James

It is with heavy heart that I inform you all today James lost his battle. We are absolutely heartbroken, his story was not supposed to end this way.

No amount of love or money could help him recover from the damage done to his insides with the blockage he had. The surgery to remove the blockage gave him some extra time, but in the end the damage was too great. He had slowly gotten worse over the last week and today we made the incredibly difficult decision to end his pain and suffering. We did everything we possibly could but in the end we simply ran out of options.

We love and miss you buddy. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.

Heartfelt gratitude to all the people sending love, support, and kindness.

James has a vet appt this morning to see how he is progressing and we will update later today. Positive thoughts!

So time for a James update... Knowing that he could not handle another operation we took the path of attacking his illness with a variety of medicines and see he responded over the next 48 hours. The good news is so far he seems to be responding well. He is eating again and actually had enough energy for a short walk yesterday. While not out of the woods, this is a very positive sign. We are going to be talking to the vet later this morning to determine next steps. But for now, we are happy with how things are going.

Hello all. It's been a strange 24 hours for James. I just woke up from a nap on the couch and had a moment of questioning if it was a bad dream, followed by the realization that no, it really is where we are at. With that said, I will share the post that Amy, James foster mom, has posted.

"Many of you know this sweet dog, James. Although he has only been in our lives for a short period of time, our love for him abounds. He has had medical issues since day one and unfortunately things continue. He was some time in the ER last night and at the vet this morning. It was decided that his stomach could not handle another surgery and was put on a wide range of meds. If his condition worsens or remains the same thru today and tomorrow we will have to send our sweet baby to doggie heaven.

We were so nervous about opening our home to a dog. We weren't sure we could handle the extra responsibility. We were so wrong! He has been the greatest joy we could ever ask for."

Good morning. So we learned a few things last night but there are still several unknowns. Today is going to be rough though, that we do know. We hope to know more this morning as far as options for James. We are going to do what is best for James, whatever that means. Thanks to everyone out there thinking about and supporting James. Wish him luck.

Hey everyone, Tony here... on my way to pick up James and foster dad and we are headed to the animal ER. Positive thoughts and good vibes appreciated.

Good morning everyone! James here! I just wanted to check in on my page and tell you all how I am doing. This week we got some of my blood test results back and while it was mostly good news, I learned that my body is not producing enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is pretty important for me to start gaining back some needed weight and help with the intestinal healing process. So foster mom and dad are going to get me to the vet for the next few weeks to get these injections. If the injections don't work there are some next steps, but we will see what happens with the shots. I am pretty brave and don't mind the needles too much. I also got some medicine that the vet told me will help to not be so nervous when my family leaves during the day. I know they will always come back to me but I can't help how anxious I get, I just miss them when they're gone. They are really nice people. I also get to meet a new person today, her name is Jennifer. She is going to help me not be so nervous when people leave with hopes to not need the medicine for very long. Hopefully my confidence will grow quickly, I hear Jennifer is very good for dogs like me. Well I guess that is abut it for now, I will update you all soon on how things are going. Thanks for thinking about me, I like having a page and people who care about me. Gotta go, there is a squirrel that needs to be barked at. Ruff!

James had a check up this morning at the vet. While he did well and seems to still be recovering, there are still some concerns around his weight and some internal inflammation. They did some blood work and tests which should hopefully provide further insight on what may be causing some of these concerns. We will find out about results early to mid next week. For now, we continue to feed him his prescribed diet and he will hopefully continue to be his happy self. More updates next week, please keep him in your thoughts.

Don't mind me, I'm just getting comfortable for a nap.

So I wanted to thank everyone again who contributed to James surgery fund. As I have done in the past with my other fosters, I like to post the bill so people know just exactly what they contributed to, I think that is only fair. If you have any questions please let me know. I did block out parts for privacy issues, but again, when people are donating their hard earned money I think transparency is good. Once again, James, myself, and his foster families say THANK YOU!!

James update!! He has been doing well the last several days. We had a small scare with some health issues a few days back which led to a trip to the vet but all things considered, it went well. We were instructed to increase his exercise and food intake which was great news to James! He LOVES the idea of more food! The vet was a bit concerned that he was not gaining weight so in a few weeks we need to get him back to the vet for a weight check and blood panel to ensure there is not something more serious that is preventing weight gain. So we are REALLY hoping he can start gaining weight so that we can start to plan for his knee surgery at some point. We know it causes him pain, but at this point, one thing at a time. He is doing well his fantastic foster home where day by day he seems to be getting more comfortable. They are a wonderful family - James is very lucky.

James seems to be doing okay in his new foster home. :) What do you think?

James just got dropped off at his new foster home. He has fantastic new foster parents and a few new playmates with their children. Stay tuned for updates and progress reports from his new home. James wants to thank Rhonda and family for being such a good home to him the last few weeks. Sometimes it takes a village to help a dog, and James is lucky to have he such wonderful people in his corner.

Today's visit to the vet went well. The staples came out and all but one was problem free. We have been told to increase his food intake and in a week or two will transition him off the specialty food from the vet. Up until now walks have been solely for bathroom breaks but we now have the all clear to start with short distances and slowly build from there. His cone can come off (and stay off for now) assuming he does not aggravate the area that the staples were. So for now, everything seems to be going his way assuming he starts to gain some weight and responds positively to the larger portions of food. Next thing to worry about will be his knees. The vet office printed me off his x-rays which I will scan and share that info on his page here in the next few days. But for now we'll just celebrate his health before we begin to prepare for the next steps in his journey.

Guess who gets his staples out tomorrow? Update from the vet tomorrow evening... fingers crossed for a good report.

James is a Bucks fan.

Good morning from James! Sorry we have not updated in a few days. Mr. James is doing well and gets a little better every day in his healing. His staples are scheduled to be removed this coming Wednesday which is another milestone in his recovery. This weekend we will be trying to finalize his foster situation and will update as things develop.

Tonight at the "Luck of The Dog" fundraiser in Milwaukee we will be handing off all the money raised for James to this point to canine Cupids. Come on out and join us if you can! James has incurred about three thousand in vet bills, and we know he has another surgery ahead of him to fix his torn Crutiate ligaments in his knees.

Once again, we can't thank everyone enough for their generosity toward James. THANK YOU!!

I went to the vet today and they were pleased with my progress. The nice people at the rescue even brought me a new type of collar so I can see better and am not bumping into everything, including foster mom's shins. She is happier too.

I have a lot of meds to take but they tell me they will help so I take them like a good boy.

So happy someone is home now. I am doing my best to get better. My foster mom is doing such a good job, I like having her here with me.

It was a rough night. As you would expect, James is not feeling too well. But he is hungry and so far keeping his food down which is critical. Even with the pain he is still his bright, sweet self. One day at a time right now.

Someone does not like his cone but is happy to be going home.

James is awake and moving around this morning, which is good. Next is introducing food and then that will determine next steps. He is not a fan of his kennel, and is causing a little ruckus by barking. I believe he may be plotting his breakout with the little dogs. :) I will post more as we learn more. Thanks everyone.

James finished up in surgery around 4:30 today. He is still very much out of it and waking up. They found an old toy in the mid section of small intestines. It had been there awhile and unfortunately had caused a fair amount of damage before being removed. They did all they could to the damaged area and now the rest is going to be up to James. As the vet put it, he is not out of the woods yet. Things could go either way and there is a best case scenario and also a worst case. The next seven days will tell us if his body is strong enough to heal. He has gotten this far, I would like to think he can do this. Keep him in your thoughts, keep him in your prayers. I know he has a lot of people pulling for him. That has to mean something.

James got out of surgery just a short bit ago, they are waking him up now. I will be getting a call back shortly with the details...

James will be going into surgery this afternoon to remove the obstruction in his small intestine. Wish him luck!!!