Starting November 1 and going until November 30, we are proud to announce that in Sonny's honor, we are hosting the Eskie Rescuers United American Eskimo Dog Rescue, Inc's auction for the late fall 2009.  Check out the auction pages for Him and for Her.

http://www.supersonny.net/eru_auction.html

http://www.supersonny.net/eru_auction2.html

** Sonny's necropsy results have arrived!!  The links at the top of the page are titled "Necropsy A," "Necropsy B," "Necropsy C" are for the three parts of the report.  There are no pictures of the exam, but the written report is graphic and may be difficult to emotionally handle. 

When Sonny's tumor was measured on the MRI, it was 18mm x 17mm.  The necropsy measures the tumor at 10mm x 11mm!!  However, while we are excited that the retinoic acid therapy may have worked, it is possible that the tumor size may have been affected by other factors (an incorrect measurement by the MRI, the tumor collapsed betweent the time of death of 7:45am and the exam at 2pm).  None of the vets that worked on Sonny feel that the medication could have worked, but I strongly disagree.

* It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sonny.  On the evening of Thursday, September 13, 2007, Sonny was rushed to the emergency vet- he was no longer able to swallow and could not eat or drink.  The emergency staff cared for him as best they could, but in the early morning hours on Friday, the 14th, and shortly after his mom arrived, Sonny suffered a seizure.  Once the seizure passed, it was realized that Sonny would never recover and he quietly passed away.  While the staff had only known sonny for 14 hours, there wasn't a dry eye in the clinic.  Sonny's remains were delivered to the UW-Madison Vet School for further study.  The results will take 6-8 weeks to return.  It is with great hope that the veterinary community will find something interesting enough that they will pursue further research.  Sonny's site will continue to be maintained in order to help educate and help others.

This site is being provided as a means to help educate pet owners on the importance of proper veterinary care for their furkids as well as encouraging them to never give up on their search for help.  I am Sonny.  I am the beloved furkid of Deborah Guske, my mommy.  When I started getting sick, my mommy knew something just wasn't quite right.  It's only because of her love and dedication that she found a wonderful network of other dog lovers who have helped us while we take a trip on a road all too-frequently travelled- one that includes Cushing's Disease.

Here's a little bit about how I got here- I was adopted in October 2004 by my mommy and have been living a fantastic life that any furkid would want.  And then, in April 2007 I was diagnosed with demodex- a condition that develops in adult dogs due to a compromised immune system.  My vet told mom that she needed to keep a close eye on me- demodex is the first indication that there is a larger problem at work.

Several months later, I started to have some strange behavior- anxiousness, head-pressing, pacing, wandering, trying to fit into small spaces, having accidents inside the house, lack of appetite, weight loss, lack of coordination, disorientation, inability to concentrate, vision problems and irritability.  All of these symptoms came on slowly, but my wonderful mommy was watching me VERY closely and was picking up on these things.

So we went to the vet for some tests and after discussing some of these new and strange behaviors, they decided to test me for Cushing's Disease.  After a few weeks of blood tests in Rockford, IL and an ultrasound in Buffalo Grove, IL, it was determined that I had pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease.

It was the weekend after the last blood test that I my neurological symptoms got worse quickly, and mommy was very worried about me.  My vet was able to get me scheduled for an MRI at the UW-Madison later that week.  This would be the first time in almost 3 years that mommy and I would spend the night apart from each other.  I knew it was going to be hard on mommy, but I knew she'd be fine without me for a night.  I also knew I was going to be treated like a king while I was with all these pretty girls.  :)

Mommy dropped me off in Madison on August 16, 2007 so that the neurologist could run more tests and evaluate me more closely.  The next morning they ran the MRI.  That's when they found I had a macroadenoma (large tumor) on the pituitary gland.  When mommy came to pick me up, I knew she was very sad.  I guess what they told her was that I was a very special boy because they had never seen a tumor that size in a living dog before! 

Later, mommy explained to me, as best she could- the tumor has probably been slowly growing for almost a year, and I've been able to adjust to it until recently.  She also said that the neurologist didn't think I had much time left (she gave me two weeks), but mommy wasn't going to give up on me.  That's when a friend of hers told her about this new, experimental treatment that helped a bunch of other dogs with the same condition I have.

And that's why I'm here now!!  I am the first dog in North America to try this treatment in the hopes that it will shrink the tumor- and that other dogs who are in the same situation I am!  This site has been created to help other dog owners cope with the news that "there are no other options" for a macroadenoma.  But if my case can help others, then I want to make sure that other parents are armed with information- and that they don't give up hope!