Al Roker took a break from the 'Today' show as his dog had to undergo emergency surgery

A day before his absences, he posted an image of him cradling his pet on Instagram alongside the message: "Our little girl Pepper had emergency surgery but is on the mend.

"She's getting great care and is coming home tomorrow. Woof."

He signed off the post with the message to his dog: "You can sleep on our bed as much as you want."

His actress wife Deborah Roberts, 63, also posted a tribute to the animal online, saying alongside more pictures of her and Al with Pepper: "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.

"We are grateful for any and all prayers for our sweet doggie, who has stolen our hearts for 12 years now."

Deborah added the hashtags "grateful", "heart", "doggie" and "love" to her post.

Al marked his 69th birthday by saying he feels "lucky to be alive" after a string of his own health problems.

He told fans on his Instagram: "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.

"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."

Dad-of-three Al has previously been absent from 'Today' after being hospitalised 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.

Al revealed on 'Today' about his ordeal: "I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was."

He has also had knee surgery, which Deborah told fans online left him with "body fatigue".

In November 2020, Al was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to undergo surgery, but was back on 'Today' two weeks after the operation.