Ollie's Medical Mystery Can't Wait

Tomorrow marks one year since Ollie arrived at The Animal Pad from the ESLR hoarding case- a heartbreaking situation where a fake rescue in Ensenada, MX posed as an organization helping dogs while hoarding animals and pocketing donations instead of providing care.

After everything he’s survived, we never imagined he’d be fighting another battle so soon.

In the middle of the night, Ollie suddenly began vomiting and became extremely lethargic. We rushed him to the emergency hospital, where initial bloodwork revealed dangerously low platelets. While we monitored him closely, his condition worsened the following day when he began urinating blood, prompting immediate hospitalization.

For the past three days, Ollie has undergone extensive diagnostics, including an ultrasound, specialized bloodwork, and continuous supportive care. His kidneys are now showing signs of distress, and the ultrasound revealed gastritis, a thickened bladder, and a small mass on his liver. At this time, the liver mass is not believed to be the primary concern, but we are still searching for answers.

This morning finally brought a bit of hope. Ollie is eating again, his vomiting has stopped, and he’s wagging his tail despite everything he’s been through. He was severely dehydrated and drinking excessive amounts of water, but we’re hopeful he’ll be well enough to return home today while we await the results of advanced testing to determine what’s causing these serious symptoms.

Ollie has overcome unimaginable hardship once before, and now he needs our community to help him through this next chapter. His medical bills continue to grow with every test, specialist, and day of hospitalization.

7/24/26 Update

We have a hopeful update on Ollie!

After a very scary medical emergency and hospitalization, Ollie is doing much better. His veterinary team believes this was an acute episode, and we're relieved to share that his blood work has returned to normal. He's feeling more like himself again, his energy has improved, and everyone caring for him is encouraged by the progress he's made.

While this is wonderful news, Ollie isn't out of the woods just yet.

His recovery is still ongoing, and his veterinary team will continue to monitor him closely to make sure his condition remains stable. After everything he's been through, we're taking things one day at a time and staying hopeful that this improvement continues.

Although Ollie is back home and feeling better, the cost of the emergency care that helped save his life remains. Those veterinary bills don't disappear just because he's improving, and we're still working to cover the cost of his hospitalization, diagnostics, and treatment.

If you're able, please consider making a donation to help with Ollie's medical expenses. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps ensure rescues like ours can continue saying "yes" when animals like Ollie need lifesaving care.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared his story, and kept Ollie in your thoughts. Your support has made this progress possible, and we'll continue to share updates as he recovers.

8/12/26 Update

We have another encouraging update on Ollie!

Ollie is back home with his foster and continuing to recover after his frightening medical emergency. His kidney values have improved substantially, although they haven’t completely returned to where his veterinary team would like them to be just yet.

In the coming weeks, Ollie will see an internal medicine specialist and have additional testing, including a repeat CBC and tick PCR. His veterinary team believes his illness may have been caused by a possible Ehrlichia flare up, and these next tests will hopefully provide more answers.

The follow up testing will also help determine whether the changes in Ollie’s kidney values were temporary or if there is an underlying kidney issue that will require continued care.

For now, we’re so grateful that Ollie is home and doing better. The Animal Pad will continue to make sure he receives the specialized care and follow up he needs, and we’ll share another update once we know more from his upcoming visit.

Thank you to everyone who has donated and supported Ollie throughout his recovery so far. Your generosity is helping make every step of his care possible.