Surgery for Lucky Boy

Hello everyone! My name is Sabreena Poole and this here is Lucky Boy! He's an English Cocker Spaniel who has just made it to 8 weeks old! Lucky Boy was born on April 12th alongside 4 sisters. The day he was born, everything seemed normal. He was suckling just as his sisters were. So it seemed... By day 3, his sisters had all outgrown him by a few ounces. I didn't understand what was going on because he was suckling and vocal just like the rest. My thoughts were that maybe his sisters were a little stronger and pushing him away, keeping him from getting enough. So I stayed by his side while he suckled, keeping his sisters away from him. I realized that although he looked like he was suckling, he wasn't actually getting suction. By the end of day 3, despite all my efforts in helping him latch, he had become lethargic. The only thing I knew to do was feed a tube down his throat. I do this with calves with no problem and I had done this years ago with a puppy that was given to me. She was bigger and less fragile, not like this. Not with a brand new baby! I found the old tummy tube and got everything ready... His temperature was low and unstable, so I first had to fight to bring his temp up before I could get what I imagine would be the first meal in his tummy. Holding him with a heating pad and breathing my breath on him... He took his last breath and became completely limp. My heart sank. Anger overcame me. I was so mad at myself for not stepping in sooner. I could not let go without trying something... I ran to the kitchen sink and ran his body under slightly warm water, rubbed him between my hands as if I were washing them, and started my best version of puppy CPR. I thumped his chest and started over. Air, chest compressions, thump... By the third round, I heard something. At first, I assumed it was just his lungs releasing the air I had just breathed into him. I thumped his chest and went in for a breath and his feet moved. He took a big healthy gasp, and then another, and within a few minutes, his breathing was stable. This puppy had just died in my hands and was now breathing again. Which is why his name is Lucky Boy! I had to do everything in my power to help him. I got my tummy tube ready and warmed his milk. I stuck my finger in his mouth to see if he would attempt to latch onto it and that's when I realized he had a cleft palate. The whole time he had been trying so hard to suckle and couldn't get suction because of a gap from the start of his front teeth to the back of his throat. Hard and soft palate. That night we had our first successful tube feed! God is good! I just kept thinking, "He is supposed to be here or the Lord would have taken him home!" It has been my mission to keep him alive and healthy since. Tube feeding every 3 to 4 hours for the first 4 weeks. Then every 4 to 6 hours for the last 4. Unfortunately, not having his mama's colostrum and basically starving for his first 3 days on this earth has stunted his growth. At 8 weeks old, his sisters are 10 plus pounds. He's almost 2 pounds. He has regular vet visits and was finally big enough to get his first vaccines last week. He's on Rx vitamin supplements and antibiotics for a little sinus infection but nothing we can't handle. Thank God, thus far we have avoided aspiration pneumonia by tube feeding. He has finally started eating a little kibble. One piece at a time. It's time-consuming but he's worth every second I have given him. When we decided to breed our Lady Bird (his mama) it was because we were thinking of getting her fixed. We also have male dogs and wanted no accidents... We decided to let her experience motherhood at least once before we fixed her but my husband made it very clear to me that we would not be keeping any of the puppies so don't even think about it. "No more animals, Sabreena!" That is until Lucky Boy came along! Even the tough-as-nails man that I married has fallen in love with this sweet, sweet Lucky Boy! His little crate is on his side of the bed and I hear him talking to him at night. "You'll be the best little huntin' buddy ever! We just gotta get you all fixed up." I find him curled up in the mornings on my husband's pillow up against his neck while they both snore so sweetly. My husband and I have raised a house full of boys! 5 to be exact! Our oldest is almost 23 and the youngest is 16. We're pretty well-seasoned when it comes to raising boys but I don't think anything could have prepared us for raising this Lucky Boy. There have been so many heart-wrenching moments! Ups and downs! Sleepless nights! And a very unhealthy bond with our coffee pot... This puppy has impacted my whole family. When my dad calls, his first words are, "How's my little man today?" When our boys walk in the house from work or school, they go straight to Lucky Boy to see how he's doing. If the good Lord is willing and the creek don't rise, we'll get this Lucky Boy better. We just need a little help. The vet says there's a 50/50 chance he'll be able to eat someday with little complications but there is surgery to fix it. The surgery to correct it is pretty expensive. We'll need to travel a few hours north to UGA because no one here in the south will do it. I was told we're looking between 5 and 7 thousand for the correction. I'm asking for help with this because Lord knows I don't have that kind of money. His life means far more to me than 7 thousand dollars and if I had it, I wouldn't hesitate. Every little bit counts if you could please find it in your hearts to help us raise the funds to get our Lucky Boy "all fixed up!" Thank you for taking the time to read this. It's been a long journey but boy has it been worth it! Thanks again y'all!