April 6, 2005

[We] would like to thank the Central Illinois German Shepherd Dog Rescue for taking the extra time and effort with Stormy. ... I'm sure you will be very happy to see that because of everything you've done for him, he has the chance to be a puppy again. He and our other dog, Ava, have become fast and inseparable friends. Even our cats have warmed up to Storm's soft, gentle side. He may fool you in some of the pictures that he might still feel a little sick. It's really just because he and his new sister had been wrestling for hours on end. He got an A+ at the vet. Other than needing to bulk up a bit and work out those muscles, he's in great shape. Which just goes to show that a little TLC goes a long way. Thanks for all your hard work!

Photos: 1-4) Ava and Stormy playing 5-9) Stormy 10) Ava

Adopted April 9, 2005 Stormy was a 2 year old, German Shepherd Dog that was black with tan boots . He was found to be heartworm positive when he went for his exam and neuter. The local veterinarian was fantastic about coordinating his care between the shelter he came from and this rescue. Thanks to the vet's special care and kindness, we were able to get Stormy heartworm treated.

Click on a photo for a larger view!

Update (March 30, 2005): Stormy is plugging along in his treatment, but he woke up last Saturday (3/26/05) very painful again. He has been on weeks of expensive and powerful antibiotics, but was obviously troubled by his pain. We took him to see Dr. Mary and he had a pain injection and is now on happy pain medication to get him through the next couple weeks until he can have surgery. His breathing is fine and he overall seems to be feeling much better and his neuter will solve all of his pain problems. Dr. Mary just wants to make sure he completes his course of antibiotics and is as healthy as possible prior to surgery. If you would like to help this now priceless and precious dog, please consider a donation towards his veterinary bills. We can't wait to meet the puppy we know is trapped inside this hurting body, and we look forward to a few short weeks from now when he will be recovered.

Update (March 12, 2005): Its been a hectic several days here for Mr. Stormy. Stormy was just hanging out Saturday evening and threw up his dinner. We didn't think much of it, because he had had a busy day and gets nervous. He slept all through the night next to our bed without incident. The next morning he wouldn't touch breakfast and threw up again, so I took his temperature. He had a fever, so we wound up taking him to the emergency vet.



He had several x-rays of his lungs and abdomen and lots of bloodwork. He had some pneumonia related to the heartworms coming out of his system and though his heart had some mild enlargement, it is normal for his condition. His abdomen looked fine, but he still acted very painful. His bloodwork had elevated white blood cells consistent for the pneumonia and/or infection, but no problems with his kidneys, liver, or pancreas. We asked about him being an intact male (he's not yet been neutered because of his heartworm treatment) and his prostate, but the vet thought it was up by his stomach.

We followed up with Dr. Mary Welle yesterday and she did a urine sample and a rectal exam and (as we suspected) he has an enlarged and very painful prostate. Bad news, he was in pain, and has to be on antibiotics for at least 4-6 weeks until he can have his neuter surgery. He is now on pain medicine and happy again. Good news is, his body is normal for post heartworm treatment, he will be neutered which will solve the prostate problem eventually, and he is feeling and acting much better now with 4 days of antibiotic and pain medicine on board. Bad news, he is an even more precious dog now, cashing in at around $500-600 dollars pre-neuter. We all get sick, Stormy just doesn't have a health care HMO. We've been lucky with past dogs to avoid complications of intact animals and heartworm treatment, Stormy just happened to have trouble with both. This is why even professional show breeders eventually neuter their beloved dogs. Being intact is a bad thing and can lead to a lot of health problems. We'll be much happier when he is back to being 100% and neutered, so this can't bother him ever again.

A special thank you goes out to Stormy's sponsors: Aileen O'Dea in honor of Nakita and in memory of dear Kobi. Steve Hitz in honor of Dweezel. Lisa Lepic. The Hehns family, in honor of Buddy, a fellow heartworm survivor. Sonia Ravin's continued support in honor of Sabrina and Shadow. Arthur & Joyce Schunk in memory of their beloved female GSD. Christina Givins in memory of their first GSD, Cody. Christopher Miller in honor of Kylie. Rebecca Kuk in memory of her beloved Oscar the GSD. Steve Hitz in memory of Marah. Diane Walsh in honor of Mahi. Jessica B. in memory of Thor. April W. in honor of Morgan. Eden Schuemann

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