It took us time to write this… because we needed time to understand, and to accept.
Phoenix had his endoscopy, performed by @dariasaadeh@lebaneseveterinaryreferral .
What we discovered broke us.
The soft palate (roof of his mouth) is completely melted… it cannot heal, it cannot be fixed.
This finally gave us an answer as to why Phoenix was not healing all this time.
This means that when he eats, food can pass abnormally toward his nose.
Phoenix also has megaesophagus, which means food does not go down normally to his stomach… it can stay stuck in his esophagus.
He can choke at any moment. He can die suddenly.
There is no surgery. No treatment. It is too late.
Medically, euthanasia was recommended.
And we had to make the hardest decision…
Do we let him go?
Or do we wake him up and give him more time?
We didn’t know what was right.
We still don’t know.
But we couldn’t say goodbye.
So we chose to wake him up.
Phoenix cannot live in the shelter like this…
And honestly, who would take such a risk to foster him?
But something beautiful happened.
The team at @beitaleef decided to keep him as one of their own 🤍
They are sponsoring his care and giving him love every single day.
Today, Phoenix:
• Eats (dry food works better for him)
• Runs around the clinic for hours
• Sunbathes every morning ☀️
• Gets kisses and love
• Is even gaining weight
Is he in pain? No.
Is he happy? Yes.
We don’t know how much time he has.
We don’t know when it might happen.
But we know one thing…
He is loved. He is safe. And he is living his days with dignity.
There is no right or wrong decision here…
Only what we felt was right for him.
Please keep Phoenix in your thoughts.
And thank you @beitaleef for giving him this chance… you are simply amazing 🤍