Update on Romeo...

After visiting the veterinary dermatologist this past Friday, Romeo was visually diagnosed with vasculitis. A biopsy can be done to attempt to confirm this diagnosis, but I can't afford it. 

Another issue is that in doing the biopsy he will lose a significant piece of his ears. Since they have significant deterioration, they would have to, not only take the affected area, but a little of the surrounding as well. He would also lose an entire paw pad wherever the biopsy is done, again, because of the same reason. See, Romeo is a very small dog. He only weighs three pounds. He has a tiny body.

The dermatologist said that the vasculitis may have been caused by his annual vaccinations. It seems that in small dogs the body over-reacts to their vaccines and the result causes blockage of tiny blood vessels resulting in ulceration and death of tissue, which is what Romeo currently has on his ears, wrists, paw pads and tip of his tail. 

I've decided to start treatment to try and cure the ulcerations, swelling and irritations. They may or may not work. It will be trial and error depending upon how he reacts to the medications. The dermatologist has started him off on three. One of the medications alone is $260. Because Romeo is so small the meds need to be compounded and this will take a few days. I went ahead and had the pharmacist do it, but at this point I still don't know how I will pay for them. If these medications do not work, they will change them to stronger immune suppressants. 

I was able to take him to the dermatologist visit thanks to the donations I received on GoFundMe.com and donations made by my sisters co-workers. In total, $200 was raised. 

I will no longer be able to vaccinate Romeo. If I do so, the reaction can start all over again and may be worse next time. I'll have to get his blood drawn for antibody titers to ensure that he is still protected from those viruses. 

His treatment will be continuos until he can be completely healed and it will be pricey. The only reason I resorted to the GoFundMe.com website is because I honestly cannot afford the costs. If you know of someone that can donate $1 or more please please share his link: http://www.gofundme.com/c8gy4o via Facebook, Twitter, Email or through any other social media. I really need the help to keep his condition from getting worse.

Thank you for anything you can do. I sincerely appreciate it.

This is what Romeo's ears look like:

He also has to wear booties until his paws completely heal.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my Romeo's condition.
I hope you are all having a beautiful week!   =)

Apology, RL Update & Romeo's Illness

First, I must apologize for my absence and abandoning my blog. I'm surprised to see I still have any followers left. Thank you for sticking around. It truly means a lot to me.

It's been two years since I last posted and it wasn't intentional. My life drastically changed and I have been dealing with the aftermath. I have been horrible in keeping touch with mini friends and emails. For that I am truly sorry. I created this blog to learn, share and make friends around the world. You have no idea how much I miss miniland and visiting all of your blogs. I hope I can get back into it soon.

The past year has been one of growing, accepting and putting my life in order, or at least trying to...lol. It has also been one of faith and love. Today I am in a better place but I certainly didn't achieve this alone.

Even though I haven't been making minis, I have been doing other crafty things, on and off, as a form of therapy. Maybe I'll start posting those things as a way of keeping my blog current, if anyone is interested?

Okay, now that the first two things have been addressed, on to the third and the one that saddens me the most. For those of you that haven't noticed that adorable pup to the right, he is my heart. He was the only reason I got up everyday and didn't just give up. I had to take care of him. I don't have children so all my maternal instincts are projected onto him. LOL He is 3lbs of pure sweetness. His favorite thing to do is to chase after his ball. He can literally do that ALL day! He also loves to cuddle. In between play, he will come up to me for some love and then go right back to playing. He's so silly!

In January of this year I noticed he had some scabs on his ears and took him to the vet. I don't know where the scabs came from or what caused them. The vet put him on antibiotics and gave me an ointment to put on his ears. It seemed like the ointment was drying the scabs out even more but then it got worse. Creams and antibiotics haven't helped at all. Today his ears look horrible. I suspect they also hurt because he cowers down when I'm cleaning the wounds out. I took him back to the vet two weeks ago because his paw pads were splitting and bleeding. The vet suspects that the two are related. She examined him and did cultures and everything came back negative. Her last diagnosis is that he may have some form of lupus. She also has posted photos of him on a medical website in order to get the opinion of other vets. She has never seen a case like Romeo's and is exploring other options for him.

She recommended I take him to a vet dermatologist and I have already made the appointment, but I don't even have the money for this. The consultation alone is $150. The whole visit will cost anywhere between $400-$800 because he will need a biopsy. I went ahead and made the appointment because I am hoping I can raise the funds needed through donations. I created a "gofundme" page for him explaining his case and I am praying that we will be able to meet our goal and be able to see the specialist. I hate not knowing what is wrong with my Romeo. These days all he does is sleep. He will go days with eating, which I suspect is a side effect of the antibiotics. And he doesn't show much interest in playing, which is extremely rare for him.

I know this is alot to ask, especially since I've been gone for so long, but I would be eternally grateful if you could help me in spreading the word about his donation page (http://www.gofundme.com/c8gy4o). If you are not able to make a donation please, please share the
link. Maybe someone else has an extra dollar or two to spare. I know in today's world things are tough for everyone, but any amount will help me in trying to get Romeo the diagnosis and treatment
he needs.

You can share, donate and read more here: Romeo needs a biopsy.

If you've made it this far, thank you reading this never ending post.

I hope you are all enjoying the summer, and if it's winter in your part of the world, hang in there. We will be getting it soon enough.

Have a beautiful week sweet mini people!

Iris