At only 4 lbs, Caravan is a little fighter!

A few weeks ago, we rescued a tiny dog named Caravan who arrived with her bigger sister, Dana (who was quickly adopted). We immediately noticed that something was very wrong. Caravan was lethargic, disinterested in food, and having neurological issues such as bumping into objects, falling over and walking in circles.

Liver Shunt Surgery

She was immediately examined by our vet who did blood work followed by an ultrasound which determined that Caravan has a liver shunt. A liver shunt occurs when the blood supply to the liver is being bypassed so the liver is not functioning properly. Without immediate surgery, Caravan would likely die. Without hesitation, we began scheduling the surgery she desperately needed.

Little Caravan in Recovery Room

On April 2nd, she went to our friends at Petchester Veterinary to have specialty surgery. After the surgery, the vet told us, "Caravan did great! Her CBC (complete blood count) results were much better than they had been and she even came in looking like a different dog today (due to some great foster care). Luckily, it was very easy to find the shunt and a constrictor has been put in place that will gradually close off the errant blood vessel in 2-4 weeks."

Now she needs intensive post-surgical care and was transferred to the Veterinary Emergency Group for a few days to be monitored for seizures until she is well enough to return to her foster home.

Caravan receiving foster love

We are grateful to Kristy and Stebs Garcia for sharing their loving family who painstakingly cared for Caravan around the clock in order to build her strength for major surgery. That care included syringe-feeding her every 2 hours, medicating her, bringing her to vet appointments and taking turns sleeping next to her as she spent most of her time curled up in a blanket. Despite all their hard work and lost sleep, Kristy and Stebs had this to say, “She is just the sweetest and we’ve loved having her in our home.”

We will keep you posted on Caravan’s progress over the next few weeks. In the meantime, please send her your healing thoughts.

The cost of Caravan’s critical vet care has already amounted to thousands and while it would be fantastic if we could offset some of these expenses, we totally understand if you would prefer to just follow Caravan’s progress at this time. However, if you have the ability and can find it in your heart to donate to help give Caravan every fighting chance to live a long and healthy life, your gift to our Healing Paws Fund would be greatly appreciated. As they say, it takes a village and we would be humbled by your generosity.  Thank you for taking the time to allow us to share the story of Caravan.

Caravan Updates

4/7/20

Great news! Caravan was released from the emergency vet and is so happy to be back in the loving arms of her foster family! As expected, she tires easily but is eating well, taking her meds and has found some energy to play. The next couple of weeks will be the most telling but Caravan is a little trooper and is on her way to recovery.

THANK YOU to each and every one who made a donation! We are almost halfway to covering her veterinary expenses. We can't thank you enough for your generosity in helping us give Caravan a fighting chance. Please continue sharing and keep those healing thoughts coming!

4/11/20

Caravan (affectionately known as Bean) is finally back to walking with her pack! Even though she got tired at the end and had to be carried, she was so happy to be out and about. A big thank-you to the Garcia's, her awesome foster family!  

4/14/20

Caravan (Bean) was all bundled up yesterday to go out in the pouring rain for her post-surgery checkup. Her stitches were removed and she will continue on her meds until her next appointment. The good news is that this little peanut is on the mend... she even gained 1 1/2 lbs and is now a whopping 6.6 lbs! Thank you for helping us give her a fighting chance! 

4/17/20

Little Caravan (Bean), our liver shunt survivor, is getting stronger every day and looks forward to her daily walks now. It's very cute how she tries to keep up with the much bigger dogs in her pack... she sprints, then rests, sprints, rests. Can you see her smiling? Keep your healing thoughts coming!

5/01/20

Caravan Finds His Forever Home

Caravan, our liver shunt pup, had a follow-up vet visit this week. She almost doubled her weight (she's 7.5 lbs now) and has been cleared for adoption! Except.... her foster family decided that they couldn't part with her and yesterday, made it official: Caravan is the newest member of the Garcia Family!

Thank you to everyone who helped fund her surgery! We couldn't be more thrilled that her story has a fairy tale ending and they lived happily ever after... the end.