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Lance, Tampa, FL ESRA #2004-573TN
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Lance is an eccentric guy who came into ESRA's care from a shelter in Tennessee and is a perfect example of
doggie ADHD. It became apparent that it might take a while to find him the right home, so he was moved to Florida to a long
term foster home. He entertains his foster family by picking citrus from the backyard trees and bringing them into the
house to eat (very messily) on the cool tile floor and has taught the other dogs to like lemons and sour oranges too. He
loved to bolt out the front dog and run the half mile to a pond, where he happily barked at the resident alligator which
saw him as a possible tasty lunch till his care takers wised up, added some baby gates and took him through obedience
training.
He recently stunned his foster mom by having a massive
seizure. He was taken immediately to the nearest vet, and was seizuring continually for nearly 25 minutes before a
combination of medications made him unconscious. His temperature was at 109 because of the muscle spasms. Doggie brains are
not built to withstand temperatures that high. His foster mom was told that his brain was"boiling" at that temperature, and
that he might not wake up at all; that he would wake up and begin seizuring again, or that he might be brain damaged. He
was ice packed, an IV drip was started, and when his temperature came down to 103 his foster mom rushed him to a specialty
center, where he was put into critical care. He was kept on a strong valium drip, unconscious for nearly 24 hours while the
vets tried to find out the reason. Lance stunned everyone by his quick turnaround when they began reducing the valium, and
at 30 hours, he recognized his foster mom, stood up (a bit wobbly), his tail wagged non stop and he tried to do his usual
headstand in her lap when she climbed in the crate with him.
It is still unknown what caused the seizure, though extensive
testing was done to rule out the most common causes, including toxins, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, cancer, liver and renal
failure and tick borne disease. He is being treated with antibiotics and steroids as his platelet count remains low and the
cause is unknown- possibly from an immune disorder or as a result of the high temperature, and so his ability to clot
bleeding is impaired. His future is uncertain, as a third of dogs with a low platelet count suffer a relapse within 6
months. We have our fingers crossed that an extended course of steroids will jump start his immune system and he still
needs one or two more diagnostic tests to be more sure of the diagnosis.
We're trying to explain to Mr. Busy that he shouldn't run and play as wildly as before, and that fruit trees have thorns
which will poke him, but he knows he has things to do and birds to chase. He's our Miracle Man. This picture typifies
Lance's personality.
Update 02-13-06: The Miracle Boy is doing
wonderfully! His activity level and personality are back to normal.
The results of his bile acid test were not good- it showed that his liver has had some damage. It is unknown whether this
is the cause of the seizure, or the result of the accompanying high fever. We continue to treat empirically, he is on a
liver cleansing diet (boiled red and sweet potatoes, steamed green beans and zucchini and poached white fish with milk
thistle and other supplements.) He's also on Baytril and metronizadole and adenosylmethionine- currently in the form of
Zentonil, a prescription version, but he will be switching to Sam-E, an over the counter version which will be more cost
effective, per the vet's suggestion. Lance loves his new diet, and really enjoys eating 3 times a day, though we've lost a
little ground in the ongoing battle with keeping weight on him.
His immune system appears to be recovering very well. His platelet count, which was very depressed, leaving him at risk of
his blood not clotting, has responded well to the steroids and is now at the low end of the normal range and he isn't in
danger of bleeding out if he gets a boo-boo any more. We are slowly weaning him off the high doses of prednisone and in
another two weeks he should be completely off it.
We've been so proud of him- he's been very cooperative during the frequent visits to the vet's office- even trying to jump
up on the table for them to examine him and draw blood. He had to spend the whole day during the bile acid test and he was
quiet in his crate instead of endlessly complaining about being confined and out of the action.
Thanks so much to all of you!
Contact: Debbie Kersey Kadick@aol.com
| LANCE'S GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE: | |
 Katrin Owen |
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| Cathryne Slaughter |
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| Deborah & Bob Bessette |
In memory of all those who die needlessly through neglect, abuse and abandonment. Praying for a day when every adoptable animal knows comfort, safety and LOVE! |
| Kathlene Lima Powell |
In memory of Willa. Not enough time with such a sweet girl. |
| Andrea Simmons |
From fellow Springer, Winston. |
| Gail Cooley |
In memory of Gracie, beloved Springer of Janet Adams, ESRA volunteer. |
| Gary Hanes |
In memory of Little Maddie from Texas - never forget! |
| Theresa Schaufer |
In memory of Brandy, Rachel, Elsie, & Gus. From our current family of "Three K-9
joys", including our newly adopted ESS, Dasher! Best of future health to Lance!!! |
| Denise Garwood |
In memory of Sweet Charity. |
| George & Diane Turski |
In memory of Redd. Good luck Lance from Layla. |
| John and Gloria Kareken |
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| Ed Kudrna |
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| Bob Knell |
In memory of Samantha, Joshua, Rose, & Brady. |
| Nancy Pearce |
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| Linda Wrobel |
In memory of Samantha and Hailey. |
| Alex Hamilton |
In memory of Daniel The Spaniel. |
| Lesley Blyth |
In memory of Lexi, Yogi, and the old dogs who deserve so much love! |
| Karman and Eric Williams |
In memory of Princess, our Springer-loving Labrador. |
| Bert and Jennifer Klein |
In memory of Tucker, and a gift for Mike Dimeo. Thanks for all of your hard work and compassion. We will miss you dearly. |
| Nathan and Janet Hall |
In memory of Buddy and Phoebe, my husbands previous Special Needs English Springers. |