Rocky: A Pug With "Heart"!
Rocky's
name used to be Wrinkles. He came to IMR in 9/03 as an owner surrender from
upstate. After numerous trips to the vet and many failed attempts at a cure,
Rocky's owners had given up on him. He was spending most of his time in a kennel
on the sun porch when they finally decided to leave him at a local shelter.
I had never seen a pug with skin so terrible -
our veterinarian said exactly the same thing. He passed the Rocky among
the staff in his office. Everyone agreed, he
was the worst case they'd ever seen.
When he arrived at his foster home, Rocky was severely depressed. He did little more than stare blankly. He stank from infection. His skin looked and felt like elephant hide. He was underweight. His tail hung down and never wagged. Clearly, he had been miserable for a long, long time.
But something in him would not give up. Despite his long struggle, and despite the fact that humans had let him down, we still felt a spark in this boy. We gave him a fighter's name, and resolved to try whatever was need to help him get better.
Six months later, we're still fighting.
ROCKY
TODAY
Rocky has gained two pounds. He has considerable regrowth of fur on his face, legs and torso. But we still have to fight daily to keep him from backsliding. He still has large bare patches on his chest and belly, but the tufts of hair sprouting haphazardly in those areas make us hopeful for a full recovery. He sees his veterinarian monthly, takes daily medication, eats a special low-allergen diet and gets a medicated bath every weekend, despite his aversion to bathtime.
The best part of Rocky's recovery is the personality changes we see. Rocky's tail is tightly curled and wags frequently. He has become the guardian of the yard, barking and pursuing (from within the fence) cars that turn the corner outside. He is confidant, strong and happy. We expect the rest to follow.
UPDATE: After numerous skin scrapings were all negative, Rocky had a skin biopsy. The results were consistent with severe allergies. We tried reducing Rocky's cephalexin to a "burst therapy" (weekends only), but he backslid, so we're back to twice daily, every day.
UPDATE 5/21/04: Rocky had a dermatology consult. It was recommended that we try an antifungal on him to rule out a systemic yeast infection. We can't find any yeast, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not there. So we will be picking up a prescription for Diflucan tomorrow. Barring any unwanted side effects, Rocky will do a 21-day regimen, after which his wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Drake of Webster Groves Animal Hospital, will be checking to see if we get any improvement. Keep your paws crossed!
Rocky was started on fluconazole on Monday, June 12th. In a few weeks, we should know if it's having an effect. Rocky's current oral medications are Cephalexin 250mg twice a day, Benadryl 25mg twice a day, and fluconazole 25mg once in the morning. So far, no ill effects!
More Pics of Rocky on Admission to IL-MO Rescue, NFP
Special Thanks To Shelley Cichlar for her generous donation toward Rocky's ongoing care!
