Ranger

Ranger has had a terrifying 24 hours. Starting last night he became lethargic and not himself after several bouts of vomiting. It was a scary night as Ranger would drink a little water, then promply throw it back up. His vet got him in right at 8, thank goodness, because by morning he wouldn't even walk. The bloodwork showed that his liver and kidneys were starting to fail and the xray, jeez. The vet thought it was an error so ran it twice. A perfectly round opaque shape - obviously a ball. Of course we said yes to surgery--he's our Ranger. Can't imagine life without him. The surgery went well but he was slow to wake and the vet said it was obvious the ball (about the size of a ping pong ball) had been in his intestines for some time. When he was brought to the overnight vet hospital tonight he walked a little bit but was mostly out of it. He did, however, wag his tail about three times for us. The vet gives him a 50/50 chance for the next 48 hours-- there are a few risks - the intestines were damaged and may rupture, he could go into toxic shock, or liver/kidney failure. Say a prayer.

Matt will see him again in the morning as he's moved back to the day clinic and I plan to call to check on him during the night. I think the next 2 days are critical. That said, he's a fighter. Given that the ball was blocking him most likely for weeks he has already proven how tough he is. Tough, tough, tough. I hope he rests well tonight.

I'll try to post another update tomorrow.