Ben — A Work in Progress
Minnesota's Ben came into ESRA foster care in May 2011. He is a very sweet two year old male Springer who was given up by his family because they could not keep up with his severe skin ailments. He has a full body yeast infection, a bacterial infection, as well as allergies.
Kathy Raidt (ESRA Coordinator MN IA SD and ND) evaluated Ben and took him to the Hopkins Pet Hospital. The receptionist began to cry when she saw him. His ears, face, bottom, and tail were red and raw. His ears were inflamed and more than an inch thick. His body temperature was so high that the technician said "You could fry an egg on him."
The photos here were taken four days after he was treated by the pet hospital. Everyone at the pet hospital loves him because he is so sweet, even though he feels so miserable. He has a long way to go to get this condition under control, but he is now in the care of a foster mom who is dedicated to providing consistent treatment to help him feel better and bring new light to his life.
When not in the presence of his caretaker, he wears the cone-shaped Elizabethan collar to prevent him for scratching at his raw inflamed skin. He doesn't seem to object to the collar and can find a way to make himself comfortable wherever he is. He takes a variety of pills morning and night and needs a medicated bath twice a week. His foster mom says, "He is a trooper dealing with everything, still wagging his long, partially bald tail."
June 9, 2011 
Amazingly Ben continues to improve daily. He now wears the cone only when his foster mom is gone. The itching has decreased dramatically along with the redness and inflammation. Today he was feeling much more like a two year old dog. He can now take a 45-minute walk with little trouble, play a little chase with a ball, and still have some energy left! Things are looking better already!
We know you'll agree that this is the face of a happy, hopeful little dog! Come back to this page every week or so to see if there are new photos to show how he is improving!
June 14, 2011 
What a happy guy!
Amazingly, Ben improves daily! He has more energy and stamina each time we go for a walk. For the weekend he got to spend two days at a relative's cabin where he loved running to meet everyone and everything.
Slowly we are weaning him to fewer pills. He used to take eight pills each day but is now down to just five. Our vet says it is important to watch Ben carefully at this time. We want to be sure his allergies do not flare up as we try to minimize the number of meds he needs. Only one more medicated bath —Ben is very happy about that!
Through it all Ben is a happy go lucky dog that seems to get younger every day!
June 27, 2011 
Ben had his one month follow up on Friday 24. When he finishes his antibiotics in a couple of weeks, he will be down to one medication! He no longer needs to wear his cone and a haircut is allowed!
Today he got his haircut and he so handsome. It is hard to believe he is the same dog. He also feels much better, has much more energy and loves to play fetch!
Would you like a better look at the progress Ben has made? You've seen the "before" photo already, but to show the dramatic progress, here it is again right beside a similar pose taken yesterday. Doesn't it just make you smile along with Ben to see the difference? Ben certainly feels the difference!
