to have as a foster, is learning to seek out attention and is doing very well with potty training. He’s eating like a champ, and is starting to gain some muscle mass in his hind end from walking and playing in the yard. His breathing issues are a major concern for us as it seems at times like it’s painful for him to draw a breath.

We took him into the ER vet tonight for his scheduled surgery to have the masses removed and a dental. It was so nice to see all of the vet techs there come out and say hello to Sweetpea and comment on how well he looks! We told Gina about our breathing concerns and the things we’re seeing/hearing and after a brief physical exam, she too is concerned that the mass may be attached and potentially causing breathing issues. Unfortunately it’s a pretty decent size mass on the underside of his “chin” neck area – my hope is that it can easily be drained/removed without issue, but it’s something I wanted to make Gina and you aware of ASAP. Sweetpea is going to stay at the ER vet for a few days for monitoring and examination by the vets and surgeon who will be doing the surgery Friday morning. Sweetpea will also be having a suspicious looking spot on his shoulder removed – at first glance Gina said it looked like a cigarette burn that was scabbing over. The scab has since fallen off and revealed…well, let’s just say that it’s not a pretty skin growth of some sort. Gina is going to have the surgeon look at it and evaluate what our best course of action will be. She said that she will most likely be sending the lumps/fluid/skin samples out for histology to confirm/deny the possibility of cancer.

Gina said she will also start Sweetpea’s series of vaccinations while he is at the vet’s office. He needs rabies, DHLPP, and bordatella. He is HW negative and had a negative fecal already.

Gina was very kind to us tonight – she obviously recognized the fact that I was having a hard time with leaving Sweetpea there for the next 5 days and was very reassuring and kind. Gina said that she would call me when she hears back from the surgeon, as well as the second he comes out of surgery Friday morning. I”m sure the vet tech at the counter thought I was nuts as we left Sweetpea there, went home and packed up more of his normal food, and drove right back to Harper Woods to deliver the extra food so he could stay on the same diet while he’s there. He’ll be staying at the ER vet through the weekend depending on how things go and what they find when they get in his neck.

I’m sure Gina will give you a much more technical version of the above situation  but I wanted to personally let you know how the little guy is doing and to once again thank-you both for your kindness in helping this wonderful dog be healthy again. He is already very much loved and adored and we’re anxious to have him home soon!

Thank-you Diana!