Hi! After 12 days of not eating, 2 x-rays, 3 blood tests, countless ultrasounds, 1 exploratory surgery, 24/7 IV meds, 1 squeaker found, and 2 inches of intestines removed, Milo is home and healing!

On May 11th, Milo stopped eating. On May 14th, I took him to the vet where he got his first x-ray, blood test, and some IV fluids. After nothing was found, they sent me home with instructions to bring him back the next day. On May 15th, he got another x-ray that was still inconclusive, and they instructed me to take him to the Atascadero Pet ER. He was admitted there that day and began his round-the-clock care where they continued to check him with sonograms, ultrasounds, and blood work. All came back inconclusive while he deteriorated. Finally, on Saturday, May 17th, the vet on call said they were going to open him up and did not feel safe to wait until the morning. 1.5 hours later, that vet called and said they had found a part of a squeaker toy folded in half stuck in his intestines and he was so glad they had gotten it when they did because he was confident that if they had waited, it would have punctured through and Milo would have gone septic. Because of the damage from the squeaker, they removed 2 inches of the battered and bruised intestines.

We thought that would solve all the issues, but Milo continued to not eat and had begun incessantly regurgitating stomach acid. His stomach had become distended and was full of acid and saliva because the GI tract was in so much pain the muscles had actually stopped contracting and nothing was moving. This was now at 7 days without any food or bowel movements. I visited him every day after his surgery and took him on walks and offered him food; he would turn his whole body away from it.

On Tuesday, May 20th, I really started to panic. Despite him receiving amazing care and medication constantly, he was not getting any better. He had lost a significant amount of weight, his eyes were dull, and his hair was falling out. I started to ask if I could take him home. The vet said as kind but firm as possible that that was not a good idea. On Wednesday, I went to visit again and his mouth was swollen, red, and inflamed, and he was covered in neon yellow stomach bile. I really started to think the worst was to come.

On Thursday, he turned a corner and the next vet agreed to let me try to take him home with the promise that if he worsened, I could bring him right back. I’ve never moved faster in my life. I took my baby home and he slept in bed with me for the first time in over a week. He still did not eat that night or the next morning, and attempting to give him his meds was distressing for us both. I thought I had made a horrible mistake bringing him home and worried I had made things worse. I went to the pet store the next morning and bought human-grade stew and goat milk, which was recommended by the owners. That night on May 23rd, after 12 days of not eating, I got Milo to eat for the first time. Every day since, he has eaten a little bit more, his energy is up, he is super affectionate, he is initiating play with Fynn, and running around like his little weirdo self, and I am so, so, so, so relieved. This entire experience gave me gray hairs, migraines, and an ache in my chest I would not wish on my worst enemy. My baby is home though!!!

And now the awkward part, all of this care totaled literally just under $10,000. I took out a CareCredit card to support the cost and I have one year to pay it back with zero interest. I have made changes to my plans for the next year to accommodate this cost, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask my community for some help. Literally anything would be a huge relief. If you’ve read this far, I appreciate you so much, and all of your love and support of Milo during this time meant the world to me!