Al Roker took a break from the “Today” show as his dog had to undergo emergency surgery.
The veteran weatherman was absent from both the NBC morning show’s broadcasts on May 6. It turned out it had nothing to do with his recent well-documented health woes but involved his beloved pooch Pepper’s medical troubles.
“Our little girl Pepper had emergency surgery but is on the mend. She’s getting great care and is coming home tomorrow. Woof,” Roker posted an image of him cradling his pet on Instagram alongside the message a day before his absences.
“You can sleep on our bed as much as you want,” he signed off the post with the message to his dog.
“Gratitude. My heart is bursting with it today. Our littlest girl, Pepper, gave us quite a scare. She has survived an emergency surgery. But thankfully, our strong girl is recovering,” Roker reported.
“We are grateful for any and all prayers for our sweet doggie, who has stolen our hearts for 12 years now,” his wife, TV journalist Deborah Roberts, wrote in a tribute post to the animal online, alongside more pictures of her and Al with Pepper.
Roberts added the hashtags “grateful,” “heart,” “doggie” and “love” to her post.
Roker marked his 69th birthday by saying he feels “lucky to be alive” after a string of his own health problems.
“This is my 69th anniversary of orbiting the sun, and after everything that I went through at the end of last year, I am more than grateful to be celebrating this birthday,” he told his fans on Instagram.
“And to all of you who sent good wishes and well wishes over the past year, god bless you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it … grateful for another trip around the sun,” he said.
Roker has previously been absent from “Today” after being hospitalized for weeks for blood clots in his legs and lungs, as well as two bleeding ulcers. He was also forced to have his colon “re-sectioned,” his gallbladder removed and his small intestine fixed.
“I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was,” Roker revealed on “Today” about his ordeal.
He has also had knee surgery, which Roberts told fans online left him with “body fatigue.”
In November 2020, Roker was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to undergo surgery but was back on “Today” two weeks after the operation.
