Rolex
On Monday, March 28th, Rolex saw our vet, Bear Valley. The first thing they did was cut his nails! His nails were so long it was hard for him to walk and they were yellow with infection and causing his feet to swell. After a variety of tests, Dr. Stevenson informed us that he has fungal and bacterial infections, an eye infection, as well as demodex mange. The medication prescribed includes pain meds, pills and sprays to treat the mange, medicated baths, and we are also looking into some natural treatments to boost his immune system. He will be isolated temporarily so that he can heal and we will make sure that he is as comfortable as possible during the recovery process!
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Yesterday was a very bad day for Rolex.
Rolex was in such a state of pain and discomfort that he was scratching gashes into his skin and making things worse. He had no appetite and showed little interest in water. The medicated body spray that we were to spray him with seemed to irritate his skin even more and the pain medication was doing little to relieve his discomfort. The vet had to switch him to morphine.
Today we have a completely different baby. The spray was discontinued and the pain med's are working to ensure he is comfortable. He has not scratched today, and he has had 3 small meals already. He has ample kisses and a wagging tail for everyone he sees.
Rolex is house trained, so at some point he was able to enjoy a normal life. He is afraid that he is going to be locked out again, however, so getting him to go outside has been a challenge. He gets very, very stressed out, like a panic attack and his heart races and he pants like crazy when he has to go potty. Yesterday his foster family had to carry him out because he was so freaked out. Today he is realizing that he will not be locked outside and is more comfortable as long as someone is nearby to reassure him.
The mange is not looking any better, but the vet thought it would be a good 10 days before we see improvement.
You can tell he is very grateful for the changes in his life. It may be a long road to recovery, but he knows we are doing everything we can to help him!
10 Days in -
Rolex can see again! His eyes are a beautiful gold and there is no crust or mucus any longer to seal them together. He will continue to be treated with his eye ointment for another 4 days to ensure the infection does not return, but it's wonderful to have him gaze at you wide-eyed and happy.
The oozing and bleeding areas are diminishing. There are still scabs, but we are seeing some hair regrowth on his back, and some of the smaller bleeding areas have turned to tender pink skin. His feet are still swollen to the point of pain and he cries several times a day after brushing his feet into people or furniture. He is completely off of pain med's, however we have a call into the vet for guidance regarding his still swollen extremities.
The morphine effected his appetite(he was on Morphine for 9 days). Now that he is no longer taking it, we are seeing Rolex actually wanting to eat. We have him on Eagle Power Pak for the increased nutrients. He is no longer afraid of the water and food bowls, which added to the problem. Originally he acted as if we were going to throw them at him every time we picked up the bowls to try and encourage food and water intake.
Rolex has another 21 days on Ivermectin and 4 more days on antibiotics at least. He loves for you to pet him now! This eases the itch and keeps him from scratching. Most the day is spent with gentle massage petting to ease the itch. Benadryl has done little to help, but we hope as he continues to heal that the desire to scratch and itch will diminish. It's wonderful to know touching him gives him comfort rather than additional pain. Yesterday, Rolex started giving kisses to everyone who loved on him! It was a step forward that truly wrenched your heart.
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Rolex is finally learning to play! He loves playing tug of war with Gracie. Rolex is also learning what being in a family is all about. He loves sharing the bed and his favorite place at night is at your feet or sitting by your side.
Rolex has finished all of his antibiotics, and is 1/2 way through the initial dose of Ivermectin. His hair is starting to grow back along his back, however, there is little hair regrowth on his sides, belly, and neck area where the area was open and bleeding. The scabs are diminishing, but they are not gone. If you look close, you can see where his feet are still red, swollen, and prone to bleeding. The nasty breakout along his genital area has not shown any improvement at all and Rolex is still very itchy everywhere.
I swear he smiles at you when you call him or talk to him. Not sure if it is a result of his eyes squinting or if he really is smiling, but we'd like to think it is the first!
4-28-05
What personality changes we have seen in this little man! He is coming out of his shell and learning what it means to be part of a family. Rolex spends most his time smiling at all the two leggers (until a camera is in hand).
He has decided that he needs to step up in his place among the pack of 4 leggers. He is not necessarily alpha, but he feels he should be higher on the totem pole.
When it is medicine time, and he sees the syringe in your hands, Rolex will bolt. The taste is not pleasant, and there is nothing that can be done to remedy the nasty flavor.
Rolex is such a love and, since learning how to play, loves tug-a-war with Gracie and Trinity and thinks the game "Get the ferrets" is a blast when shared with Lita. Neither one of them have figured out how to get into the ferret cage, but they sure give it their all barking as if it will magically open.
Rolex had a vet visit this morning. He has finished his initial round of ivermectin, but still remains heavily infested with the mites that are causing the mange. We have a new prescription of ivermectin and, given the still severe amount of mites, he could be looking at another 12 weeks of daily med's His eyes are now clear, but the itching has not stopped. Rolex is continuing to leave gashes in his skin from digging so hard at the itchy areas. The benadryl did nothing to relieve this, so we are now trying chlortrimeton. Rolex's belly and genital area are still very red and inflamed. He has had very little improvement in this area. We have not really seen additional hair growth since the antibiotics were stopped, but due to the yeast that will not go away, the vet did not want to try another round of antibiotics. Antibiotics can actually add to yeast growth. Bathing in medicated shampoo has been moved up to twice a week now that he does not have open sores everywhere. He hates both his ivermectin dosing and baths, so I am sure if he had any idea what the vet directed this morning, he would be looking for a place to hide. He shook like a leaf and was afraid I was taking him someplace to abandon him, but I reassured him I wasn't going anywhere. You have never seen a happier baby the Rolex when we arrived home!
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5-24-05
Rolex is having a re-eruption of opens sores. Some of the die-hard mite infected areas are finally being affected by the medication and are festering and bursting. For every 50 bumps in his skin that have not improved so far, there are now about 2 open sores. This is a good sign given the fact that there was no change for so long. Especially on his genital area the eruptions here are very large and really seem to bother him, but it's wonderful to see that once they erupt they disappear.
Rolex has decided that this is his home, and is trying to take over top dog, though not very successfully. When he has challenged for the spot and been challenged back by a female he cowers, but when a male is involved, he will not back down. This could have something to do with the fact that he is still intact. Rolex has met neighborhood kitties and small dogs and believes they fit right in there with the squirrels and ferrets and should be chased. He does not realize his size and is very rough and overbearing and acts like they might make a good snack.
His permanent home needs to have children, but no small pets. He would love a female to play with or a non alpha male as Rolex loves to play. Tug of war is one of his favorite games, and Xena is teaching him how to play ball. Rolex is also becoming very vocal. If dogs purred, Rolex would be described as a purring Dane. He rolls his voice over and over again repeating the same tones and the only way to describe it is a dog attempting to purr. His eyes are so small and receded in his head that I swear while he is purring at you he is smiling at the same time. A bigger love is hard to find!
6-14-05
Rolex has had little to no improvement since the last update. We are almost through the bottle of ivermectin the vet issued on 4/28 with no changes in what remains of the infestation. This has been very disheartening. New sores have continued to erupt on his skin and although he is getting hair, the skin underneath is very scaly and remains covered in an excessive amount of bumps from the mange. Rolex's neck and genitalia remain the worst areas. The itchiness of the mange and his inability to stop itching is what irritates and promotes additional open sores. Unfortunately, Rolex has had a reaction to all medications that we have used in an effort to stop the itching. Rolex is still bare at what would be the collar area. This area has always been one of the worst and, with the lack of new hair here, you have to wonder how long he had been tied to his stall area. We have never put a collar on him here as this is the place he digs the most when he scratches. His new coat of hair on other areas has provided some protection, but with the summer coming, we have had problems with Rolex burning with even minimal exposure to the sun. We have had to use sun block all over to allow Rolex the luxury of chasing squirrels with the other Danes. Water Babies is the only sun block that has not irritated the skin.
6-20-05
Rolex is losing the battle and the mites are currently winning. Dr. Morgan confirmed that there has been no response to treatment since the original treatment back in March.
The sores that he has re-opened on his neck have created additional dermitis and Rolex is back on antibiotics for 2 weeks. The initial dose of 1.5cc's a day of ivermectin with as severe as the infestation was and remains to be, was not enough to fight off the mites. Rolex had been on this dose for 10 weeks and the mites are showing resistance. The ivermectin has been increased to 3.1cc's a day and in 2 weeks, once the antibiotics are finished and providing the dermitis is doing better, Rolex will begin bi-weekly dips as a double measure to end the infestation. Rolex will be ecstatic to have his bi-weekly baths end.
Rolex is currently up to 119 pounds, so he has gained weight and is otherwise doing well. Getting a handle on the mites is proving to be the biggest challenge. Rolex was neutered on Wednesday afternoon. The behavioral issues that he has been displaying with the ongoing flow of testosterone needed to be addressed and corrected since the initial step of feeling better. These could not be done without first addressing the source of the problem which is the fact that he was still intact. He is doing wonderfully following surgery. He has still displayed the macho man attitude, but this should abate as the hormone levels drop and deplete in his system.
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6-25-05
Rolex went to his new home today.
His new mom Erika plans on continuing the medical care at East Springs.
Rolex is the only dog in a very loving home right down the street from
Katie who introduced her neighbors to the wonders of Great Danes. Erika
Plans on taking Rolex to see Kari for training once he is healthy enough
for vaccinations, which at this point no one has felt comfortable giving
him.
He settled in wonderfully.
7-18-05
We got this email from Rolex's new home:
My wonderful loving friend is doing
amazing. He now only has 6 mites left from his skin scrap-yeah!!!!!!!! His
neck and paws are healing so well. The itching that he is having is disintegrating
every day. I could
not have asked for more in a friend. We love him very much and wouldn't know
what to do without him. He cannot wait until I get home from a long day's
work to give me some kisses. I get so many compliments because his temperament
is excellent. He still does not like small dogs, but he is socializing with
other big dogs very well. He knows how to stay out of the kitchen and bathroom,
knows the difference between sit and lay, and he is off leash trained. It
took some patience, but he learned very well. I really could not have asked
for anything more. I will be attending the picnic next weekend, so I hope
to see you there. He knows
he is in his forever home and knew it since day one. He cannot stand it when
I leave, even when gina is there with him. He loves me just as much as I love
him. Thank you for introducing me to my best friend.
Regards,
Ericka
7-23-05
We had the pleasure of having Rolex at our Picnic and he looks great and is happy as can be!
8-9-05
We are sorry to say that Rolex is back in rescue because Erika had a severe allergic reaction to his dander. She tried everything anyone could think of to be able to keep him, but with such a severe reaction, it just did not work out.
We know that we will find another wonderful home for him.
9-15-05
Rolex went to his forever home at last with his new dad, Ron, in Aurora. He will be the only child and the focus of all attention, just like he deserves. His dad had a new dog bed, toys, and collar waiting for him and Rolex gratefully tried out the rope toy first and then the kong. Next he had to take a short test drive on his bed before trying out the couch. It has truly been remarkable to see Rolex transform into the handsome boy he is today. He has tons of love to give, slimes everyone with butterfly kisses, and he happily snuggled up to his dad on the couch for some TV as we left!
10-11-05
Howdy all, Rolex's Dad here.
Just wanted to let everyone know that we went to East Springs on Saturday, 10/8 and Rolex's skin scrape came back negative for the third straight time!! So, I just have to finish off the last few doses of Ivermection and he will finally be off of his meds!! The staff at East Springs were so happy for him! And they couldn't believe how quickly he and I had bonded - I had to walk Rolex back to the kennel area because he wouldn't leave the reception area without me. They also told me to wait a week or two and then I could finally get him vaccinated. I can't wait for that because I don't feel comfortable socializing him with my friends' dogs until he gets his shots.
So it's just been the two of us and we've been having just a great time. There's nothing like coming home after a day of work and having him waiting for me at the door, as excited as can be to have me home!! Needless to say, we are getting along wonderfully and I'm looking forward to bringing him to future events.
That's about it.
Aterlay,
Ron
This page last modified on Oct 13, 2005
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