Cheddar is home! But unfortunately he has a long journey to recovery ahead of him. Cheddar was badly abused after getting out of our yard on Wednesday 6/23 around 6am. We live in downtown Walnut Creek and drove all around for about an hour looking for him that morning. I immediately posted about him on Nextdoor and was confident he would return since we luckily hadn’t found him hit by a car and because he is microchipped and had a collar with a name tag. Fast forward to exactly two weeks later, on Wednesday 7/7 I received a call from someone at SAGE emergency vet hospital in Concord explaining to me the incredibly bizarre and heartbreaking news. Someone had left my dog barely breathing in a cardboard box outside of their facility with a weird note attached. The note explained that they had saved Cheddar from an abusive homeless family that he had been with and he was badly injured and that they would pay $15,000 for the vet to do their thing and heal him. There’s no way of knowing what Cheddar really went through these past two weeks. But he showed up to the vet weighing only 4lbs and with a visible injury to his little face, he was barely breathing and didn't even respond to seeing me.

Cheddar is now home with us but has a long recovery ahead. The veterinarian thinks Cheddar was bit on the right side of his face because they found significant dead tissue underneath the visibly irritated surface. Because they had to stretch his skin so thin, he’s at high risk for the wound to open up. He’s on three different medications to numb him from the pain and keep him sedated while he fights the infection.

As you may know, these bills are incredibly expensive. Cheddar needed a lot of fluids, X-rays to make sure had no fractures in his skull, blood tests, and of course the surgery to remove all of the dead tissue. I support myself and Cheddar fully. I first rescued him from a shelter 6 years ago when he was 7 months old and he's been my best pal ever since. He is the most loving being I have ever met, he jumps into anyone's arms and loves giving kisses. It is so heartbreaking to see him completely unrecognizable and in so much pain. He's going to require many check up appointments and continuous examinations to make sure he's healing alright. Any support is truly appreciated!!