10-3-09 Sweet Pea was released from the hospital! Yipppee for Sweet Pea! He is no longer on iv fluids and is drinking a lot of water (due to the medication he is on) and urinating frequently, but we don't mind. He is eating and keeping the food down. His doody alternates between mushy and softly formed, but the vet says that is to be expected and perhaps for life. Lymphangiectasia is treatable but not curable. He needs home cooked food, high quality protein and low fat. We are offering him small amounts of food every two to three hours and we are very anxious to see him gain weight. His spirits are up, he wagged his 
little stubby tail for the first time! We also heard
his "voice" which came as a shock because he was quiet as a mouse the entire time he was hospitalized. He has a teeny tiny howl that is just adorable, he howls when he wants something but for the most part, he is a quiet and unassuming little doggie, just grateful to be somewhere safe and getting fed.
Sweet Pea's update as of 9-29-09. He is now eating again and he had been throwing up until this morning (but he continues to have diarrhea). The vet needs to keep moving the catheter to different veins because the iv drip only works for so long before the vein can't take it anymore. So for today, he is stable, and that is very hopeful to us all! Sweet Pea took a short little walk today, about as far as ten parked cars, but even though he is weak, he wanted to walk and he enjoys getting the fresh air and outdoors in the sun. He was cheered up by some visitors today, all the way from Canada (Bonnie, a volunteer from Angels Under Our Wings Cocker Rescue, and her husband Gary). 
Thank you to everyone who has been donating! We would not have even been able to bring him this far if not for all of the "friends of Sweet Pea" who are rooting him on! He has had many adoption offers but for right now, he needs to just pull through and get stable. Then he is going to need a lot of ongoing care, perhaps for the rest of his life. Lymphangiectasia is treatable but not curable. He may be prone to flare ups, diahrea for the rest of his life. He will need home cooked food, very high end protein, low fat and someone who is going to one hundred percent commit to this. It must be very painful what he is going through and he will need monitoring for the rest of his life, his food, his weight, his health, he will need medication that is 
not cheap, he will need ongoing veterinary care. But for right now, today, tomorrow and the next day, his health is our primary focus. The response from people whom have seen his story is so loving and it gives us encouragement that there are a lot of good people out there who have compassion for him. We thank you for your love and your support.
Sweet Pea's update as of 9-26-09. The entire update is on his video . . . it is seven minutes long but if you stick with it, we think you will have some hope and a smile on your face? Please keep sending love and healing wishes his way. We are hoping for a miracle with this little boy.
Sweet Pea update as of 9/25/09: He is on continued iv fluids and hospitalization, is eating but it is all coming out of him in watery diahrea. The xrays came back that his stomach is mis-shaped and he has fluid in his abdomen. The vet has a hunch that it could be intestinal carcinomatosis and said it might be time to consider putting to sleep if we didn't want to move forward with more testing. The next step would be a biopsy and after considering how emotionally invested we have become in this special little dog, I agreed to the biopsy. The vet went in this afternoon, put Sweet Pea under and opened him up. He did not see any tumors in the intestines but he says the intestional walls do not look healthy. He took a sample of tissue for the biopsy, he also took samples from the stomach and also from the lymph nodes (where he notices two nodules). He has Sweet Pea on iv fluids and pain medicine so that if he does have cancer, at least we are making him pain free for the next few days. Because it is the weekend, the lab will not be able to return biopsy results until Tuesday or Wednesday, although the vet did ask them to rush it. If Sweet Pea has intestional cancer, it would explain why he can't absorb his food and the diahrea and weight loss. However, we would still like to find out if there is a chance his former owner can be prosecuted for animal cruelty as she neglected to take him to a vet and allowed him to remain obviously sick and allowed him to get to the skeletal condition he is in now. Our vet says that if it is intestional carcinomatosis, that the weight loss did not happen overnight. Thank you to everyone who has been sending donations and positive wishes for Sweet Pea. This little dog needs a Miracle to happen right now. Much appreciation for all of your love and support!
