Cowboy, a precious puppy, was released to a Cavalier rescue in Utah after a significant heart murmur was detected. The rescue reached out to ask if we could welcome him into our program so he could receive the specialized cardiac care he needs - and of course, we said yes 💜

With the help of very dedicated volunteers getting him lovingly and safely across the country, Cowboy arrived to his foster home in Birmingham, Alabama and has now completed his intake vetting. 

Cowboy is 12 weeks old (DOB 5/1/2026) and weighing just over 5 pounds. We're currently treating him for yeasty ears, ear mites, and coccidia, which was detected on his fecal test. As expected, his vet confirmed his significant heart murmur due to a congenital heart defect. The next step is a comprehensive cardiac evaluation at Auburn University, which is scheduled for August 24, where he will undergo diagnostics and a treatment plan, likely to include surgical repair, will be formed ❤️‍🩹 

Cowboy has a journey ahead of him, but he couldn't be in better hands. While we won’t have any medical updates to share on him for another month (unless we get moved up on the cancellation list) we will of course keep sharing darling puppy pics in the meantime 📸

UPDATE AUGUST 1, 2026: 12 week old Cowboy recently came into our care after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that will require lifesaving surgery. Our wonderful volunteer flew out to Utah to collect him and bring him here to Birmingham, Alabama where he is being fostered and awaiting his heart surgery at Auburn University in a few weeks. Unfortunately, Friday night brought an unexpected and frightening turn.
Cowboy’s foster mom noticed a very sudden decline in his condition and immediately rushed him to the emergency vet. There, doctors discovered that Cowboy has a second congenital abnormality - a diaphragmatic hernia. A diaphragmatic hernia is a birth defect in which there is an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen. Through that opening, abdominal organs can move into the chest cavity, compressing the lungs and making it increasingly difficult to breathe. It is a life-threatening condition that requires surgical repair.
Cowboy was immediately placed on oxygen and at midnight, made the two-hour journey from Birmingham to Auburn University in a portable oxygen chamber. Thankfully, he arrived safely.
He remains hospitalized at Auburn, where he has been stabilized and continues to receive supplemental oxygen while his team carefully monitors him. If he remains stable, the current plan is for Cowboy to undergo diaphragmatic hernia repair surgery on Monday. However, if his condition worsens at any point, he will be taken to emergency surgery immediately.
Unfortunately his heart surgery cannot be performed at the same time. That means this tiny puppy is now facing two separate lifesaving surgeries. Little Cowboy may be small, but he has already shown us what a fighter he is. He has enormous obstacles ahead of him, but we are committed to giving him every opportunity to overcome them. We are so fortunate to have an amazing and generous support community making it possible for him to receive this care and give him the opportunity to live. His expenses are and will continue to be very expensive, and we are so thankful for your donations 💕
Rest assured, we will share updates as we know more and we appreciate your prayers and support 💜 

UPDATE AUGUST 4, 2026: Friday night, little Cowboy’s foster mom noticed he was suddenly struggling to breathe and rushed him to the emergency vet. There, doctors discovered that in addition to his known congenital heart defect, Cowboy had a second congenital abnormality - a diaphragmatic hernia, where an opening in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to slip into the chest cavity, preventing the lungs from fully expanding and making it extremely difficult to breathe.

Cowboy was immediately placed on supplemental oxygen and made the 2 hour journey in the middle of the night to Auburn University in a portable oxygen cage. He remained at Auburn over the weekend while the incredible critical care team worked to keep him stable and prepare him for surgery.

Yesterday, brave little Cowboy underwent his lifesaving surgery to repair his diaphragmatic hernia and has had a wonderful recovery. We got the call today that we had all been hoping for - that Cowboy could go home! 🙌🏼 We just sprung our sweet boy from the hospital, and he’s now headed back to his foster home in Birmingham, Alabama, for lots of rest, recovery, and TLC ❤️‍🩹

While today is certainly a day to celebrate, Cowboy’s journey isn’t over. Once he has recovered from this surgery, he will still need another lifesaving procedure to repair his congenital heart defect. One step at a time. 🐾

Thank you for continuing to keep Cowboy in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers. We know he still has another mountain to climb, but today we’re celebrating this victory and the fact that our sweet little buckaroo is headed home 💜

UPDATE AUGUST 10, 2026: Baby Cowboy is 6 days post op from his lifesaving diaphragmatic hernia repair surgery, and we are thrilled to share that he is having a fantastic recovery thus far! 🎉
His incision looks great, and he’ll return to the vet in about a week for suture removal. Perhaps the biggest sign that he’s feeling so good is that keeping this busy little buckaroo quiet and on the “down low” while he heals has become quite the challenge! Thankfully, Cowboy loves a good chew, which has been very helpful in keeping him busy and entertained while his body does the important work of healing 💜