Helpin' Melvin

The Vertical Version of Melvin!

2010-10-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Melvin has been doing great in his new home! Thank you to all of you who continue to send emails to get updates.

His new mom and dad say he loves his new yard, his canine brother, and his neighbor that plays with him often!

He has put on almost 10 lbs, but still manages to keep his long (aka lanky :) figure.

His new Bailey's chair, that a wonderful volunteer handmade is being put to great use and will help Melvin maintain his health and prevent any further stretching of his esophagus.

Melly has found a wonderful new life... one he never would have survived if it weren't for so many people!

Melvin Living the Great Life

2010-09-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Melvin's new mom says Melvin is doing wonderfully. He loves his run everyday at the fence (that is now Melly proof) with his new neighbor and sibling and even gets playdates! As you can see, Melvin is still performing his trademark hugs!
He has been able to keep his food down minus one mishap. His loving new mom and dad are spoiling him with yummy wet food without dry food at this time to let his tummy have a little break and to avoid any problems in the future.
His chair is still in the works and hopefully will be done soon!

It was great to here that he was doing well! We miss you Melly!

Melvin has been Adopted!

2010-09-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

So Melvin was greeted yesterday by a family that has always had 2 to 3 dogs at a time. At this point in their lives they had one dog in their life as the others had passed away.

These guys have made a life long commitment to many dogs. They loved and cared for eacha and everyone of them throughout each dogs happy life as if they were their own children. They suffered through cancer with one, a medically needed amputation, and neurological problems with another. They did everything the doctors recommended to help their dogs way into each dogs older years.

This family was looking into adopting and when they heard Melvin's story, they came by the next day to meet him. Wow was I not prepared when they said...."so can we adopt him right now?"!!! And I have to be honest... I think I actually said "no!". Once I pulled myself together and came back to reality and my senses, I made them endure our family filling them in on everything....again. With their approval process done prior to meeting Melvin, and patiently listening to the second day of being filled in on his past medical history, current needs and possibly future ones , they did not bat an eye!

Melvin had already sucked them in with his Charm and was giving them his full body, 4 legged signature hug with his chin on their shoulder!

Everyone on the street and our family bid him fairwell and shed a few tears... We will really miss him. He really is a special, sweet, smart puppy. He deserved this great home that found him!

We are still working on the chair for Melvin and everyone will be kept up to date on his new fun life!

A few hours after he left, we called to check in on him. His new mom and dad and 20-ish yr old human sibling filled us in and said he was eating and playing well. He had already played and met his neighbors and new dog friends and he was enjoying himself following his new canine brother, Raz, around everywhere.

We will dearly miss you Melly!

We are so excited and happy that Melvin found his Forever Home!

Research, Research, Research

2010-09-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

I think that I have become an expert on all this esophageal stuff. The fact that he can eat mixed dry and wet food with out a problem is GREAT! The research says this will be something he will outgrow if we are very careful and cautious right now.

His new chair that we will have will help progress his tolerance to food, but hopefully he will only need it for dry food for a little while! Keep your fingers crossed!

Bailey Chair

2010-08-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Melvin is still putting on the pounds! He is happy and playful and does not seem to be in any pain at all.

I tried to up his food today with a little more dry food and unfortunately, he had trouble with it. The research says that we want to work very hard at not stretching out his esophagus, soooooo... we are looking for someone to make a growing Bailey Chair for him. This is a chair that allows him to eat in an upright position and stay there for a short time to keep all of his food in his tummy and not sitting and stretching out his esophagus. This will definitely help the progression of any megaesophagus that he may develop and keep him fat and happy!

Is there anyone out there that can help????? We need a handyman/woman/carpenter that can help us out. I can't even find my hammer in my house right now :)

Growing Fast

2010-08-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

Melvin is up to 23lbs now! He was extremely thin going into the surgery 2 weeks ago and came out of even thinner. Four cans of wet food a day has kept this lanky boy growing. He is feeling so much better and is playing and holding his own with our two dogs! He got to go to Subway and the park the other day and was very excited! Forgot how hard it was to eat a good sub with a puppy right there trying to share it though ;)

Melvin follow up visit with South Paws

2010-08-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

Melvin went to his post-op appointment today. He was able to get his sutures out and strut his stuff in the office. He acted all goofy for about 3 minutes with the Vet and then decided enough was enough and just laid down and stared at him while he kept talking.

Basically, Melvin's esophagus and heart are good. There is a time frame that will be needed to have his esophagus work more efficiently so we will have to progress his food to dry food slowly and only if he isn't throwing up.

He is free to play and walk around now, just nothing strenuous like rough housing or chasing balls. I say this as I see him finally getting to play with my two dogs under my feet!

Melvin did show his funny side today with grabbing a raw potato out of my pantry and bowling with it down my hallway. He kept pushing it with his nose until it rolled and then would attack bounce if it went too far. We were all laughing!

We did have a little skin scrape done by the vet for a dry skin area and he will need some medication for a short stint, but that was the worst of it! Yay Melvin!

He has his fundraising event this Saturday, so please plan on coming!

a little movement

2010-08-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

My foster went away for a week. She really wanted to take me but she was worried that if I needed any medical care there wouldn't be a place as good as South Paws to take me! I'm gonna miss my family and their dogs, but Lucky Dog made sure there was a team of people available to love me for the week. Its amazing how many people are involved in just my care and well being!!! wow! i think someone was really looking after me when they scooped me up! please help them out my donating to my medical bill so they can do this for other dogs in need! i'm doing my best with being the best puppy ever, learning commands, and just being nice to everyone I meet. that way, i can help find me a forever home that i have only dreamt about.

Fundraiser for Lucky Dog and Medical Bills for dogs like Melvin.

2010-08-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Melvin is doing well, fewer man burps and more movement! He is still taking pain meds around the clock and occassionally jumps up unexpectantly onto someone's leg or a door causing him to give a little yelp, but over all he is doing well. He went for a short little walk today just to get outside for some fresh air. He wagged and greated every single person with his gentle cool style and actually tried to leave in someones car with them. He has great ears for flapping out of the window! Everyone who meets him loves him and roots for him.

Please save the date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fundraiser at Mio Restaurant

1110 Vermont Ave, NW

in DC on

Saturday, August 28th from 6 to 9pm!

There will be raffles!

Special Shots like the Woofitini and The Lucky Shot!

$10 donation recommended.

Please consider joining Lucky Dog's team of volunteers and friends to help raise money for medical expenses acquired by Melvin and other dogs that were in need.

Without donations and your help, we would NEVER be able to save dogs that have these costs to keep them healthy.

All tips will go to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.

This will be a fun event with Guest Bartenders from LuckyDog!

Come meet some of the faces that help out these dogs in need!

Lots and lots of food!

2010-08-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

Melvin is doing well! He has an incredible man burp from time to time, but all food is staying down. We have taken on the mission of trying to put as much food as possible into a little puppy, as often as possible, while following his post-op instructions. His little ribs are still sticking out, but I think a little less from even yesterday.
He hasn't had an accident in the house since he has been home so I think that he is house-training us well!

Post -Op Pictures.

2010-08-07T15:05:00.002-07:00

I am a little tired and in pain when my meds wear off, but its getting better slowly. I can't wait to eat and eat and eat so I can grow into a big strong lab!

This is my "rock star" t-shirt that the great people at South Paws made for me. I got to wear it home and my foster family loved it!

Here, ladies and gentleman, is the president of my fan club! I gave her a big huge when I left because she took such great care of me when I was in the ICU with all of her friends there at South Paws. I am so lucky to have been treated so well there!

The Rockstar is leaving the Building!

2010-08-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

So, yes, I'm the coolest, toughest, best smellin puppy there ever was! I had those awesome humans at South Paws at my beck and call. I just gave a little wink and a little wag and can you believe just turning on my Melvin charm had me being HAND FED! They even made me a t-shirt to wear!
The surgery is over, so that part is great! It hurt and I had lots of tubes and stuff I didn't understand, but hopefully it will help me get the biggest dog bone the world has ever seen... without throwing it up like I used to!
I have to try to calm my puppy genes and go for short little potty breaks, I have to be carried on stairs and I can't wrestle with my foster mom's dogs, but eh, I get carried and pampered, so I'm not complaining. Staying on a leash 24/7 for 2 weeks is soooo going to get old. That's like 14 weeks in puppy weeks!
So, I justed wanted to let all my fans know that I'm in the clear, in a little pain that I get to take medicine for, and am in super good care.
I'll make sure my foster mom finds the time in this busy house to post my pictures.
And to all those wonderful people at SouthPaws (I'm pretty sure they think I'm a RockStar), I just want to say THANK YOU for taking such good care of me! Don't worry, I'll make sure to sign autographs when I go back in two weeks to get my sutures out. - Melly Belly OUT!

Update

2010-08-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

So after talking to the hospital today, Melvin had his chest tube and G-tube taken out. They have been able to lower his meds throughout the day to wake him up a little more. He is feeling well enough to go outside quickly to do his business and he even ate a little today. The tech said that they just hold him after he eats to have gravity help keep the food down in his tummy. Personally, they way Melvin hugs, I'm sure they are just doing it cause it is just awesome to get a Melvin hug!
Hopefully we can pick him up tomorrow sometime. Keep you posted!

Mevlin's Surgery Went Well!

2010-08-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

Melvin had his surgery yesterday and is recovering well. They were able to remove the artery that was cutting off his esophagus. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for Little Melvin! He probably will be in the hospital through tomorrow...

Melvin Says "Thank You!"

2010-08-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

"What do you think about this pose" -melvin, jr.

So, my foster mom sent out a bunch of emails to anyone she could think of.... she pretty much spent all day on it. I do believe that she was avoiding other things like, say, her real job, house stuff, and the kids, but lets just say, I know my foster family loves me and is trying to help me! I think its the way I snuggle and just like to hang out with them that's got them all kissing and hugging me all day. They think I'm one cool dude! You should see me sucker them with my belly poses! But enough about me though :)

I wanted to thank everyone that answered her emails with kind words and donations to help pay for my surgery. I'm going to be REALLY pampered when I get home and I found a way to have the best wet food in the world!

If any of you dogs out there have any other suggestions to make humans act this way, please let me know! I want to keep this pampering thing that I have GOING!

Thank you to all of you!

Melly

p.s... if you have any friends out there that may contribute, please forward my blog. Not even half of my surgery is paid for yet!

Pre-Op Appt at South Paws

2010-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Melly at the vet's office.

Today we went in for Melvin's pre-surgical consult. I had to fend off the kids and well-doers in the neighborhood from coming to the appointment! I was able to narrow it down to my 3 kids only, myself and Melvin.

Melvin was really stressed out... he hit his usual belly up snuggling pose and slept (it was his nap time though).

After listening to his heart for a murmur and doing a general exam, Dr. Brehm, DVM, DAVCS explained the procedure, possible complications, and the prognosis for Melvin. As with any surgery, there are risks and they also don't know totally what is going on until they begin the thoracotomy and start visualizing everything going on inside him. There is a possibility that more than we know is affecting his eating and cardiac vessels.

Basically, the standard recovery is about 2 weeks of minimal activity with soft food and will take a few months for full recovery. We will know more tomorrow after the surgery. I think we plan on pitching a tent outside of the hospital in case Melvin needs us! How long do you think they will let us stay there???

He will most likely be there about 2 nights and we will get him on Friday.... at least that is the plan for now.

Keep you posted!

So, this is why he is called Melly Belly :)

2010-08-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Melvin is a floppy loving puppy who will pretty much love to hang out with you... mostly belly facing up! :)

Melly Belly

2010-08-02T06:39:00.001-07:00

So, as the fosters, we have fallen hard for this little guy! He is just one cool dog. As a young puppy, he just follows you around. Although he is just learning commands, it's like he already knows them. He comes when called, he sits, he is working on "stay" and "wait". He is really bright. He has to learn to come to our families silly names that we invent like "melly belly", "melly smelly", and "mj"... pretty good, huh?

We have 3 dogs in our house besides Melvin. Two are ours and one is being dog sat... a previous LuckyDog graduate. Melvin has no problem, even being the youngest and smallest, getting out there rough housing and playing. But his favorite spot, no matter the dog fun that is going on, is to sit by you and just rest his chin on your leg. He is not over-bearing and needy, he just likes to hang out with you.

As for his medical update, we have gone to straight wet food out of the mini muffin pan and we put it on the stairs so he eats using gravity to help get and keep the food down. It was really good news when the vet said that his esophagus was not stretched out too much because of his condition. That could have been a life long issue that required food management. However, Melvin's prognosis right now is that after the tissue is removed from around his esophagus, he will be good to go!

He has a pre-surgical appointment on Tuesday of this week when we will learn more and if everything goes as planned, he will be scheduled for the procedure on Wednesday of this week.

Melvin had a few interested people at our adoption event at Potomac Yards this week, but with all the competition, he is still looking for a home. Yay for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue though! Over 40 dogs were adopted this weekend alone!!! It's hard to believe.

Melvin's Story

2010-07-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Melvin came to Lucky Dog with his three siblings from Florence, South Carolina. His cute blonde brothers and sister got adopted quickly, but, like many black lab puppies, Melvin was overlooked. His foster mom was fine with that -- Melvin is a special boy and she likes having him around.

However, Melvin seemed to have a problem. Every time he ate, he would throw up! His very smart foster mom slowed down his eating by putting the food in a cupcake pan. This seemed to help Melvin, but we thought a vet visit was warranted. So, we consulted with our vet Dr. Smith at Hayfield Animal Hospital who agreed that we should send him to see Dr. Dondi at Southpaws. And, we're glad we did.

It turns out that Melvin was not throwing up, but regurgitating. (An important difference). X-rays and a fluoroscopy revealed a problem with his esophagus caused by a Persistent Right Aortic Arch. In very simplified terms, Melvin didn't develop quite right in his mother's womb. As we understand it, puppy embryos go throug various stages of development. At one stage, the embryo has six loops or arches of blood vessels arising from the heart, very similar to the definitive gills seen in fish. As the embryo matures towards birth, these arches slowly disappear. Sometimes, however, there’s a mistake, and one of the arches sticks around. Although the arch usually does not affect blood flow to organs or compromise either the heart or blood pressure, it can partially or completely encircle the puppy's esphagus. This is what happened to poor little Melvin.

So, Melvin needs surgery to determine whether the arch is not involved in blood flow and whether it can be safely removed, thereby allowing his esophagus to operate normally. As you might expect, this is not an inexpensive surgery!!

Melvin needs your help to get this lifesaving surgery! Please consider donating today!