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Snuffles was born on 5/9/2007 while Renee and Angela, 2 fosters, watched.

Mom was standing at the time and her water broke and out the shoot came Snuffles. His first breath took in some of the discharge from the mom. He started breathing funny and within hours we took him to the vet and put him on antibotics so he wouldn't get pnemonia. Once the antibotics were complete, Renee, the foster, recognized that Snuffles was still having problems breathing and eating. The milk from mommy was being thrown up and not staying down. Renee's instinct was that something else wasn't right. After doing tests at the vet, they found that he has a restricted trachia which causes a blockage for food to pile up on and then go down the wrong way. He was born with it. She continued to nurse him along giving him soft food while his brothers and sisters were getting hard food as they grew and got adopted.

After talking to Southview, we found that a Hospital in Iowa can do surgery to correct this! It will cost Last Hope $1500-2000 is the estimate. The experts told us that the sooner he has the operation done, the less complications! So Renee has volunteered to make keep the appointment in the beginning of July to get his surgery completed!! It is a 3 1/2 hour trip one way.

Snuffles had his surgery this Tuesday and they found that he had 2 big blood vessels wrapped around his esophagus which caused the restriction, food back up and then food to go into his lungs. The university of Iowa's expert vet has that in his 30 years of practice, he has only seen one like him before. Most of the time, they only have one blood vessel wrapped around it!

If we did not spend the money at this time, Snuffles life would have been snuffed out before he was one year! He would have spend his life only eating soft food, getting pneumonia over and over again. and developed mega esophagus which means that he would throw up food and water if he did not eat small portions in an upright position and could never lay down for a great rawhide!

He is not out of the woods yet!! They are keeping him sedated so he doesn't move things around inside while the swelling from surgery goes down. He is getting oxygen and being tube fed. They need him to rest and not get up and play like he would want to!

Snuffles has made it through the 2nd day. The University of Iowa vets state that he has made remarkable progress. Snuffles has a mission in life, as Renee, the foster, stated over and over again as she nursed him from the day he was born!

Snuffles is getting better and better and stronger. He is a fighter. One of the vets in Iowa that worked on him asked to keep him for a few days and take him home to observe him. We know that he may be falling in love! We will find out this week if Snuffles is coming home to Minnesota to find a home here, or he will become an Iowian and be adopted there!

The doctor loves Snuffles so much. However, he knows he won't have the time for a puppy. Puppies are a lot of work with training and attention! They need socialization with dogs, cats and people of every type! They need work on playbiting, jumping up, manners , and housebreaking of course.

Everyone loves him at the Iowa University where his surgery was preformed. He is snuffly only about 3 times a week now for a short time. He does throw up his food if he doesn't have an elevated bowl but that is it! He is very very healthy and ready to be in a permanent loving home! If you are interested in adopting him call Renee at 952-431-8860. His adoption fee is $275.

A Happy Ending!

Snuffles is now living with the 2 doctors at the University of Iowa. See them in the picture. They took care of him and know his issues. Snuffles needs to gain weight after his ordeal, but he is well loved.

Snuffles new name is Paulie... Why? Both doctors like Paul Simon! Renee the foster thought that we should have charged a lot more for the adoption fee because they could have picked a better name!

As long as he is loved in a forever home, however, they can call him Paulie!!!