Save Howie from his gallbladder’s revolt

If you’ve visited us in the last 4 years you’ve been announced and greeted by this happy (and loud) Howie.

He is our fetch addicted, howling, cuddle pup and he needs help.

On Sunday, September 19, Howie started acting odd. He’s a very sensitive and emotional dog with lots of feelings so it can be hard to tell if he’s upset with us or if there’s a physical problem. He was pacing, panting, spitting up water on the deck, and not jumping up for couch cuddles. He barely reacted to lip scratches and belly rubs. Around 4am we couldn’t get him to stand up without serious coaxing and he was making the saddest crying sounds, it was clear he couldn’t wait until regular business hours to see the vet. So Collin took him to the emergency vet that could see him immediately. At this point we thought it might be a run of the mill upset stomach or gas cramps (our pig Leo once got a midnight trip to the vet for what turned out to be just gas) but bloodwork showed that his liver enzymes and white blood cells counts were way out of whack. We put down a $2,000 deposit just for the tests required to find out what was wrong with him.

Monday afternoon they did an ultrasound and found that his gallbladder was on the verge of rupturing, if it hadn’t started to already. We were faced with the choice of letting Howie die or shelling out an additional $3,500 deposit for surgery to remove his gallbladder. The doctors said that if surgery was successful he could go back to his full bouncy energy out the wazzoo lifestyle. This is a huge amount of money, but this dog is so much a part of our family. He’s not even 5 yet and he’s so full of life and personality. We’re not ready to let him go so... we chose surgery.

His case was urgent so he went in for surgery around 5pm on Monday. Around 7 we got the call that he came through surgery ok but his pressure dropped dangerously low and there was already some bile in his abdomen which increases his chance of becoming septic. He was still in critical condition, his odds of making it through the night were slightly better than 50/50.

The news Tuesday morning was cautiously optimistic, he made it through the night and his vitals were stable. I was able to visit with him for about 15 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, he's got a tube in his nose, and a drain on his back, and a mesh protective shirt.

 

I got a few tail wags when he saw me and he walked straight up and wedged himself between my feet like he just wanted a cozy space to feel safe and normal. Our sweet boy dog was so out of it but just seeing him and getting little glimpses of his big personality was reassuring. He's on the right track as far as healing but he's not out of the woods yet. He's peeing fine and they're not seeing any bile in his fluid drain which are all important. But he's not interested in eating solids so he's being given nutrients through the tube in his nose and he's still got a high risk of infection. Collin's hoping to be able to visit on Wednesday afternoon and we're hoping to see just a little more of our Howie's bright personality coming back.

Why did we set such a high goal for the fundraiser?

As of Tuesday evening the bill is at $6,000, including the deposits we put down. Howie has been in the ICU the whole time because his case was so critical, he has his own dedicated nurse overnight to monitor his vitals and do all the other medical things that are helping him survive and hopefully, heal. The doctor believes the earliest he'll be able to possibly come home is Friday. Each day he's there adds to the bill. We'll be at $7,000 by Thursday morning. So if all goes well and he's able to come home on Friday and thrives at home, we're looking at least $7,500 for his surgery and hospital stay. That number doesn't account for any complications that lengthen his stay.

Unfortunately the costs don't stop there. When he comes home he'll need medications and he'll be on a prescription low fat diet for the rest of his life. I'm assuming he'll also be needing more frequent vet visits with more thorough testing than an average healthy dog who still has their gallbladder. Fatty foods like cheese or peanut butter will make him really sick and our 2 and a half year old and 5 month old are unlikely to understand that so we'll need to make adjustments to limit dog access to the dining room. We know the fundraiser goal is slightly outrageous but if you can give $5, $10, $20- that's a huge help and we're grateful. If money's too tight, we totally get that, I'm gonna be super cliche and ask you to share this.
Also, please go get pet insurance, we certainly wish we had.

 

 

But I know you just wanna know more about this adorable dog...
Howie is a rescue puppy we adopted at 8 weeks. Half lab and half Beagle but other than goofy cute big paws, he's all beagle. He has a significant fetch addiction and will chase a ball until he's almost unable to breathe from running so hard. It was hard to find pictures of just Howie because he's always with our other dog Phoebe, cuddled up with Collin or me, or running around on serious puppy business.

 

 

 

 

He's a scaredy pup, loud noises, fast or sudden movements, tin foil, are all very scary. He keeps track of everyone in the family and makes his rounds regularly to keep tabs on our locations, if you're in the bathroom he smells under the door to establish your location, like a weirdo. He doesn't like to be alone much, but he's usually content just to be in the same room as one of us. He doesn't like Judah much (other than the tin foil a toddler is the embodiment of most of his fears) but still gets protective when he thinks we're playing to rough with Judah. He barks a lot and loves to howl with the family. I've been howling with him since he was a puppy, it took Phoebe a year after living with us before she joined our howls but now it's me, Howie, Phoebe, and Judah. We hope Collin and our daughter, Thursday, will eventually join in our howls, Leo (our pig) has unfortunately expressed no interest in participating. Howie also acts as a back up smoke detector, if the oven gets too  smokey he stands outside the backyard doing a specific bark to let us know he thinks it's too smokey and we should leave. He is an awkward, goofy, handsome dog who brings such joy to our lives and we're grateful for anything you can chip in to help get him home and healthy.

Thanks y'all.