Unfortunately we have the worst possible news about our little Rosie. She had her exploratory surgery yesterday to look for and possibly correct the suspected shunt. And while she came through the surgery, she did not recover from it and began to shut down and seizure.

The hospital did everything they could and her foster mom stuck by her through all of this, but when her seizures were not controllable, the decision was made to let her go.

Her foster mom, is heart broken as are we all.

Run Fast. Run Far. Run Free, Rosie.

Rosie seemed a little off to me over the last 4-5 days and that, combined with her urine having a strong smell, led me to take in a urine sample to my vet. Sure enough, her urinary tract infection is back. I picked up antibiotics today and she will be on them for the next 10 days.

I also booked her exploratory laparotomy today for Thursday, February 13th, which means she will start yet another medication tonight as a preventative for seizures. If, while she is having the laparotomy, they find the suspected portosystemic shunt, they will correct it. If they do not find it, they will take a biopsy of her liver. Five days prior to her procedure, we will be completing a urine culture sample to make sure the infection has cleared up and blood work will also be completed.

Despite everything this tiny little darling has had to endure, she is a real trooper and can't get enough cuddles. She is not fond of this cold weather though, so one of her favourite places (if not in my lap, or my son's bed) is curled up in front of the fireplace. This pint sized package is a real little gem and will need all your healing thoughts and prayers over the next several months for a successful surgery and for a full, successful recovery.

Rosie's second ultrasound also provided inconclusive results, even with sedating her and putting extra pressure on her abdomen. Although, they were not able to actually see the shunt, they still highly suspect it. The vet has also put her on medication for her bladder infection and to bring down her ammonia levels. We will have a full report with summaries and recommendations once the specialist returns from holidays sometime next week.

In the meantime, Rosie is a very happy little pug and full of energy! She loves to run, play and have lots of lap cuddle time! She had some huge milestones over Christmas: she was wandering on her own while being watched by different family members and on four or more occasions, she sought out her puppy pad on her own to pee!!! Yaaaa Rosie!!! You would never know there was anything potentially wrong by her outer appearance and behaviour!

A week and a half ago, a little black bundle of joy named Rosie arrived at our house.

Rosie is settling in nicely and really loves my 3 little boys. She also gets along great with our 3 puggies, but like them, she is more content with human interaction :)

Rosie has a suspected liver shunt, but when she went in for her wellness check, our vet said that from the "outside," Rosie presents as a healthy dog with a great coat, teeth etc. She is also full of energy, which is a bit atypical for a dog with her potential prognosis.

She has been eating 2 meals a day for us, but she does drink and pee a lot. We have been working really hard on her house training, but because she goes so frequently, she needs to be continuously supervised to avoid accidents. She will use a puppy pad, and we have already been successful in getting her to pee outside, although she is not too fond of the snow! We have also been able to get her to poo outside too, which is great news because we had been told that she would poo inside!

She is just a real gem, super loving and has the most adorable little face!

We have a specialist appointment for Rosie on the 23rd, so hopefully we will be able to confirm what is going on with this little girl and get her the treatment that she needs.