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Billy

I am showing you the poor boy I just got in from New London Ct. The animal control facility went above and beyond- treating him and doing tests on him. They called him rhino for a good reason- yeast infection- severely- has 5 meds and special diet. They did right by this guy in Ct..gave him the vetting he needed- he will be in our foster care for a good while... He is with my mil right now and I will take him next weekend after my husband leaves for Iraq.

Special shampoo - gave him his new medicated shampoo- has to be on his skin for 10 min- no problem there- he did not move- tons of his hair came off- tons of dirt etc.. Scaley skin- poor thing. Gave him his nightly pills with a taste of the canned z/d food he came with only for his meds. He is on z/d right now until we transition over to solid gold holistique blend for his allergies.. Double ear infections, etc he is a mess but tolerating all the abuse nicely:) Tail just a waggin- like he knows we are the good guys. He is already neutered- so someone at some time loved him. I pray his hair comes back in... He is only 5 -6 but his skin makes him age more..
 

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10/6/2005

Sonny Ray was examined by Dr. MacPherson today. On Monday Sonny Ray will go in for pin removal. The rod will stay in his leg. The surgery straightened the radius and ulna and partially corrected the shape of his foot. Unfortunately after so many years of walking with his elbows turned out, and his wrists turned in, Sonny Ray's leg still curves, although not as bad as it did prior to surgery. We discussed surgery for the left leg and decided that it was nor worth putting Sonny Ray through it. The left leg was much straighter than the right and is very strong. Sonny Ray's pads still bleed if he does very much walking, so some type of boots will be necessary to protect his feet. Sonny Ray will require either Optimunne or Tacrolimus for the rest of his life because he has very dry eyes and is nearly blind from the pigment on his corneas. After the surgery on Monday to remove the pins, Sonny Ray will be ready for his forever home. He is a very sweet, loving boy, and is content to sit with you on the couch or lay at your feet for hours. He weighs 20 lbs and needs to be carried up or down stairs. He can climb up the 3 steps to my deck but he can't go down. He wears a bellyband in the house because he does not let me know when he has to potty. If I take him out every couple of hours on schedule, he does not have accidents. He is very passive and gets along well with my pugs and all the foster pugs. A home with one or two small dogs and a stay a home person will be perfect. Whoever adopts Sonny Ray must be able to lift and carry him. He can walk for limited periods and he loves to explore the yard. At meal time he can bunny hop and slide faster then some pugs can run! He loves mealtime! Sonny Ray is a very special pug who deserves a very special home!!
 

Update 8/16/2005:

The cast was removed last Thursday. He still has the rod and pins in the leg. The leg is definitely straighter than it was and his foot looks 100% better. He walks better than when he had the cast, but he does not put much weight on that leg. I have to make him walk 6 to 8 times a day for 10 minutes to strengthen the leg. Easier said than done. He only walks if he is trying to find me. I have to carry him outside and then hide or come in the house. He is a tough little dog. Not a whiner and the bagel tail wags all the time! He goes back for a check up this Thursday. Hopefully the leg will be healing well and maybe we can find out when the hardware will be removed.

Update 6/24/05:

Sonny Ray will come home tonight after his 2nd surgery on the same leg…apparently the bone plate put in the first time slipped and he had to have a larger one plus a steel rod installed…he will be at the walk-a-thon with us tomorrow as a “poster child”, taking it easy in the shade and getting lots of love…

Phil (foster dad)

Hello Pug Friends,

Sonny is out of the hospital and enjoying a 2 week stay with 4 buddies in Panton. He is very happy to be out and about on his newly straightened leg thanks to Dr. MacPherson and his staff; they are incredible! The cast is a bit awkward for him, but he is getting around and seems to be comfortable.

Sonny Ray is a ray of sunshine. For a guy with his problems, it is amazing that he has such a great nature. He is eating well, loves Nylabones and hooves, he’s great with my pugs and he loves hugs and kisses. He will bring so much joy to the lucky one who adopts him. Right now he is cuddled up at my feet with Curly; Henry just joined the pug pile. I’ve attached some pictures-Enjoy! Jeanne

Update 6/9/05:

Sonny's surgery went well and his right leg is straight. Dr. MacPherson was quite pleased with the outcome. He said that they had to remove some bone and use a bone plate to strengthen the radius. At least I think that is what he said :) He said that all the bones lined up perfectly in the xray. He said that the right foot is still turned in and under a little bit. The bones in it look better than before so he is hoping the foot will go back into a more normal shape. Sonny will wear a cast for at least a month, maybe longer depending on how the bones heal. If all goes well, Sonny will have the surgery on the left leg in about 12 weeks. Sonny's tear production is very poor and that is why he has so much pigment on his corneas. He will require Optimmune or Tacrolimus for the rest of his life plus prednisone/acetate drops and moisture drops. I will let everyone know how he is doing tomorrow.

We visited Sonny today. He was happy to see us. Sure hated to leave him there. He started to howl when he knew we were leaving. His right leg is definitely straight now.

Update 6/6/05:

Dr. MacPherson examined and evaluated Sonny today. He had some concerns about Sonny's elbows being fused and unable to move. He was able to manipulate them and they appeared to have fairly normal movement. Sonny was x-rayed and he has some arthritis in his elbows and wrists. Dr. MacPherson said that he can do surgery and straighten the legs. He can't bring them back to perfect, but he is optimistic that he can make Sonny walk a lot more comfortably. He said that the risk is that Sonny will develop more arthritis after the legs are moved into a more normal position. He said that there are no guarantees that the surgery will work and you can't predict the outcome. There are always risks with surgery. That said, he thinks the risk of surgery and future arthritis is worth taking because if the surgery goes well, Sonny will feel a whole heck of a lot better! Sonny is developing arthritis and it will get worse as time goes by if we don't do surgery. Dr. MacPherson said that if it was his dog he would without a doubt do the surgery and give him a chance at a more normal comfortable life. I have complete confidence in Dr. MacPherson and I gave him the go ahead for surgery. Surgery is scheduled for this Thursday. I didn't even ask about cost because I know that whatever he charges it will be as good as we can find anywhere. I'm sure even if he treats us as well as he has in the past, this surgery will be expensive. He will do the right leg first because it is by far the worst and causing the most problems. He is walking on the side of his foot. He will be in a cast for approximately 10 weeks. After the cast comes off if all goes well he will schedule the 2nd surgery for 2 weeks later.

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