One Of My Dogs Is Very Ill And Looks Like He Will Not Get Better

[baldie]

Hi guy's I thought I would share this with you as me and the family are devastated.

Samson my 2 year old Akita has devolped a very rare condition that has no good outlook and years of treatment and will end up with him going Blind and maybe worse..

Its called Uveodermatologic Syndrome (UDS, VKH).

Here is a bit about the symptoms......

Signs and Symptoms

 

UDS often presents with bilateral panuveitis, which is generally characterized by red and cloudy eyes, with tearing and squinting, as well as varying degrees of localized vitiligo (nose, lips, eye rims and, less commonly, footpads and anus). Generalized vitiligo has been reported in two cases [2]. The eye inflammation can cause secondary complications, such as retinal detachment, cataracts and glaucoma. Blindness can result from these complications. The syndrome is most often diagnosed by a veterinary ophthalmologist and requires life long medical therapy.

 

 

Causes

 

UDS (and VKH) is thought to be caused by the inappropriate production of antibodies directed against melanocytes (pigment-producing cells), although viral infection cannot be ruled out as a cause of the disease [4]. A recent report describes the association of UDS in American Akitas with an increased frequency of the DQA1*00201 allele, suggesting a genetic component to the disease [5].

 

 

Risk Factors

 

Most reported cases of UDS involve Akitas (~ 80%) suggesting a predisposition in this breed. The age range reported is from 6 months to 6 years, with a slightly increased incidence in males [2].

And here is a pic of my best friend

So thats why I have not been gaming quite as much we have got to clean his wounds and eye's costantly untill all the drugs get him more Stable

Edited November 30, 2012 by baldie

[Boo Yaa]

He's a good looking family member Baldie, i'm very sorry.

[Astronomer]

So sorry to hear that Baldie. We have 2 fur-kids as well (border collies), and I know what it's like to have one of them not well.

[Hunter1948]

Hope everything works out for you and your family.

[KillerKitty]

i am so sorry to hear that.... i know how helpless u can feel when u cant do anything for a loved pet and family member .... hope its having no pain and much fun till the end (which is hopefully far away) good luck

[J3st3r]

That sucks baldie.Akita are very smart dogs and a bit independent for sure.My aunt had 2 Akita dogs and one of them had a retinal degeneration disease (forget the name).But as it slowly lost it's sigh it got very moody.It got to the point that my aunt could no longer get close enough to him to give him feed.

 

All I have this damn Chihuahua/Shitzu mix bread dog.I wish it would run off or something.All it does is Eat,bark,shit and hump my work boots.The little horny bastard any way.He is funny as heck though.

[pwrcrzy52]

Sorry to hear that he's not doing good ,had a Blk Lab who had a stroke at 3yrs and we had to put her down. It's hard to let go.

[Angel]

Hes soooo cute. Take good care of that sweet baby and give him lots of love. Im sorry for you and your family.

[Merlin007]

Very sorry to hear that baldie. Take good care of him and all my best to both of you.

[Fire]

So sorry Baldie as i know what you are going through at the momment

and i hope that he gets better just love him and care for him as he looks lovely

and cuddley.

[PigDog]

Nice looking Akita there Baldie. Sorry to hear that your friend is sick Below is a pic of my princess, Koda. She just turned 7.

 

[WeednFeed]

It is always hard to loose a great friend or have them become ill. This past May I had to put my 11 year old pointer down. He was bleeding internally, He was from my litter, he was born in my garage and simply my best buddy. Five times we made the 7000 kilometer trips to Iowa from eastern Canada to hunt pheasants. He always slept on the bed at my fishing camp. Everyone loved him and I think of him everyday. I have a new Lab pup now and I love her just as much but I fondly remember all my dogs.

Ginger, Red, Hammer, Dan, Pepper, Smoke, Jill, Dolly, Ricky, Patch, and Billy.

Wish you well.

Weed

Edited December 1, 2012 by WeednFeed

[vipersniper]

sorry man i was just talking to another XI member today about losing my dog back in 96 . it's very hard the best for you and your pet ( mans best friend ) .

Edited December 1, 2012 by vipersniper

[1lost1]

Sorry to hear Baldie, just love him and remember all the great things you did as a family together.

[ViPRZ]

soo sad..he looks like a big teddy bear..all the best to you and your family

[ColdSore]

Sorry to hear about your friend Baldie. One of our dogs has been sick on and off for 3 years. 4 vets later they finally diagnosed him correctly with Addisons disease. $50/month for the rest of his life but he is healthy and back as he was.

 

With a little caring and love hopefully Samson will be around for many years to come. He's a great looking Akita!

[DEEJAYKEG]

Not good news but I'm sure you'll make your faithful friend as comfortable as possible.

Look forward to seeing you back in game when the little fella's condition has settled down.

[baldie]

Thanks guy's its much appriciated.

At the moment its a waiting game and doing as much research as possible to find out and try everything to make him better The problem is its a very rare illness that my vet has never come across before so he is consulting with other vets all over the country to work out the best course of action.

 

But Samson is a big boy and still thinks he is a pup but keeps running into things because of his eyesight at the moment is not so good thats why we have our hands full trying to keep him calm.

And my other 2 dogs do not understand why he cant play at the moment.

This was Samson the day we picked him up

[baldie]

I hope this does not offend anyone but i thought that I would post a pic of how poorly my Samson looks ....

As you can see its attacking his eye's mouth and nose tissue but the eye's are the most worrying.

So if you see any colour change in your dogs skin around the face take them to a vet ASAP if caught early enough it could prevent blindness.

 

And here is my other 2 dogs Delilah and Noah who took his dads colouring....

[drunksniper]

Hey mate my prayers and all the best for your family is called for.... I hope Samson gets through this... He looks strong

[PigDog]

Wow, 3 Akitas in the same house?? How do you manage that ? Great looking dogs Baldie. I love my Akita. Great breed.....but you have to know what you are in for with them, as you must know. LOL, I have that same duck for my dog too that was in the picture with Samson. I wish all the best for you and Samson!

[baldie]

Wow, 3 Akitas in the same house?? How do you manage that ? Great looking dogs Baldie. I love my Akita. Great breed.....but you have to know what you are in for with them, as you must know. LOL, I have that same duck for my dog too that was in the picture with Samson. I wish all the best for you and Samson!

Yes mate they can be a handfull. But as long as you show them who is boss they are brilliant gentle dogs and very loyal..

Thats why Samson being so ill is a major thing for us because he was our first dog in several years after our last dog passed away then we got Delilah and Noah is there pup that we had to keep lol ( I must be mad )

[GOD BLESS U]

I will pray for sampson i no they are people just as we are they are familly i will keep sampson in my prayers Baldie sorry to hear that bro! GOD BLESS YOU!

[Xtreme]

Whoa....that REALLY bites man. Especially on a 2 YO dog. I'm a dog lover too. Best wishes for you and your dog.

 

I have a yellow lab. Here's a picture when she was a puppy, she's 6 now.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Xtreme

[Burt(XI)]

Sorry to hear it Baldie. I hope that Samson can be helped. The duck toy iin his puppy picture was also a favorite with one of my beagles. From my avatar, you can surmise I'm a dog guy and have felt your pain.