8/7/2012 - Acupuncture ROCKS!!!

8/7/12 - Eastern medicine ROCKS!!!  Cletus had his first acupuncture treatment today and right now he is actually walking around the house without collapsing.  The first thing he did when he came home is go outside and run around with his brother.  I don't know if this will last but for the first time in weeks Cletus looks happy and is acting like a puppy :)  His acupuncturist is treating him for free being that he has a one-of-a-kind condition which at $145 a pop is unbelievable!

Please help us by contacting Ellen through FB and tweet through the avenue below...

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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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

8/6/2012 - Cletus is in bad shape

8/6/12 - Cletus' blog www.cletusthebloodhound.blogspot.com hit 5000 hits today!!

Cletus stopped eating his food about 5 days ago. We have been making him chicken, rice, and vegetables and he has been eating that but he refuses to eat his own food which is not like Cletus at all.

He either tore the ACL in both back legs or his hip dysplasia has gotten so bad that he can't hold up his own weight.  When he tries to walk, he falls after about 5 or 10 feet.  I am giving him pain meds to deal with his constant falling. 

The doctors at the hospital gave us meds to deal with his seizures saying that they can't help him anymore and we should just treat him at home instead of spending the money bringing him to the ER.

I am looking into doggie wheelchairs but am waiting until we speak with the acupuncturist to see if Cletus even has a chance to get better or not.  Cletus goes to the acupuncturist tomorrow but we know the outlook does not look good. 

Our decisions were always based on his quality of life and pain level.  At this point, he is unable to play with his brothers and is in pain at the end of the day from falling all day.  Cletus' quality of life is falling and his pain level is rising.  It looks like a decision we do not want to make is coming soon :( 

It really sucks that this has happened to the sweetest 2 year old puppy I have ever known.

Peace and Love,

Doug and Cletus

7/28/2012 - Little druggy Cletus is back home

7/28/12 - Cletus has a partially torn ACL, hip displacia, and of course his open lipped schizencephaly which is getting worse. Dr's are trying one last stitch effort to drug him to try to control the seizures so Cletus came home from hospital last night - extremely drugged - and we drugged him some more. We should have videotaped him... he looked drunk, stumbling into furniture, walls, and then just collapsed on the floor and passed out. He is looking much better this morning... so I just gave him more drugs. What can I say, I like the drunk thing. No, honestly he looks MUCH better this morning, very happy, no pain. He needs to relax so his knee can heal. We should know over the next couple of weeks if we are running out of options and need to make the final decision.

While Cletus was in the hospital he had 2 more seizures, #29 and #30.
 
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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

Ready and go... Drug Update: Cletus is currently taking or potentially may be taking the following medications:
- Phenobarbital - 200mg every 12 hours
- Potassium Bromide - 7.2mL every 24 hours
- Prednisone - 20mg every 12 hours for the next 14 days (8/11/12), if no seizures go down to 20mg every 24 hours for 2 weeks (8/25/12), if no seizures go down to 20mg every 48 hours.
- Omeprazole - 40mg eve...ry 24 hours (2 weeks on, 1 week off, continuous)
- Zonisamide - 700mg every 8 hours for 3 days (7/30/12), then 700mg every 12 hours
- Levetiracetam - 2000mg every 8 hours for 5 days after seizure or when likely to have a seizure or stress
- Tramadol - 150mg - 200mg every 12 hours as needed for pain
- Diazepam - 10mg Tablets - 10mg - 20mg every 4 - 6 hours after seizure for 12 - 24 hours
- Diazepam - 8mL Liquid - To stop seizures lasting longer than 2 minutes, can repeat if seizure does not stop within 1 minute after first administration

7/26/2012 - 4 seizures in 24 hours, Cletus back in the hospital

7/26/12 - Cletus was brought into UF vet tonight after his 3rd seizure within 24 hours and had a 4th seizure after arrival. They are keeping him overnight and transferring to neurology in the morning. Not looking good right now. I hope not but the doctors are saying we may have to make a hard decision soon.

7/25/2012 - Seizure #26 and right back leg twisting inward

7/25/12 - Seizure #26 today - Moderate (4 out of 10) in living room lasting 30 seconds. 8mL of Diazapam given.

Cletus' right back leg has been turning/twisting in for the past few days.  Video is attached. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmSGt3LSB2k&feature=player_embedded

May be neurological, may be spinal related, may be something else.  Doctors will be running tests.  We are now going to try to get Ellen's attention to see if we can get media help.  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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

7/20/2012 - Seizure #25 - 9 Months, 25 Seizures

7/20/12 - Cletus had his 25th known seizure tonight. Rated a 7 out of 10 on our scale. The Diazapam worked this time and knocked him out of the seizure. Over the past 9 months, Cletus has had:
- 2 seizures in November
- 12 seizures in January
- 1 seizure in February
- 1 seizure in March
- 1 seizure in April
- 2 seizures in May
- 3 seizures in June
- 3 seizures in July

Why won't the drugs work? Cletus is taking between 16 and 18 pills a day (depending on the day) plus his liquid medication and is still having seizures on a regular basis.

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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

7/1/2012 - Seizure #23 - Worst in 9 Months

07/01/12 - Cletus just had the worst seizure he has had since seizure #2 back in November.  There was no warning, no excitement, no thunderstorm, no playing, nothing.  Cletus was sleeping on the floor in the living room when a seizure began and quickly got worse.  I administered Diazapam within 30 seconds but for the first time, the drugs did not kick him out of the seizure right away and the seizure lasted 1 1/2 to 2 full minutes in total.  We rated this seizure an 8 out of 10 on our scale. 

Below is his full seizure/intensity chart since he began having seizures in November, 2011.  Cletus also had a moderate seizure a couple of days ago and as you can see from this chart, his seizures are getting worse as of late and they are coming closer together even with the raise in medication. 

I am very afraid that if we do not get the help we need fast, we may lose him.

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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

06/21/2012 - Seizure #21

6/26/12 - Seizure #21.  Cletus had his 21st seizure last night.  This one was different than others being that he did not have the typical grand mal type but rather froze.  Cletus has had several different types of seizures but this was the first type of this kind.  It lasted between 30 seconds and 1 minute and we rated it a 4 out of 10 on our scale.  8mL of Diazapam given. 

The doctors have raised Cletus' prednisone from 20mg every 48 hours to 20mg every 12 hours try to combat his increased seizure activity as well as the increased weakness in his hindside.  If this increase does not help resolve his issues, the next step would be to run another MRI and place Cletus on additional medications. 

Cletus is already on many medications including Phenobarbitol, Prednisone, Omeprazole, and Potassium Bromide.  I hate to put him on more and the doctors say the cost of the other medications could be very ezxpensive.  The MRI alone would be around $2,500.  It is sad to say but we have spent $6,267 on Cletus' treatments and tests so far this year and we are running out of money.

The doctors have also taken him off of the hypothyroid medication due to the fact that it has not helped the situation.

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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

6/13/2012 - Seizure #20 and a diagnosis of Hypothyroidism

6/13/12 - Seizure #20 - Lasted 1 minute, moderate, rated 4 out of 10. 8ml of diazapam given to try to avoid cluster seizures.

Cletus was diagnosed with hypothyroidism today which would account for his massive weight gain, weakness, and skin issues. Began a new medication and had a seizure 20 minutes after 1st time receiving medication. Dr's are assuring me that there should not be a correlation between the medication and seizures but the timing is very odd. I will give Cletus his medications including the new medication in the morning but he will spend the day at the vet under a seizure watch while I am at work.

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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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

6/8/2012 - The tests begin again...

6/8/12 - Cletus' bloodwork pertaining to his levels of Potassium Bromide and Phenobarbital are within normal range.  We were actually hoping that one or both of these levels would be low to account for his recent seizure activity.  We are bringing Cletus in tomorrow for another set of tests (bloodwork/urinalysis) to be run as a first step to try to come up for a reason for his very weak hindside.  Cletus has had this weakness since going on his medications and we thought that the weakness would go away with time but unfortunately it has been getting worse.  He has a lot of trouble getting up, frequently is not able to get up if he is not on carpet, and often falls or his back legs slip out from under him.  He has no strength at all in his back legs.  The past few weeks, this weakness has been noticeably worse.

Next week Cletus will be going back into the University for a re-check and they may raise his Prednisone dosage.  Our main concern at this time is the weakness.  He is very happy, does not act like he is in any pain at all, and constantly wants to play, but we hate that he has so much trouble with his legs/hips.  A two year old puppy should not have to deal with all of this.

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 somewhere between 1,150 and 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