Dear Family, Friends and Fans of The Small Dog,

It is with much dismay that I write to inform you that The Small Dog, lover of all things active, requires orthopedic surgery.  As many of you know, The Small Dog (also known as Revis!) loves to run, play, hike, swim, leap, bound, chase, fetch - you name it, he loves it.  Unless, of course, we're talking about loud noises, baths (God forbid!) or over-sized stuffed animals - in which case he hightails it in the opposite direction.  That being said, his injury is not only causing him pain and discomfort, but it's preventing him from doing all of the things he loves the most.

For those of you who aren't familiar with The Small Dog, here's a bit about him:

The Small Dog, named Revis, but very lovingly referred to by his many followers as The Small Dog, was rescued by Sweet Paws Rescue.  Sweet Paws is a local non-profit, shelterless rescue - if you haven't heard of them, I urge you to check them out!  Anyways, Revis fell into our lap.  Literally.  In September 2014, we went to meet The Small Dog at his wonderful foster family's home and, within seconds of me sitting on the floor, he climbed into my lap, curled up and fell asleep.  And that was that.   While he is small (a whopping 40lbs), he is mighty.  His personality is incredible - he's the happiest, goofiest, most lovable and most human little fur creature I've ever met.  He makes people laugh, snuggles you when you're having a bad day and really gives you a new perspective on life.  He's energetic, incredibly well-mannered and loved by everyone.  We go on adventures every day, at least we did until he was told to rest - UGH.

What happened, you say?

Well, here it goes.

Over the summer, The Small Dog developed a limp.  At first, we thought it was an injury incurred as a result of his adventure-loving nature and hard-core play rituals.  Revis is always out and about, going on family adventures with us, and playing with his doggy dog friends of all shapes and sizes.

We talked to the vet, who told us to keep an eye on it a bit longer to see if there were any improvements.

Well, the limp didn't go away, or get any better.  Instead, it started getting worse.  The Small Dog would stop playing and lay down at my feet mid-playdate.  He wanted to keep playing, but his shoulder was preventing him from engaging in his very favorite doggy dog game - chase.  With doctor's orders to rest, take Rimadyl and keep a close eye on how his body reacted, we saw some improvement.

While we were hopeful that the cause of The Small Dog's limp was simply due to inflammation, we also saw how sad he was being cooped up, unable to run free like crazy little bundle of love that he is.  If you've seen him tear through the marsh grass down at the Greenbelt, you know just how much he loves to run and be free.  So keeping him quiet, well, it just feels mean.

Back to the vet we go!  A reexamination, x-rays and many lengthy conversations later and here we are.  The Small Dog has a cartilage defect in his left shoulder, causing pain, discomfort and lameness.

The good news?

The surgery should FIX this - once and for all!  The surgery is a minimally invasive surgery and the recovery time isn't too long.  About 4-6 weeks and, at about week 3, we're hopeful that The Small Dog will be cleared to do some swim therapy.  And, boy, does he love swimming!

The bad news?

It costs a LOT of money - money that we don't have readily available.  Money that I'm going to scrape together, even that means selling my left kidney on Ebay, to make sure he gets the treatment he needs to recover fully so he can go on being the happiest, most lovable Small Dog in all the land.

If you have the means to donate to the cause, our family would appreciate it more than you know.  I promise to thank each and every one of you profusely with a plethora of Small Dog photos.

LOVE & LICKS,
The Small Dog & Co.

NOTE:  Any extra money that we may have raised through donations will be donated to Revis' rescuers over at Sweet Paws.