The recovery

The rest of the summer was spent recovering. Leeland was back to his old ways before no time, and we were happier than ever before. About a month after the surgery Leeland had blood work done again to see how he was progressing. One test in particular called the "bile acids test" would be most telling. Before the surgery Leeland had tested in the 300s both before and after eating. The new test would reveal a 4 before eating and a 19 after!

Our Vet was shocked, he said he's never seen such a quick and complete turn around. It was at this point we took Leeland off the antibiotics to see how he would do. After a month of success with no antibiotics we started taking Leeland off the laxative. That was also a success.

We left him on the prescription food until just recently. Now we are experimenting with the right food for Leeland. Our first attempt at a "normal" food was designed for dogs with "sensitive stomachs." We thought this might make the transition easier, but it turns out that Leeland is way past that, and needs to be on something even more average! I've never been so happy to have an average dog.

I'm thankful everyday now for Leeland's strong recovery. He's an amazing dog and I'm so glad he's still around.

Of course none of this story would have been possible if it weren't for the Care Credit Company, that approved me for a line of credit to pay for some of the expenses, and my dad who offered the use of his credit card for the remainder of the costs. Without him there wouldn't have been a choice to make, because surgery would not have been an option, fiscally speaking. My sister also lent some money to the cause. I was overwhelmed by my family's generosity.

Thanks to everyone who supported and loved Leeland throughout his battle! Hopefully there won't be any news to report regarding the liver shunt, we hope that chapter in his life is over. But this blog will stay put, and updates will be added about the fully recovered Leeland for anyone who's a sucker for schnauzer face!