10/31/12 - Happy Halloweeeeeen!! I hope this Halloween is nearly not as scary as last year! Today marks the 1st anniversary of Cletus' first known seizure. Cletus actually had his seizure at 2:15am on November 1st but we chalked his seizure up to the excitement of the tons of kids coming to the door due to the holiday. Who knew that although it could have been the excitement that took Cletus over the top, the cause of Cletus' seizure and the many yet to come would turn out to be a condition that no other dog in the world has ever been reported to have.
Cletus and the entire household have been through so much in the past year including a countless number of trips to the emergency room, countless doctors, countless pills, acupuncture, physical therapy, a torn ACL... but Cletus and the entire household have made it through, stronger, smarter, tougher, and closer together.
Cletus has taught me so much since last Halloween... I have learned that even though all the chips may be stacked against you, you can still persevere... I have learned to push for what is important and for what you believe is right... more than anything, I have learned that the most important thing in this world is unconditional love.
Continue to persevere Cletus... I promise to continue to push for you... and I will always, ALWAYS love you unconditionally.
NOTES:
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
I am Douglas Silber and I was the owner of Cletus, a bloodhound who is reported to be the 1st dog with open lipped schizencephaly (OLS). Even though he has the only reported case of OLS in a dog, he can't be the only one with the condition. This blog began with the purpose of following his life and to help educate about OLS in an animal. Cletus may no longer be by my side but I will continue to push for schizencephaly education and awareness... in the name and memory of Cletus the Bloodhound.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
10/25/2012 - Cletus' Story
10/25/12 - Cletus' Story
My name is Douglas Silber and I am the proud owner of Cletus the Bloodhound, a 2 year old Bloodhound mix who has the first reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. I adopted Cletus when he was only 8 weeks old and I have to say it was not I who chose him, it was my other dog, Magnum, who I had adopted from a shelter three weeks prior. I wanted 2 puppies and Magnum, even at only 1 year old was showing signs of dominance so we had to get our 2nd puppy fast or else he would not let another dog in the house. We brought Magnum into our vet who had 6 little Bloodhound puppies (brothers and sisters) for adoption and Magnum chose the runt, Cletus.
NOTES:
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
My name is Douglas Silber and I am the proud owner of Cletus the Bloodhound, a 2 year old Bloodhound mix who has the first reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. I adopted Cletus when he was only 8 weeks old and I have to say it was not I who chose him, it was my other dog, Magnum, who I had adopted from a shelter three weeks prior. I wanted 2 puppies and Magnum, even at only 1 year old was showing signs of dominance so we had to get our 2nd puppy fast or else he would not let another dog in the house. We brought Magnum into our vet who had 6 little Bloodhound puppies (brothers and sisters) for adoption and Magnum chose the runt, Cletus.
Everything was going great for the first 8 months, and then on
Halloween night last year, Cletus had a Grand Mal seizure in the middle of the
night. We awoke out of sleep to banging
coming from the dining room as Cletus was knocking against a china
cabinet. This was the first of 30 known seizures
Cletus has had to date. The vet at the
emergency hospital diagnosed Cletus with epilepsy but as the weeks went on, I
started to doubt this diagnosis. The
seizures began to increase in intensity and the time between seizures was
getting shorter and shorter. Cletus even
started having cluster seizures.
I brought Cletus back to the ER and told them that they need to do an
MRI to rule out a brain tumor or brain cancer.
If Cletus was 6 or 7 years old, they would run tests to rule these
things out. They told me they would watch
him for the night and "they would bet their house in Vegas that Cletus
just has an inner ear infection in combination to epilepsy". Needless to say, they lost their house. That night, things began to go downhill fast
for Cletus. He began to sidestep to the
left... his head began to tilt to the left... and he began to cross his paws
when standing or laying down... all signs of neurological issues. The doctors rushed him into Neurology the
next morning and ran tests. The MRI showed
an immense amount of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) in his cranium going all the
way from the front to the back. They
also saw that most of the top half of Cletus' brain was completely missing
except for one little sliver. The
doctors rediagnosed Cletus with Congenital Hydrocephalus which seemed like a
good diagnosis and fit for most of his symptoms.
A few days later the head of Neurology called me after meeting with the
heads of departments from all over the hospital to tell me they were once again
rediagnosing Cletus, this time with open lipped schizencephaly - the first case
ever reported in a canine. I brought
Cletus back into the hospital for the doctors to run a CT scan which confirmed
their diagnosis. Cletus has an opening
in his skull where CSF is leaking in causing pressure to build up and seizures
to occur.
It is believed that Cletus had a stroke in utero from possibly being
crushed from another puppy which caused the OLS. Shunting is not an option for Cletus as the
procedure, which only has a 50% success rate in dogs, could potentially cause
the CSF to rush out too fast and cause a deadly stroke for Cletus. Craneoplasty, a procedure where doctors would
place a graft over the opening in Cletus’ skull, is also not an option for
Cletus for the same reason I am being told.
Cletus is on several seizure control medications, CSF control
medication, herbal medications, probiotics, natural supplements, goes to both
physical therapy and sees an acupuncturist who is doing him wonders. We have had many ups and downs and months of
playing with his medications to get Cletus to the point where his condition is
under control. We have had to deal with
doctors who say to just put Cletus down but my feeling is that as long as
Cletus is living pain free and his quality of life is good, why shouldn't he
have the best life that I can provide him?
I don’t know what the future will bring, I don’t even know what this
afternoon will bring, but as of right now, as of this moment, Cletus is happy
and healthy. To look at him you would
not know anything was wrong with him. He
looks like a normal, active, happy, healthy, 2 year old puppy. He likes when I throw his ball into the air
so he can catch it. As far as half his
brain missing, I have to say that Cletus is one of the smartest dogs I have
ever had. The doctors told me that dogs
do not use the portion of the brain that Cletus is missing. Cletus knows the names of all his toys, he
knows the names of each of his "treats" which are the different
medications he has to take and he goes right to where I keep each specific one
by me mentioning that one. Cletus is
AMAZING!!
Although I did not choose Cletus, I am so grateful that Magnum
did. Cletus and Magnum are attached at
the hip… best friends… brothers… but to Magnums surprise, Cletus is now twice
Magnums size and has now become the dominant one!
You can view our ABC interview here -
http://www.wcjb.com/local-news/2012/10/local-dog-diagnosed-rare-condition-never-seen-pets
Cletus' blog, www.cletusthebloodhound.blogspot.com has received over
7000 hits from around the world.
Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Other animals must be getting misdiagnosed,
mistreated, and must be dying due to vets not understanding what they are
dealing with. We have to get the word
out about Cletus to help save other animals.
NOTES:
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
10/23/2012 - Cletus the local celebrity
10/23/12 - I find it amazing how well known Cletus is becoming (at least in the local area). Doctors are wanting to meet Cletus when he goes in for appointments and they come from all around the hospital to see him. I am getting calls and emails from people in the area showing their support and for that Cletus and I are truly grateful. Cletus' name is known by local pharmacists and vets, technicians, and reporters.
Cletus' story is inspiring, not only is Cletus surviving against all the odds, against the whole deck stacked against him, against the unknown, Cletus is fighting his condition with an amazing zest for life, with a heart filled with joy, and with pure unconditional love.
The unsteadiness that Cletus was showing yesterday seams to be completely gone today. Good days and bad days and it really wasn't a bad day, we have had plenty of bad days, we will call it a dizzy day.
We are scheduled for the first of two cut backs of the CSF medications tomorrow. If you recall, we decided to raise Cletus' CSF medication due to him having some issues with unsteadiness, a little leaning on furniture, staring, etc that were due to neurological issues most likely caused by CSF fluid buildup in his head causing pressure on his brain. Cletus was also placed on a 2nd CSF control medication. It has now been a week and the signs we were seeing have diminished substantially (except for that little blip on the radar yesterday). He goes down on his nornal medication and the extra medication tomorrow morning then next week goes back to his normal dosage of the normal med and off of the extra med.
I am a little nervous taking him down on the meds but we can of course raise him back up or keep him on the higher dose and on the new med if he goes back to having the neurological signs/symptoms so I really have nothing to be nervous about.
This is also the first time since he started acupuncture that Cletus is going a month without acupuncture. Normally, Cletus goes to the acupunturist every 2 weeks but since he has been doing so well, the Dr thought it is better to cut back to once a month as every 2 weeks is too much for a dog Cletus' age. We can go back earlier if Cletus shows signs of stress. Today would have been Cletus' 2 week appointment. It will actually be 5 weeks for Cletus because he was asked to be the subject in front of a class at the acupunture institute, which is a great honor for Cletus, on November 17th.
NOTES:
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Cletus' story is inspiring, not only is Cletus surviving against all the odds, against the whole deck stacked against him, against the unknown, Cletus is fighting his condition with an amazing zest for life, with a heart filled with joy, and with pure unconditional love.
The unsteadiness that Cletus was showing yesterday seams to be completely gone today. Good days and bad days and it really wasn't a bad day, we have had plenty of bad days, we will call it a dizzy day.
We are scheduled for the first of two cut backs of the CSF medications tomorrow. If you recall, we decided to raise Cletus' CSF medication due to him having some issues with unsteadiness, a little leaning on furniture, staring, etc that were due to neurological issues most likely caused by CSF fluid buildup in his head causing pressure on his brain. Cletus was also placed on a 2nd CSF control medication. It has now been a week and the signs we were seeing have diminished substantially (except for that little blip on the radar yesterday). He goes down on his nornal medication and the extra medication tomorrow morning then next week goes back to his normal dosage of the normal med and off of the extra med.
I am a little nervous taking him down on the meds but we can of course raise him back up or keep him on the higher dose and on the new med if he goes back to having the neurological signs/symptoms so I really have nothing to be nervous about.
This is also the first time since he started acupuncture that Cletus is going a month without acupuncture. Normally, Cletus goes to the acupunturist every 2 weeks but since he has been doing so well, the Dr thought it is better to cut back to once a month as every 2 weeks is too much for a dog Cletus' age. We can go back earlier if Cletus shows signs of stress. Today would have been Cletus' 2 week appointment. It will actually be 5 weeks for Cletus because he was asked to be the subject in front of a class at the acupunture institute, which is a great honor for Cletus, on November 17th.
NOTES:
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Monday, October 22, 2012
10/22/2012 - 3 months without a seizure!!
10/22/12 - It has now been 12 1/2 weeks since Cletus' last known seizure - easily 2x the longest he has ever gone without having a known seizure. Today he has been a little unsteady and he did "leak" a little on the floor trying to get to the backdoor to go outside but all in all, he is doing great... pain free, happy, playing, eating, running, driving me crazy... doing all the "normal" puppy things he should be doing and who could ask for more than that? Now if we could just control the gas...
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Friday, October 19, 2012
10/19/2012 - Happy, happy, joy, joy
10/19/12 - Knock on wood that Cletus continues to be happy and healthy. The uptick in medications seems to be doing it's thing. Cletus is scheduled to go down one notch in meds in a few days. One concern going up in these meds was that he will drink more and will need to urinate more. He is drinking more but we haven't seen any problem with that, he still makes it through the night with no problem.
Below is a pic of Cletus and his adopted brother Magnum (they are attached at the hip). This is for you Gayle and Mike, thank you for your love and support...
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Below is a pic of Cletus and his adopted brother Magnum (they are attached at the hip). This is for you Gayle and Mike, thank you for your love and support...
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Thursday, October 18, 2012
10/18/2012 - Thank you for supporting Cletus
10/18/12 - Cletus is continuing to do well although I caught him crossing his paws about an hour ago, told him to uncross his paws, and he listened to me.
His bills continue to be huge and unless I find a job soon, it is going to be either paying the mortgage or paying for Cletus' meds of which I am opting to pay for his meds hands down. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and will work out in the end so I am not going to think about that for now.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone for sending their notes, emails, texts, etc from Cletus' TV spot. He really is as special, lovable, funny, amazing, and fantastic as he comes across on TV and I am truly blessed that he is staring at me as I am typing this right now.
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
His bills continue to be huge and unless I find a job soon, it is going to be either paying the mortgage or paying for Cletus' meds of which I am opting to pay for his meds hands down. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and will work out in the end so I am not going to think about that for now.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone for sending their notes, emails, texts, etc from Cletus' TV spot. He really is as special, lovable, funny, amazing, and fantastic as he comes across on TV and I am truly blessed that he is staring at me as I am typing this right now.
The more exposure we can get for Cletus, the more likely it is that we can help other animals out there suffering from open lipped schizencephaly. Cletus can't be the only one with this condition. Animals must be getting misdiagnosed and dying from OLS due to vets not understanding what they are dealing with. Help us get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
10/17/2012 - Link to ABC News with Cletus
10/17/12 - Below is a link to Cletus on ABC TV-20 News last night if you missed it...
Local Dog Diagnosed With Rare Condition Never Before Seen in Pets | WCJB TV-20
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Local Dog Diagnosed With Rare Condition Never Before Seen in Pets | WCJB TV-20
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
10/16/2012 - Cletus and I on TV tonight at 11:00PM
10/16/12 - Cletus and I will be on WCJB TV-20 News tonight at 11:00pm for those of you in the local Gainesville area. Thank you to Trent and TV-20 for taking the time to interview and film Cletus, Dr. Devlin, and me and for helping to spread the news of open lipped schizencephaly.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
10/16/2012 - Trying to reduce CSF levels (pic attached)
10/16/12 - Cletus had a pretty good day yesterday - a little staring but no wobbles, no falling, no crossed paws, he was acting pretty normal - playing with his toys and his brother, had me throw his ball a while (he loves when I throw his ball into the air so he can catch it, he gets so proud of himself).
Cletus' vet called and after speaking with the head of neurology at UF, they decided to raise his prednisone to 2 tabs twice daily and also put him on lasix to try to reduce the amount of CSF in his head. They agree with me in that they also believe he is having trouble due to pressure in his head due to increasing CSF. We are increasing these meds for a week to see if the troubles go away.
So the question is... Cletus did not have much trouble yesterday... do I increase the meds? Even though Cletus was not having trouble yesterday, I am still going to go ahead with the plan. It could be that Cletus had some small seizures which decreased to CSF levels but I really don't think that is the case. I just think he has ups and downs but with the way he has been acting over the past week, it is a good idea to reduce the pressure he is feeling.
The downside to increasing these drugs is that he will drink a lot and pee a lot but we can deal with that. He started on the drugs last night and made it through the night with no problem. He usually knocks on furniture and doors to wake me up if he needs to go out and if he happens to pee in the house, it is a price we are willing to pay for him to be more comfortable anyway.
So far this morning, Cletus looks very happy and alert, ate breakfast very well, no wobbles, no staring, no falling, no crossed paws, fingers crossed that today will be a good day.
Love to all...
We had to switch to metal bowls after Cletus ate his plastic ones...
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Cletus' vet called and after speaking with the head of neurology at UF, they decided to raise his prednisone to 2 tabs twice daily and also put him on lasix to try to reduce the amount of CSF in his head. They agree with me in that they also believe he is having trouble due to pressure in his head due to increasing CSF. We are increasing these meds for a week to see if the troubles go away.
So the question is... Cletus did not have much trouble yesterday... do I increase the meds? Even though Cletus was not having trouble yesterday, I am still going to go ahead with the plan. It could be that Cletus had some small seizures which decreased to CSF levels but I really don't think that is the case. I just think he has ups and downs but with the way he has been acting over the past week, it is a good idea to reduce the pressure he is feeling.
The downside to increasing these drugs is that he will drink a lot and pee a lot but we can deal with that. He started on the drugs last night and made it through the night with no problem. He usually knocks on furniture and doors to wake me up if he needs to go out and if he happens to pee in the house, it is a price we are willing to pay for him to be more comfortable anyway.
So far this morning, Cletus looks very happy and alert, ate breakfast very well, no wobbles, no staring, no falling, no crossed paws, fingers crossed that today will be a good day.
Love to all...
We had to switch to metal bowls after Cletus ate his plastic ones...
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Monday, October 15, 2012
10/15/2012 - Cletus is having some trouble again
10/15/12 - From now on I am going to try to write daily or at least more frequently on Cletus' condition.
Over the past week, Cletus has shown some signs of neurological pressure. I brought Cletus and his brother, Magnum up to our friends farm on Sunday, 10/7 to run around with their friends and Cletus looked like he hurt his knee a little and was limping so I had him stay inside and rest.
From what I originally thought was Cletus hurting his knee changed into a more neurological issue. Beginning Sunday night and increasing steadily throughout the week, Cletus became somewhat "clumbsy". He would lose his balance a little here and there, lean on the furniture, maybe fall on the linoleum when his back legs slipped out from under him. Cletus also would just sit in front of me and stare at me and stare at me and stare at me. I also noticed that Cletus again began to cross his paws some when standing or laying down.
These things could all be signs of neurological issues. In my mind, one of two things could be happening, either Cletus was having very small seizures or focal seizures which we were not noticing or the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) was buiding up and causing pressure on and in Cletus' brain.
I brought my concerns up to Cletus' vet on Friday, 10/12 thinking that if we could increase his CSF control medications for a temporary period, we could knock a portion of the CSF out of his brian and be proactive before it gets bad.
The vet called Cletus' neurologist at the University of Florida (UF) to get her input. I do not like this neurologist. The last time we saw her she told us that they could not do anything else for Cletus, sent us home with medication, and said that we need to put Cletus down. That was 11 weeks ago, prior to his acupuncture. Cletus had not had a seizure since then and he has been generally happy and healthy since that date, usually acting just like a normal puppy, playing, running, it has been great.
Anyway, the neurologist did say something good which was to check his phenobarbital and potassium bromide levels. If they are low, we had room to play, if they are high, they could be causing what we are seeing. On Saturday, 10/13, I brought Cletus in and had blood taken to have these levels checked. The neurologist then started talking down to my vet but that is another story.
We got the results this morning and the phenobarbital is on the low-normal range and the potassium bromide is perfect. We do have room to play but then I learned that these meds are for seizure control and not for CSF control.
I again explained that I believe we need to temporarily increase the CSF control meds to pull out CSF as I believe this is a build up of CSF. The CSF control meds Cletus is on is prednisone. I also informed the vet that Cletus is increasingly getting worse. He fell into his food dish while eating this weekend and also his water dish. He is increasingly loosing his balance due to the pressure in his head. The vet is now calling another neurologist in Jacksonville to see if he has an idea of what to do.
For those medical people reading this and thinking that we should try shunting; in Cletus' case, being that he is missing almost all of the top portion of his brain tissue, a shunt would most likely release the CSF too quickly and collapse the portion of remaining brain tissue causing a stroke and death. Shunts only work 50% of the time in dogs anyway, cost about $1,500 each, and only last maybe a year or two at most... it is too risky. Craneoplasty is also too risky I was told by neurologists at UF (the neurologist I do not like). I would not mind getting other opinions.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Over the past week, Cletus has shown some signs of neurological pressure. I brought Cletus and his brother, Magnum up to our friends farm on Sunday, 10/7 to run around with their friends and Cletus looked like he hurt his knee a little and was limping so I had him stay inside and rest.
From what I originally thought was Cletus hurting his knee changed into a more neurological issue. Beginning Sunday night and increasing steadily throughout the week, Cletus became somewhat "clumbsy". He would lose his balance a little here and there, lean on the furniture, maybe fall on the linoleum when his back legs slipped out from under him. Cletus also would just sit in front of me and stare at me and stare at me and stare at me. I also noticed that Cletus again began to cross his paws some when standing or laying down.
These things could all be signs of neurological issues. In my mind, one of two things could be happening, either Cletus was having very small seizures or focal seizures which we were not noticing or the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) was buiding up and causing pressure on and in Cletus' brain.
I brought my concerns up to Cletus' vet on Friday, 10/12 thinking that if we could increase his CSF control medications for a temporary period, we could knock a portion of the CSF out of his brian and be proactive before it gets bad.
The vet called Cletus' neurologist at the University of Florida (UF) to get her input. I do not like this neurologist. The last time we saw her she told us that they could not do anything else for Cletus, sent us home with medication, and said that we need to put Cletus down. That was 11 weeks ago, prior to his acupuncture. Cletus had not had a seizure since then and he has been generally happy and healthy since that date, usually acting just like a normal puppy, playing, running, it has been great.
Anyway, the neurologist did say something good which was to check his phenobarbital and potassium bromide levels. If they are low, we had room to play, if they are high, they could be causing what we are seeing. On Saturday, 10/13, I brought Cletus in and had blood taken to have these levels checked. The neurologist then started talking down to my vet but that is another story.
We got the results this morning and the phenobarbital is on the low-normal range and the potassium bromide is perfect. We do have room to play but then I learned that these meds are for seizure control and not for CSF control.
I again explained that I believe we need to temporarily increase the CSF control meds to pull out CSF as I believe this is a build up of CSF. The CSF control meds Cletus is on is prednisone. I also informed the vet that Cletus is increasingly getting worse. He fell into his food dish while eating this weekend and also his water dish. He is increasingly loosing his balance due to the pressure in his head. The vet is now calling another neurologist in Jacksonville to see if he has an idea of what to do.
For those medical people reading this and thinking that we should try shunting; in Cletus' case, being that he is missing almost all of the top portion of his brain tissue, a shunt would most likely release the CSF too quickly and collapse the portion of remaining brain tissue causing a stroke and death. Shunts only work 50% of the time in dogs anyway, cost about $1,500 each, and only last maybe a year or two at most... it is too risky. Craneoplasty is also too risky I was told by neurologists at UF (the neurologist I do not like). I would not mind getting other opinions.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
Friday, October 5, 2012
10/5/2012 - Thank you Cletus
10/5/12 - I am so sorry Cletus that you have to fight this horrible condition but you are not alone, I am right here with you and always will be. Thank you Cletus for being so sweet. Thank you Cletus for fighting as hard as you do. Thank you Cletus for being my best friend. Most of all Cletus, thank you for your unconditional love.
The $1,000 a month hurts but not having Cletus here with me would hurt so much more.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
I really can't believe I am writing this... today marks 10 weeks since Cletus' last seizure!!! We have been to hell and back several times and I am sure that we will have many more hurdles to go over but right now, at this moment in time, Cletus is HAPPY and HEALTHY and I truly could not ask for more than that.
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
The $1,000 a month hurts but not having Cletus here with me would hurt so much more.
If you can, please donate to Cletus' campaign http://igg.me/p/217159
I really can't believe I am writing this... today marks 10 weeks since Cletus' last seizure!!! We have been to hell and back several times and I am sure that we will have many more hurdles to go over but right now, at this moment in time, Cletus is HAPPY and HEALTHY and I truly could not ask for more than that.
Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...
Submit your story to Ellen to potentially be on her show and have her help "change your life": http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=432
Tweet her: http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/
As far as Cletus' doctors are aware of, Cletus has the only known reported case of open lipped schizencephaly in a canine. The key word here is reported. Most vets are not aware that schizencephaly exists or they are not aware that this condition is possible in an animal. Cletus is living proof of this possibility.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are 78.2 million dogs in the U.S. (http://www.humanesociety.org/). Some sites state that schizencephaly affect 1.54 per 100,000 people. According to rightdiagnosis.com, schizencephaly affects 1 in 2719 people or 0.04% of the population (http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/lists/preval.htm). The fact is that no one is sure how many people schizencephaly truly affects. If we assume these same statistics in dogs, it equates to up to 31,280 dogs out there with schizencephaly in the U.S. alone.
Please help me to get the word out about Cletus and schizencephaly. Contact your local news organization about Cletus or have your local news organization contact me directly at dsilber27@hotmail.com
Thank you for your support,
Doug & Cletus
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