Neeko Poodle Lawrenceville, GA

Neeko is finally ready for adoption!

If you’ve been following his story, you know what a miracle this is. Neeko is a purebred Standard Poodle who is eight months old. He came to us in January after being surrendered to a veterinary clinic in need of emergency surgery for gastric torsion, commonly known as “Bloat.” It is highly unusual for a young puppy to experience this problem, so we suspected there was more to the story. In speaking with Neeko’s owner, we discovered that the pup had been having problems with feeding from day one. Neeko was unable to keep any food down and was rapidly losing weight. The young man said he contacted Neeko’s breeder (who wasn’t any help) and took Neeko to the vet several times. Realizing that Neeko’s ongoing medical issues were more than he could handle, he surrendered ownership and that’s where we stepped in.

Neeko’s bloat surgery did not solve his feeding issues and within a few days he was sicker than ever. We took him to UGA and they did emergency exploratory surgery, expecting to find a blockage or a complication from the prior surgical procedure. Instead they found that Neeko’s stomach really had no obvious abnormalities at all. Post operatively, Neeko remained unable to keep food down. While his symptoms were consistent with a diagnosis of megasophagus, that condition was ruled out via x-ray multiple times. All bloodwork and scans were normal, yet Neeko could not keep down food and was becoming more emaciated by the day. As a last ditch effort, a feeding tube was surgically implanted in Neeko’s stomach so he could be fed a completely liquid diet very slowly, drop by drop. Obviously this was not sustainable long term, and euthanasia was suggested to us on more than one occasion. After almost two weeks in the hospital (costing over $11K) we decided to bring Neeko back to his original foster home, if for no other reason than he deserved some quality time out of the hospital before he went over the rainbow bridge.

Once he got to his foster home, we could see that Neeko was not ready to give up his fight. Though his tube feedings were slow and tedious, Neeko cooperated beautifully and grew surprisingly spunkier by the day. With nothing to lose, foster mom began experimenting with incremental feeding changes, some of which worked and others that didn’t. Neeko took some steps forward and then a few back. He had many trips to the vet and consultations with specialists regarding his medications and feedings. At one point he was on five different GI meds. He’s now down to just one (metoclopramide) and will likely need this one for the rest of his life.

We now know that Neeko’s underlying problem is delayed gastric emptying, meaning that his stomach processes food much slower than it should. He has to be fed small, soft meals frequently throughout the day. He is on a strict diet consisting of canned puppy food and water, mixed to a slurry consistency. We’ve just recently begun adding a tiny amount of puppy kibble to his feeds and so far he’s tolerating that well. We were told that Neeko would probably never be able to eat regular dog food, so this is pretty miraculous and definitely a win for Neeko.

Now, after three months, Neeko is thriving. He’s still thin and his growth has been permanently stunted by his feeding difficulties. Although he is a purebred standard Poodle, he will probably never top 30 pounds. He will always require close management by his veterinarian and his feeding regimen must be followed explicitly. Neeko is not and likely will never be a “normal” dog. He will always require close monitoring and management. He currently eats four small meals a day, but our goal is to get him to three eventually. He cannot have any treats or human food. He cannot be unsupervised around your other pets’ food bowls or trash cans, especially of the kitchen variety. We cannot stress enough how sensitive Neeko’s stomach is. Whoever adopts him must understand that following these rules could mean the difference in life or death for him.

Neeko is a precious boy with the most loving nature. He’s a goofball who adores toys and playing fetch. He loves to be outside and can entertain himself with a tennis ball for an hour. This sweet boy is a champ and he deserves nothing but the best from here on out. We’ve put a lot of work in to this sweet boy and we want to see him live and long, happy life.

Neeko is fully vetted -- neutered, microchipped, heartworm negative, and current on vaccinations and deworming. The adoption fee is $250. We accept payment in the form of cash, CashApp and Zelle. You can apply to adopt by submitting an application at www.sohfga.com.