UPDATE 08/01: Jack is home with me, and is on the mend. He did sustain damage to his kidneys given his organ failure and is now being monitored and treated for early CKD, but aside from that he is putting on weight and is energetic, affectionate, and expressive just as he was before. Thank you so much to everybody who has offered support - financial, emotional, or both.

Hi everyone,

My name is Audrey and I'm a medical student doing my best to juggle the challenges of school while caring for my best friend, Jack.

Just 2 days ago, Jack was completely normal - wagging his tail, asking for treats, and demanding his walkies like he always does. But as of yesterday, he is facing a life-threatening emergency. In the blink of an eye, he was vomiting everything up that he tried to take, including water, and became so weak that he was unable to walk.

3 different vet clinics later (2 of which were emergency vets), we learned that his white blood cell count is over 20,000, his liver enzymes are severely high, and that he has a mucocele - a compact 'plug' of sludge that has blocked his gallbladder and is threatening to rupture.

The only option is emergency surgery, and as much as I want to say “do whatever it takes,” the financial weight is absolutely overwhelming.

I first met Jack while volunteering at Homeward Pet Adoption Center. He was the very first dog I had a deep emotional connection to - he was new into the shelter, and crying so loudly that every volunteer could hear him from outside. As soon as I entered his crate and he crawled onto my lap, there was only comforting silence from thereon out.

When he was adopted, I was sad to see him go but very happy to see that he was going to a place where he was loved. Unfortunately, his previous owner ended up passing away and he was sent back to the shelter. When I saw Jack again, he was extremely shut down - his face turned into a corner and shivering violently. But when I spoke to him, he reacted to my voice and immediately perked up and pranced over to me.

At that point, I knew it was fate. I brought him home, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Jack has been there for me through some of the hardest moments of my life: working in the ER during the pandemic, moving away for medical school, medical school stress, and late nights studying when everything felt impossible. He has been a soothing presence to the senior citizens in my life, and I could swear was a therapy dog at one time in his life, or in another life. He has changed so many people's minds about small dogs.

He’s my constant. And now, I want nothing more than to be there for him when he needs me most.

As a full-time student, I simply don’t have the resources to cover this unexpected emergency on my own. Any funds raised will help cover any additional unexpected costs of Jack’s surgery, potential complications, and follow-up care. It will also provide a safety net in case further interventions are needed.

Jack deserves more time. He deserves more walks in the park, more naps in the sun, and more love. If you’re able to contribute or share this, I’d be deeply grateful. Thank you for helping me give Jack a chance to keep living the life he deserves.

With love and gratitude,

Audrey, Jack's mom

UPDATE 07/25: Jack is doing great! He should be able to fly to Montana to reuinite with me next weekend. While this is a happy ending for us, the financial burden is still a heavy weight. Any shares, donations, and/or words of support mean very much to us!

UPDATE 07/21: Jack's bile culture didn't reveal any sort of infectious reason for what happened to him - this is good news! The nodule they removed from his spleen was non-cancerous. Overall we're feeling very optimistic about his recovery and cannot thank you all enough for supporting Jack and I during this hard time!

UPDATE 07/20: Jack is discharged and is back at my family's home in Seattle! Right now we are monitoring his incision, managing his pain, and keeping an eye on his urination and defecation. He is recovering (mostly) without hiccups - right now what we are struggling with is getting him to take his medicine (thank goodness for turkey lunch meat!) and his urination. He's struggling with some post-catheterization swelling but it's all within normal. Thank you so much to everybody who continues to follow Jack's story, share his campaign, and donate - the amount of love and support and generosity is blowing me away!

UPDATE 07/18: Still dealing with surgical ileus, but he did want to eat some food on his own this morning at 5 am. He had some crackles in his lungs which his doctor believes is a mild pneumonia, but this is being managed with antibiotics. Jack's dad and I went to go visit him today, and he was bright eyed, alert, and so happy to see us. We lay on the ground with him swathed in fuzzy blankets, and gave him kisses on his tiny head... Tomorrow I leave WA to go back to medical school while he remains here. It's been hard, but I can't thank all of you enough for your support.

UPDATE 07/17: Jack is doing well this morning, despite exhibiting some post-operative side effects. He is tolerating tube feeding, but has a post-operative ileus (Essentially, his intestines aren't moving as they should). Given the amount of opioid pain medications he is on and having abdominal surgery, this is not a surprise. The vets have given him some pro-kinetic medications to help this process! Otherwise, some bruising on his little belly and he's very sensitive to touch, but he's stable and his lab values look like they're improving. Thank you to everybody who has shared, donated, and expressed love for this special tiny boy.

UPDATE 07/16: Jack is now out of surgery and is in recovery. While he has crossed a huge hurdle, he is far from being out of the woods. Every donation will help cushion his recovery costs, especially if any complications arise (Which we, obviously, truly hope won't happen!)