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Warning: graphic photos
Well, some of you guys thought it would be a good idea to share this experience with major skin issues...you might regret that suggestion after the length of this post. This will be lengthy AND picture-heavy. (Sorry in advance!!)
On about April 5, I noticed the tiniest of bumps on the very top of Jax's head, and assumed it was an allergy issue. The following two photos are from 4/09 and 4/10, respectively...in the first, you can't see any kind of problem, and you have to look INCREDIBLY CLOSELY to see the minuscule bumps in the second.
Last year, he had very similar bumps, but he only ever took Benadryl, and they went away on their own. Of course, last year, he was just a pup and was not outside as much; nor was he as active as he is now.
Of course, I took him to the vet anyway. They again suggested Benadryl and to just keep an eye on things. I used Hibiclense to wash his head, and just kept an eye on it. He was running with me several times a week, playing in the lake (I regret that now), flirt pole in the yard...well...he was being a dog!!...a VERY happy one! The bumps didn't go away, but they didn't get any worse, nor did he have any other symptoms...until he did. That happened on April 18. I keep a VERY close eye on him, so that he had this mean, angry, ugly rash on his chest out of nowhere was a complete shock to me (of course about an hour after my vet closed.) He jumped up on the bed, and I saw it. It had NOT been there just hours before. I know that because I did his nails and I certainly would have noticed.
That same night, his left eye became INCREDIBLY INFLAMED (I watched it swell before my eyes), but I'm assuming that was a bit/sting/etc. of some kind because Benadryl did cause that to go down.
The next day we were at the vet first thing. The did a scrape...negative, but felt that we should put him on 2 weeks of Cephalexin in the event that there was a secondary infection that we were somehow missing. We also began Temeril P (it has some Prednisone in it to help with the itchiness and irritation.) At this point, they also made contact with a Veterinarian Dermatologist in the Dallas area just to share pics and keep her abreast of the situation. We completed the 2 weeks of Cephalexin with no improvement (the only effect it had was to cause diarrhea, so we also began adding Forti-Flora to his food.) At that same time we were at the vet (and beginning Cephalexin, etc.), we spoke about the fact that I had switched from the ALS formula of Victor to the Yukon (salmon based formula) about a month prior, so I began a gradual switch back over...(At this point there were so many variables that there was just nothing to point to as the obvious culprit for this mess.) I also began 2 medicated baths/week (Maleseb). While on the Cephalexin, I began to also notice that Jax's booty was looking AWFUL (I assumed because of the diarrhea...but it got worse and worse.) This was the beginning of my worry over that...
This was on or shortly before May 9. Oddly, though so many other places looked aggravated, his booty was the only area that was obviously making him miserable...the cone (and underwear) shortly became part of his life. On May 18, we were back at the vet...ZERO improvement, and he was beginning to get hard bumps all over his back/sides (trunk?) They knew I was coming in and that I was terrified, so when we got there, my vet had already been in contact with the dermatologist again. She strongly suggested a Convenia shot (it targets many types of infection, and she thought it was our best option because he was not responding AT ALL to typical treatment. The shot is active in the system for 2 weeks. I was scared to death of it, but I obviously had no other suggestions, so we did that. I should mention here that this was also the first time that Pemphigus was mentioned as a possibility...some of the symptoms fit it perfectly, but some of them really didn't. All I could think of was Fred's boy, Mars when I heard that word, and my heart absolutely sank.
On May 23, we were back at the vet because even if the shot was targeting what it needed to be targeting, he was showing ZERO signs of improvement. These pics are from that day. First=head, 2nd=leg/chest(side), 3rd=right front shoulder (I think...), 4th=obviously booty (sorry), 5th=right elbow/lower leg, 6th=right rear ankle, 7th=back/sides.
The decision was to "stay the course." The next day was medicated bath day, and he told me to kind of really get after those areas that were crusting up and trying to come off. He did warn me that there were clearly dead skin cells/follicles that were going to just slough off, so I was prepared to just cry silently and try to remain stoic as I did it... Well, that was my intention, until...I took Jax's cone off for his bath and he went and scratched his head on the carpet the next day (May 24). It was like if he had just a few more moments, he would have had no skin/fur/anything on his head
I hurried to the vet because I had no clue if bathing that raw mess was a good idea. I have never been so panicked and frantic/sick with worry in my life.
They were obviously very concerned. Sent pics to the dermatologist again, but knew that the next step was biopsies (a word that scares me to death). He had already had breakfast that morning, so they were done the next day...the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, which did not bode well for quick results...)! He had six "punch biopsies" done, and now it was just "wait, pray, and see."
It turned out that the results took far longer than my vet felt was reasonable (regardless of the holiday). I didn't have results until June 5 (10 days after the procedure), but the odd thing was...while we were waiting, he was improving! I had read (and read, and read, and read) about the Convenia shot, and knew that it was safe to give two doses, and I thought, "What if that is what is responsible for this improvement, and we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs waiting for results while watching him improve?"...Obviously, I have NO real knowledge about these things, but it just didn't seem like he would be improving if this was Pemphigus and he was not taking any meds for that...My vet and I discussed it, and he had a second Convenia shot on May 31. In the meantime, this is how he was looking...(not awesome, but CLEARLY better than before). The crusty, dry, sometimes bloody, lumps were gone. The baldness broke my heart, and fur was coming off in clumps, but you could just tell this was a VAST improvement.
PAUSE in the story...for some reason, my computer has these pics saved differently than the others, and I can't get them small enough. I'm sure you're sick of reading anyway, and my baby needs a walk...I'm not proofreading because I feel like I've been at this forever, and I'm ready to go hang out with my boy! So...sorry for any errors (and also the graphic photos.) I will finish the story, but just in the even that anyone reading this doesn't know the result of the biopsies...Jax does not have Pemphigus. He evidently has Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis...we are now supplementing Zinc for 2 weeks and going back for a re-check. If you've seen my recent posts, you know that he looks like a different dog than the poor baby depicted in these photos.
I will come back and just add another post to this to finish the story (it will be too late to just edit this), but I guess it is important info. to share...I don't know. I hate to subject anyone to those pics. This was the most worrisome time, and I am so relieved that he is looking, feeling, and just "being" so much more like my Jaxie Boy!!
Well, some of you guys thought it would be a good idea to share this experience with major skin issues...you might regret that suggestion after the length of this post. This will be lengthy AND picture-heavy. (Sorry in advance!!)
On about April 5, I noticed the tiniest of bumps on the very top of Jax's head, and assumed it was an allergy issue. The following two photos are from 4/09 and 4/10, respectively...in the first, you can't see any kind of problem, and you have to look INCREDIBLY CLOSELY to see the minuscule bumps in the second.
Last year, he had very similar bumps, but he only ever took Benadryl, and they went away on their own. Of course, last year, he was just a pup and was not outside as much; nor was he as active as he is now.
Of course, I took him to the vet anyway. They again suggested Benadryl and to just keep an eye on things. I used Hibiclense to wash his head, and just kept an eye on it. He was running with me several times a week, playing in the lake (I regret that now), flirt pole in the yard...well...he was being a dog!!...a VERY happy one! The bumps didn't go away, but they didn't get any worse, nor did he have any other symptoms...until he did. That happened on April 18. I keep a VERY close eye on him, so that he had this mean, angry, ugly rash on his chest out of nowhere was a complete shock to me (of course about an hour after my vet closed.) He jumped up on the bed, and I saw it. It had NOT been there just hours before. I know that because I did his nails and I certainly would have noticed.
That same night, his left eye became INCREDIBLY INFLAMED (I watched it swell before my eyes), but I'm assuming that was a bit/sting/etc. of some kind because Benadryl did cause that to go down.
The next day we were at the vet first thing. The did a scrape...negative, but felt that we should put him on 2 weeks of Cephalexin in the event that there was a secondary infection that we were somehow missing. We also began Temeril P (it has some Prednisone in it to help with the itchiness and irritation.) At this point, they also made contact with a Veterinarian Dermatologist in the Dallas area just to share pics and keep her abreast of the situation. We completed the 2 weeks of Cephalexin with no improvement (the only effect it had was to cause diarrhea, so we also began adding Forti-Flora to his food.) At that same time we were at the vet (and beginning Cephalexin, etc.), we spoke about the fact that I had switched from the ALS formula of Victor to the Yukon (salmon based formula) about a month prior, so I began a gradual switch back over...(At this point there were so many variables that there was just nothing to point to as the obvious culprit for this mess.) I also began 2 medicated baths/week (Maleseb). While on the Cephalexin, I began to also notice that Jax's booty was looking AWFUL (I assumed because of the diarrhea...but it got worse and worse.) This was the beginning of my worry over that...
This was on or shortly before May 9. Oddly, though so many other places looked aggravated, his booty was the only area that was obviously making him miserable...the cone (and underwear) shortly became part of his life. On May 18, we were back at the vet...ZERO improvement, and he was beginning to get hard bumps all over his back/sides (trunk?) They knew I was coming in and that I was terrified, so when we got there, my vet had already been in contact with the dermatologist again. She strongly suggested a Convenia shot (it targets many types of infection, and she thought it was our best option because he was not responding AT ALL to typical treatment. The shot is active in the system for 2 weeks. I was scared to death of it, but I obviously had no other suggestions, so we did that. I should mention here that this was also the first time that Pemphigus was mentioned as a possibility...some of the symptoms fit it perfectly, but some of them really didn't. All I could think of was Fred's boy, Mars when I heard that word, and my heart absolutely sank. On May 23, we were back at the vet because even if the shot was targeting what it needed to be targeting, he was showing ZERO signs of improvement. These pics are from that day. First=head, 2nd=leg/chest(side), 3rd=right front shoulder (I think...), 4th=obviously booty (sorry), 5th=right elbow/lower leg, 6th=right rear ankle, 7th=back/sides.
The decision was to "stay the course." The next day was medicated bath day, and he told me to kind of really get after those areas that were crusting up and trying to come off. He did warn me that there were clearly dead skin cells/follicles that were going to just slough off, so I was prepared to just cry silently and try to remain stoic as I did it... Well, that was my intention, until...I took Jax's cone off for his bath and he went and scratched his head on the carpet the next day (May 24). It was like if he had just a few more moments, he would have had no skin/fur/anything on his head
I hurried to the vet because I had no clue if bathing that raw mess was a good idea. I have never been so panicked and frantic/sick with worry in my life.
They were obviously very concerned. Sent pics to the dermatologist again, but knew that the next step was biopsies (a word that scares me to death). He had already had breakfast that morning, so they were done the next day...the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, which did not bode well for quick results...)! He had six "punch biopsies" done, and now it was just "wait, pray, and see."
It turned out that the results took far longer than my vet felt was reasonable (regardless of the holiday). I didn't have results until June 5 (10 days after the procedure), but the odd thing was...while we were waiting, he was improving! I had read (and read, and read, and read) about the Convenia shot, and knew that it was safe to give two doses, and I thought, "What if that is what is responsible for this improvement, and we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs waiting for results while watching him improve?"...Obviously, I have NO real knowledge about these things, but it just didn't seem like he would be improving if this was Pemphigus and he was not taking any meds for that...My vet and I discussed it, and he had a second Convenia shot on May 31. In the meantime, this is how he was looking...(not awesome, but CLEARLY better than before). The crusty, dry, sometimes bloody, lumps were gone. The baldness broke my heart, and fur was coming off in clumps, but you could just tell this was a VAST improvement.
PAUSE in the story...for some reason, my computer has these pics saved differently than the others, and I can't get them small enough. I'm sure you're sick of reading anyway, and my baby needs a walk...I'm not proofreading because I feel like I've been at this forever, and I'm ready to go hang out with my boy! So...sorry for any errors (and also the graphic photos.) I will finish the story, but just in the even that anyone reading this doesn't know the result of the biopsies...Jax does not have Pemphigus. He evidently has Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis...we are now supplementing Zinc for 2 weeks and going back for a re-check. If you've seen my recent posts, you know that he looks like a different dog than the poor baby depicted in these photos.
I will come back and just add another post to this to finish the story (it will be too late to just edit this), but I guess it is important info. to share...I don't know. I hate to subject anyone to those pics. This was the most worrisome time, and I am so relieved that he is looking, feeling, and just "being" so much more like my Jaxie Boy!!
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For him and YOU. I know you were a wreck and gosh, understandably so! I would be too!! Poor baby! But he looks awesome now! You were there for him through it all, doing everything possible for him! What a great mom you are!! You've both come a long way! 
)
